Travel During Covid-Our Trip to Staunton Va The Hotel

Two weekends ago I had the opportunity to go with Josh and Erica to Staunton Va.  They were going to pick up some farm equipment from a friend in the area and we thought this would be a great opportunity to getaway.  Having been in basic lockdown for months this was a much-needed excursion.  

If you were to ask me if there was a bit of trepidation due to COVID 19?  I would have to say yes to some degree.  I also do not want to be so afraid of life that I fail to live my life so I said "let's go!".

So we packed up our suitcases and gathered our hand sanitizer and masks and off we went.

We decided to stay at The Blackburn Inn and Conference Center in Staunton.

Here is what they say on their website

"Experience a historic slice of paradise at our boutique hotel in Staunton, VA. Our singular, serene property sits on a sprawling 80 acres of well-manicured grounds. The Blackburn Inn & Conference Center exudes old-time charm while promising modern finishes, artful design, and superior hospitality"

The building itself is beautiful.  Before it became a boutique hotel, it was a State Psychiatric Hospital and, after that, a medium-security prison. You can read more here, Historic Hotels of America.

"...the historic hotel exudes a distinctive and unmistakably American look – characterized by red brick, whitewashed wood trim, classical moldings, and dramatic, light-filled hallways."

from the hotel website

The architecture was beautiful.  I loved the long, brightly lit hallways.

There is a lovely stairway, and it is described like this "handcrafted spiral staircase leading to a cupola and rooftop veranda."  We did walk up the spiral stairway. We went to the top, but the rooftop veranda was closed.  There was a note that you could arrange a tour if you wanted to.

There were several little sanctuaries throughout the hotel where you could go to relax.

The outdoor areas are lovely.  The property sits on 80 acres.

It is a pet-friendly hotel.  We did not bring our dogs 

although it was nice to enjoy other sweet doggies. 

The room I was in was small.  It is called a Cozy Queen, and it was cozy.  The bathroom was huge, with a walk-in shower.  Josh, Erica, and Jane stayed in a bigger room.  When they told them they needed space for a pack-n-play, I think they were given an ADA accessible room.  I crashed their room, as you can see below.  I had to hold baby Jane:-)

I am an early bird, so I was up early every morning. With my coffee in hand, I would head out to the front porch of the building to read my book and enjoy the solitude of the beautiful morning.

By the way, the book pictured below is very good!

So, how were things different in a hotel during the COVID Pandemic?  First off the staff wore masks.
Our rooms were not cleaned during our two-day stay.  I had to request towels for the next day; they were not offered. You had to request the disposable coffee mugs and coffee for your Keurig.   The restaurant is closed to indoor seating.  They did have a BBQ outdoors one night and we enjoyed a nice outdoor dinner.  They do provide a contactless check-in and check-out along with an OpenKey entry if you want to use your cell phone for entry.
I always check to see if the hotel I am staying in is haunted.  I don't know why I do that just silly curiosity, I guess.  I could only find one person who said it might be haunted.  She said this because her shower came on in the middle of the night.  As per usual, I did not see or hear anything that made me feel that I was in a haunted hotel and that is probably for the best:-)
To sum things up, we had a great time at the Blackburn Hotel.  Things may be a bit different during this crazy pandemic, but I think they did a great job trying to make things safe.
Happy Travels!
KathieyV