Girls Weekend – Virginia Beach

The time of year is here – beach weekends! No time like the present to kick the cubicle and go relax with your best girlfriends. My friend Emily and I spent last weekend in Virginia Beach swimming, drinking wine, eating amazing food, going to the spa, and relaxing at our hotel. This was the perfect escape from Washington, D.C. where we reside. Bonus – it is less than a 3 hours drive!
Where we stayed:
We stayed at the Founders Inn and Spa for two nights in a fireplace suite room. I know you are probably thinking “fireplace in the summer?” We actually used it! We were chilly after swimming, so we turned it on and ordered pizza for room service!

Once we checked into our room, we were delivered some yummy treats!

The hotel has grand furnishings and portraits of Founders past on the walls. You will feel like you stepped back in time with an elegant stay.

The hotel has an indoor pool and spa that we were able to enjoy during our visit. Bonus: the pool is open until 11pm! Most hotels I have stayed in close around 8-9:00pm.


The hotel has a sprawling English garden on the backside over looking a small lake. You can stroll the gardens, take a seat on a bench, or if you stay in the Presidential Suite, you can view the entire gardens from your room balcony that sits at the overview.

What we ate!
We ended up eating most of our meals at the hotel – and with good reason. Excellent prices and incredible food.
Dinner at the Swan Terrace Grill is a MUST DO if you are in Virginia Beach. We couldn’t figure out what to eat because the menu looked fabulous – so we tried a bunch of dishes. I feel like the pictures speak for themselves – the food was to die for.



They also serve a breakfast buffet each morning in the Swan Terrace that has the best bacon! I love bacon – the Queen of bacon, I have been called.


Spa Day!

I enjoy going to the spa but I rarely get a chance because I am always running around working and traveling. Having this spa day with my friend was a great way for us to unwind and decompress from life. We went to the spa at our hotel and the services were excellent.
I ended up getting a Wild Lime Scalp Treatment and we both got a Lemon Verbena Body Scrub. If you want your skin to feel baby bottom smooth – definitely go for the scrub. The scrub smelled nice and it was made with sugar and not salt – so it wasn’t harsh on the skin. 5 days later and my skin still feels amazing. As for the scalp treatment, I cannot stress enough how much everyone should get this done. I have been working a lot and having tension headaches. My spa therapist was aware of this and the way she relieved my scalp has been a blessing. I left feeling like a new person.
Don’t forget to enjoy your spa day with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries!

Activities:

I had read about a winery called Mermaid Winery in Virginia Beach – so I suggested we go. Can’t have a girls weekend without wine, now can we? They have free tastings on Friday nights, so we did that and then we each ordered a flight of wine. I ended up trying their signature wines and Emily went with a flight of red wines from around the world.

Some things to note about the winery: I loved their wines! All of the ones I tried. I even bought a bottle of white wine to take home – which is bizarre because I don’t really like white wines. If you are looking for a good white wine, The Siren’s White is it. They stack their flights (shown above) and I actually now prefer this. Keeps the table cleaner and you can keep track of what you are drinking. The winery was very busy when we went – so plan for that if you decide to go.
Definitely go to the beach! Be aware that parking can be challenging and take cash with you. A summer picks up, the beach will get more crowded. We lucked out and had a beautiful day that wasn’t very busy.

We drove down from Washington, D.C. since it isn’t far. We enjoyed Aerosmith tunes, white kit kat candy, arguing over not having Wendy’s (haha), and this glorious bathroom sign at a gas station.

Overall we had a good stay, fabulous food, great wine, and relaxed in the spa and pool.