Keswick
Virginia


The Experience

It's not hard to confuse Keswick Estate with nearby Monticello. A grand expanse of a building, Keswick brings the same sophistication that Thomas Jefferson created at his home (albeit with all the expected modern luxuries). Located just outside Charlottesville, the hotel is designed in the style of a grand colonial manor house, three stories of solid brick and mortar surrounded by sweeping lawns and lush woodland. Built in 1912 on the site of an antebellum plantation house, the hotel's stately facade gives way to an elegant lobby replete with fireplace, original antiques and sweeping staircase--just the sort of place to which Scarlett and Rhett might steal away.

The Rooms

The 48 rooms blend American colonial and European Old World decor, with furnishings and fabrics that would not look out of place in Monticello. Standard rooms feature solid wooden armoires or desks offset by plump beds, feather pillows, overstuffed ottomans and comfy club chairs -- it's all a bit crammed in and can be a tight fit. Suites have the look and feel of a posh, private apartment from the colonial era and have balconies or terraces. But everyone has the same views, overlooking the golf course or the Virginia countryside.

The Service

Highly personalized butler service is one of Keswick Hall's trademarks, and the property has a reputation for trying to meet the offbeat requests that guests can sometimes make. That said, the service can be a tad slow at times and it might take awhile to grant your wish. This is, after all, rural Virginia. Those in a rush should book somewhere else.

The Highlights

Infinity pools certainly weren't the rage in Jefferson's day, but Keswick's comes with views of the countryside. It's a welcome relief after golf and tennis, as is Fossett's Restaurant, which specializes in modern takes on traditional regional dishes like quail, pork loin and oxtail. But what sets this country house hotel apart from others is an astounding array of "aristocratic" activities, ranging from horseback rides around the leafy 600-acre estate to foxhunts through the rambling Blue Ridge countryside that Jefferson called the American Eden.

-- Joe Yogerst

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