Visit Asheville: where to stay

I often find myself sounding like an Asheville tourist's guide because I think that everyone should vacation there.  Asheville, North Carolina is one of our favorite spots to visit and we usually go about once a year.  I thought I would put together a blog mini-series on visiting Asheville and share some of our favorite spots. 

So to begin: where to stay?  I'm sure that there are lots of great places to stay in Asheville.  Here are our two favorites and some money saving tips for each. 

We love the Corner Oak Manor.  This was the first place we ever stayed in Asheville and we have been back several times.  Here are some of the great things about staying there:

It is in a great location and you can get almost anywhere you want to go in 10 minutes or less. 

The owners, Karen and Andy, are so friendly and fun that you feel like you know them as soon as you meet. 

The rooms are all cozy and clean. 

The food is AMAZING.  You will find yourself thinking about the next morning's breakfast before you go to sleep at night. 

There are all sorts of fun extras, like a binder full of restaurant recommendations, tons of board games and books to enjoy, afternoon snacks, and a fridge filled with sodas and water and juice. 

The best part is that the prices are super reasonable and they even have last-minute specials, so if you are a last minute trip planner, you can get an even greater deal!  Plus, don't forget to factor in that amazing breakfast!

My other recommendation for a place to stay in Asheville is the Inn on Biltmore Estate.  I will be doing a separate post on visiting the Biltmore Estate, but just the Inn is worth a visit all by itself. 

It sits atop a hill overlooking the winery and some of the restaurants on the estate.  You can walk everywhere, but there is also a shuttle that will drive you around if you prefer. 

We chose to stay at the Inn because the forecast called for rain during our whole stay.  We decided that we wouldn't mind a bit of rain if we were staying in a nice hotel close to everything we wanted to do. 

Best. Decision. Ever.  Our room was large and gorgeous and there really wasn't much incentive to leave it.  We read and played games and took naps. 

You know how you never sleep as well when you're not in your own bed?  Not the case here.  The linens are amazing. 

The Inn has two restaurants in it and we thoroughly enjoyed both of them.  There is also a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves and windows with amazing views.  The lobby has a massive fireplace and we spent a whole afternoon reading in front of it on a big sofa. 

While it is normally pretty expensive to stay at the Inn, we found a special (that I think they run fairly often) where you pay for two nights and get a third night free.  When you throw in the fact that you have constant access to the whole estate (instead of paying around $50 each for daily tickets), it ended up being almost as cheap as our usual B&B. 

Stop by later this week and I'll tell you where we like to eat and what we like to do while we're in Asheville.  Then you can start planning your own trip!