Last Wednesday I returned home from a mini vacation, 2 nights, 3 day stay at The St. Michaels’ Harbour Inn Marina and Spa. This place was so incredible. So when we arrived, the girl checking us in was so incredibly sweet. We saw so many retirees there with their miniature every type of breed dog known to man kind. Some even had little outfits on, it was so cute. We went up to our room and it was nice, had wood floors, a bed, 2 chairs and a tv, then had the 2 person jacuzzi tub. However, my boyfriend Matt had seen pictures of the captains suite and he really likes to be comfortable I guess you could say. So the sweet girl behind the desk said well I can take you up and show you one of those rooms and if you like that better we can change your room. Well of course we loved that better. it had carpet, sofa, chair, balcony with table and chairs, view of the bay, 2 person jacuzzi still, a separate bedroom, bathroom and even a little nook with a vanity and sink for me to get ready and do my hair and makeup. So sold right, well not so fast, it was an extra $250 a night, bummer. The manager came out and said well is slow in the beginning of the week so I’ll give it to you for an extra $50 a night!!! Great customer service everyone. We are going back next year for sure.
Now onto the attractions, First we had dinner at our hotel because the restaurant was gorgeous, we ate out on the patio at Sunset. Matt got the amazing crab cakes, best flavor ever, and I had some tasty Rockfish, and the appetizers were “family” style so we shared stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Sipped on some wine and turned in for the night. It was the perfect start to the trip and with a fun little buzz and a nice jacuzzi, it was a romantic evening, and I’ll just leave the rest of the night here.
The next morning Matt and I slept in a little till about 9am, got ready and went to this recommended place called the Carpenter Street Saloon, the bartender said it was considered the town’s “dive bar,” but it really wasn’t in our opinion, the building was just very historic. It did have you basic bar but on the other side was a little restaurant. So lets just say, it really did serve the best breakfast. I got the hungry man, which was eggs and sausage, but what made it so amazing was the pancakes. The pancakes were fluffy and the inside was had this perfectly crisp outer edge to it and the batter was so yummy. Best pancakes I’ve ever had, seriously.
After breakfast, Matt and I headed out onto the cute little town of St. Michaels and looked in all the little gift shops and boutiques. Now I’m not going to lie to everyone, these places were pretty expensive, but the people who visit I’m sure either have money or save money to visit. I bought a few little gifts for people, but not a lot. Our favorite place though was the Christmas store. Their ornaments and gifts were priced well, and they had so many different themed trees and angels, and nutcrackers, everything Christmas you can think of they have. Matt bought an Oriole ornament because he loves baseball, and he bought me a wine board ornament, well because I’m a wino. Then I bought us a St. Michaels boat ornament, and peanut butter and jelly bread slices. He’s the peanut butter to my jelly. Followed by shopping, I really wanted to go to the St. Michael’s winery. So we went there and right next door is their brewery, that will be next years visit, we didn’t want to mix alcohol. So the winery is in a cute little building, wasn’t crowded at all so it felt kind of private. The tasting were only $11 for all the dry wines AND all the sweet, but the funny part of it all though, was the girl didn’t have pourers attached because it was a slow day, they get busy on weekends she said. So leaving with quite a wine buzz, we headed over to a place called, “Awful Arthur’s.” We sat outside on the patio and order fresh seafood meals. Matt got oysters and broccoli, he likes his veggies, and I got blackened Ahi Tuna tacos. So delicious and when I asked the waitress the meaning behind the name, she responded with “see that guy over there, that’s Arthur, he owns the place, and he’s awful.” She was dead serious, but she said she loved working with him and his wife (who was sweet). That place has great reviews and we highly recommend it there.
After lunch we walked back to our hotel. Oh yea, everything is in walking distance, unless you have heals, then you can have to hotel car take you anywhere for free. Parking isn’t the greatest there. We relaxed by the pool and we read our book, pool was cold but they had built in chairs in the water for later in the season. Relaxing in the sun was nice, however I sprayed sunblock on my face and next time I’ll get face sunblock, my skin broke out when I got home. It eventually got hot so we headed upstairs to get ready for a nice dinner.
Come dinner time I was a little tired from the wine and the sun but I put on a nice dress, and my Tory Burch Sandals and we drove to a parking area to walk down to a upscale restaurant called 208 Talbot. Unfortunately they were closed on Tuesdays. A lot of places in town closed early on Tuesdays, so don’t make your main day on a Tuesday. Lesson learned for next years trip. We were able to still make it to Bistro at St. Michaels, I felt a little over dressed, but it wasn’t crowded enough for me to care that much. So we sat down and ordered marinate olives and a cheese and charcuterie board with our red wine. Olives were good but I honestly wasn’t blown away with the board, it wasn’t worth $19. Matt ordered gumbo for dinner and I ordered the special. His is self explanatory and mine was homemade fettucine pasta with lump crab meat and shrimp in a pesto sauce. I tasted zero pesto unfortunately. We just thought the food was bland and the wine was not that fabulous either. It could have just been an off night for the chefs but for the cost we would skip the Bistro next year. I don’t usually like to give bad reviews, but I am an honest person, especially when it comes to food and wine. Maybe in a couple years we will give it another try. Beautiful places like this deserves a second chance though, don’t you think?
Overall, Matt and I had the most relaxing and romantic trip we have ever had, we haven’t always had luck with our vacations, but we really were in need of a great one and we definitely got it here in St. Michaels. I absolutely recommend this trip, the hotel and to prepare yourselves to bring a little extra spending money. Oh and I can’t forget the amazing Agave Juice bar on Talbot. I had one with Lavender, Chamomile and Collagen, and it was amazing, we even got another one on our way out. Also, keep your bottles, they recycle them and you get a dollar off a beverage. Now go and enjoy your little getaway and have an excellent time doing so. xoxo