I've got to be honest. I've been excited about writing this blog post since Cliff and I booked our stay at Applewood Inn last month.
How we found this place, I'm still not entirely sure. All I know is I wanted a relaxing weekend getaway for my birthday and after a full day of online searching, I came across Applewood Inn near Lexington, VA. It met all of my criteria and then some. It's affordable, secluded, locally owned and operated, and our room had a fire place and private hot tub... but that's not all.
Owners Chris and Linda Best, who have more than 38 years of experience running inns, have also raised llamas for the last 22 years. For animal lovers like me and Cliff, it doesn't get any better! Seriously... How can you not love waking up to a crisp mountain morning, a warm homemade breakfast and llamas?!?! The best part? On Saturday morning we got to go hiking with the llamas! My llama was named Stryker (and he gives kisses!) and Cliff hiked with Spunky.
In addition to getting up close and personal with these guys, we also learned a lot about them from our innkeepers. Did you know that llamas are related to camels and they live to be around 25 years old? They're also, surprisingly, a lot like me and Cliff... they're social creatures who love being with their pack, but they have a strong sense of personal space (aka: they need their alone time). Unfortunately, their aloof nature makes them rather difficult to photograph. There was no hamming it up for the camera from these guys, but that's okay... we still had fun :)
After our llama trek, Cliff and I explored the town of Lexington and made our way to Natural Bridge, Virginia. Soaking in the sights and sounds of the beautiful Appalachia region was exactly what we needed. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday and a wonderful start to the New Year. We may have been gone for only 48 hours, but this is a getaway we wont soon forget!
How we found this place, I'm still not entirely sure. All I know is I wanted a relaxing weekend getaway for my birthday and after a full day of online searching, I came across Applewood Inn near Lexington, VA. It met all of my criteria and then some. It's affordable, secluded, locally owned and operated, and our room had a fire place and private hot tub... but that's not all.
Owners Chris and Linda Best, who have more than 38 years of experience running inns, have also raised llamas for the last 22 years. For animal lovers like me and Cliff, it doesn't get any better! Seriously... How can you not love waking up to a crisp mountain morning, a warm homemade breakfast and llamas?!?! The best part? On Saturday morning we got to go hiking with the llamas! My llama was named Stryker (and he gives kisses!) and Cliff hiked with Spunky.
In addition to getting up close and personal with these guys, we also learned a lot about them from our innkeepers. Did you know that llamas are related to camels and they live to be around 25 years old? They're also, surprisingly, a lot like me and Cliff... they're social creatures who love being with their pack, but they have a strong sense of personal space (aka: they need their alone time). Unfortunately, their aloof nature makes them rather difficult to photograph. There was no hamming it up for the camera from these guys, but that's okay... we still had fun :)
After our llama trek, Cliff and I explored the town of Lexington and made our way to Natural Bridge, Virginia. Soaking in the sights and sounds of the beautiful Appalachia region was exactly what we needed. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday and a wonderful start to the New Year. We may have been gone for only 48 hours, but this is a getaway we wont soon forget!
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This is Ginger, who we also immediately fell in love with!
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I love this photo. I can't decide who's cuter -- Cliff or the llama!
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