French Lick & West Baden Springs, Indiana: Exploring West Baden Springs Resort (Part 1)

I highly recommend the tour of West Baden Springs Resort.  The hotel has such an interesting history, and it's great to know what you're seeing as you wander through the hotel and grounds.  Tours are offered a couple of times a day and last about an hour.  Here's some of what we saw on the tour and during our stay at West Baden.

West Baden Springs Resort

Rookwood Pottery tiles are used throughout the property, like in this crest at the entrance.

More Rookwood tiles on the floor in the atrium.  These ladies are enjoying afternoon tea.

One of the many seating areas in the atrium

Many statues and pieces of art are on the property. This lady was my favorite.

A focal point of the atrium is this fireplace surround created by Rookwood Pottery.

Detail of fireplace surround

One of many amazing light fixtures

Lobby by the check-in desk

One of several stained glass windows and doors

Hallway Lighting

At night, the massive light fixture in the atrium dome changes colors.

Loved the blues and purples here

French Lick & West Baden Springs, Indiana: Our Room at West Baden Springs Resort

Our room at West Baden Springs was lovely, comfortable, and quiet.  The king-sized bed, my husband and I agreed, was the most comfortable we'd ever slept on--and there were lots of pillows!  The room was the perfect size for the two of us, and the bathroom was bigger than most you find in a hotel.  The room had standard amenities such as cable TV, WIFI, and a small refrigerator and microwave.  Extras such as thick, soft towels and bath robes, complimentary tea, and attention to decorative details, however, kept the room from being just standard.  Perhaps what really put the room over the top were the large windows and the balcony that overlooked the beautiful atrium.

Such a comfortable bed!

One of the bedside tables

Image of the hotel on the bedside table

Lamp detail

Love this carpet!

Wet bar

A comfortable place to read

Bathroom fixtures and details

Wallpaper & tile detail in the bathroom

Our windows and balcony on the sixth floor

View of the hotel atrium from our room

Maine's Southern Coast: Our Vacation Rental

Just returned home after a week on the beautiful southern coast of Maine. Traveling with my husband and me were my sister-in-law and her friend.  I wanted to find a rental home centrally located on the coast that was close to a nice beach as well as close to a quaint town for shopping and eating out.  A pretty house with a bright, beachy feel and spaces for both gathering together and enjoying some private time is what we needed.  After searching VRBO and Homeaway, I found just such a place.

"Northerly Cottage" is located in Kennebunk Beach in a small, quiet neighborhood just off Beach Road.  Less than a mile from Kennebunkport and only about 100 yards from Gooch's Beach, the house has wonderful views of both the Kennebunk River and the Atlantic ocean.

The front of Northerly Cottage in Kennebunk Beach, Maine

View of Kennebunk River from the front of Northerly Cottage

View of Kennebunk River and Kennebunkport from the front of Northerly Cottage

Back of Northerly Cottage

View of dunes, beach, and ocean from the back porch of the cottage

The cottage layout worked well for our group of four.  My sister-in-law and her friend had the entire upstairs of the house to themselves.  Each lady had her own bedroom and her own bathroom.  One of the upstairs bedrooms was the largest in the cottage and had a queen bed and an alcove with a desk and chair. The adjoining bathroom had a HUGE shower.  The other upstairs bedroom contained two twin beds and had an adjoining bathroom with a combination tub/shower.  The views are beautiful from the upstairs rooms, and there is even a small balcony off the upstairs hallway that overlooks the river.

Downstairs is a queen bedroom with a television and two closets and an adjoining bathroom with a shower.  My husband and I stayed in this room and enjoyed the ocean view from our window.

Downstairs bedroom with queen bed

Downstairs bedroom details

Pretty hardwood floors are all through the cottage.

Downstairs bathroom that connects to bedroom

Marble counters and shower

Also downstairs in Northerly Cottage are the combined living and dining room, the kitchen, a screened-in porch, and a powder room off the hall.  The living/dining area is open, bright, and comfortable, and the kitchen, though quite small, is equipped with all we needed.  The screened-in porch is connected to the living area with french doors, and had it been a little bit warmer this would have been my favorite place to read and relax.  The whole cottage is decorated in shades of blue, gray, white, and tan, and combinations of wicker, wood, chrome, and soft fabrics create a casual, pretty home that is very inviting.

Cozy gathering area in front of the fireplace and TV

The rustic mantle 

Wonderful combinations of colors, textures, and patterns

Northerly Cottage was a great base for exploring Maine's southern coast! To learn more about the house,  check out http://www.vrbo.com/987822ha.  For more about our travels in beautiful Maine, check out my blog posts in the coming days.

The Hope and Glory Inn: Our Garden Guest Cottage

In addition to guest rooms in the main house at Hope and Glory, there are also accommodations in the garden guest cottages and in the vineyard cottages.  We chose to stay in one of the six garden cottages located directly behind the inn. Ours was a two-story cottage with a king bedroom and a bathroom upstairs and a small sitting room downstairs.  We also had a tiny fenced patio and a small front porch that faced the gardens. The cottages have WiFi but no televisions or phones.  (These are available, however, in the common sitting area of the inn.) Our cottage was lovely, private, and very comfortable.

The brick path leading through the garden to our cottage. White
azaleas and purple iris were blooming around our front porch.

Loved this coat rack made of old wooden shoe lasts.

This was part of the wall decor in the downstairs sitting room. They must have known we
were dog lovers!

The terrier on the far right looks like the dog I had as a child.  Well, my dog would have
looked like that if he had let us trim and bathe him!

I enjoyed watching the birds that visited this tree beside our patio.

This is the bedroom ceiling.  Unique and pretty--kind of like a garden lattice.

This was such a comfortable bed!

Laying in bed, you look out these doors and feel as if you're in a treehouse.

The view of the gardens and other guest cottages from our bedroom.