I have never been so relaxed. The company I work for took their employees here for a retreat and it was fantastic. I was concerned initially about being bored in rural area with little to do, but I shouldn't have been.

We stayed in a large newish Cottage that was the definition of luxury with its own fireplace and huge bath. Lots to do, spa, hunt, fish, hike. We ate fabulous food at each meal and expanded our knowledge with wine tasting and a scotch tasting sessions.

Honestly, for me the view from the main dining is almost worth the trip alone, but coupled with the food, and doting staff, it was truly a trip to remember.

Let me start by stating that I am in the hospitality industry and can have a very critical eye. On this trip my eye was constantly diverted by a well thought out experience and a caring and thoughtful team. While I didn't expect perfection on a working farm what I found was a leadership team with a clear vision of who they are and where they are going.

Congratulations on creating a sense of place from every corner of your property; a place perfect for romantic couples, family retreats, and corporate gatherings. While I was here for a meeting, I look forward to return someday with family and enjoy the many adventures provided.

Best resort we ever went to, can't wait to return in September

We've just returned froma three day holiday stay at Blackberry Farms. There were three of us including my wife and one of our children. We stayed in Wild Turkey, one of the one bedroom cottages about 200 feet from the main lodge. It was a great stay, but wildly expensive.

Blackberry Farms has been on my wife's "bucket list" for a few years. When I checked prices on line, it appeared that two of us could go for under $800 a day. Originally I had booked a standard room in the main building, but once we saw the weather report, I called while in route to see what the surcharge would be for one of the small cottages. We also added our son to the mix. I should have been more specific, but needless to say, we ended up with a base charge of over $1,500 a night. However, it was not until checkout that I discovered the automatic gratuity of $303 per day as well as a heavy local tax. To make things a bit more surprising, the server did not mention that the tasting menu had a supplement for both food and wine of $150 per person when we were ordering dinner our first evening at the "barn" (where dinner occurs). Her only comment was that the portion size was modest on the tasting menu. So, another $300 was added the first night. The long and short of it is that our final bill was almost double what I had intended to spend, and I have no one to blame but myself.

With that off my chest, if you are unconcerned with the cost of things, Blackberry Farms will be a delightful stay. We have stayed at four or five "Relais et Chateaux" in France and England, and our experience was similar to our European stays in many ways. Having breakfast, lunch and dinner included in a region that you probably would not find otherwise exciting alternative fare makes a lot of sense, and being able to come and go in relative simplicity was pleasant.

The food is VERY good, and if you have a special diet, quite amazing. My wife must eat gluten free, and the staff (particularly Billy and William) were amazingly attentive to my wife's wishes.
The sausage at breakfast was amazing, the blackberry jam, etc.

We did find, when thinking of places like Les Crayeres in Reims, that most of the staff is very young. There is a lot of staff, so I suppose it makes sense from an operational point of view. They generally were very pleasant, but we particularly appreciated the more mature staff (Billy). Conversey, also on staff is a young couple named William and Elizabeth. William was at every meal, and thoigh not our server, checked on us and made sure that the gluten issue was being addressed. Elizabeth is in the gift shop (GREAT cashmere and cutlery), and made us feel welcome and at home. They were wonderful.

The setting is magnificent. It reminded us in some ways of the Carrig Country House on Lake Caragh in Ireland. Not that the mountains were similar, but the view from the main lodge looks out onto a deep valley and a marvelous panorama of mountains. The view in the morning, with various drifts of mist between the mountain ranges, was captivating, and I found myself just sitting and meditating on the changing scene as the light and mist adjusted.

Our cottage was more than adequate, and one of the high points from my point of view was the fireplace. Like the cottages at the Greenbrier, these were real, wood burning fireplaces. Unlike teh Greenbrier, ours was more than adequately stocked with firewood on the porch, and we kept a fire going much of the day and night. The one short coming noticed by my wife was no guest bathroom slippers. The disposable kind would have been more than adequate. Without slippers and a heated bathroom floor, the tile was very cold to the touch.

One last critique. The farm is organized for golf cart transportation. Your car is taken to a holding lot during your stay. The problem we encountered is that it was raining and very cold the night we arrived. All of our luggage along with us was loaded onto one golf cart which did not have pull down rain covers. The seats were moist, we were wet and one of our bags drenched during the short drive to our cottage. I cannot imagine why they do not have proper coverings for the golf carts in inclement weather, nor could the young man who drove us. Very odd.

We loved our time together, the setting and the staff. My only reflection is that it was mighty expensive!