I recently checked another iconic Virginia hotel off of my travel bucket list: The Omni Homestead Resort. This historic resort is located deep within the Alleghany Mountains in the western part of Virginia. The Omni Homestead is home to a unique main attraction: America's oldest natural warm springs! The Warm Springs Pools are owned by the resort but open to the public. In addition, the resort also boasts beautiful historic decor, a multitude of dining options, a plethora of shopping and activities, and a large spa. My friend Amanda and I recently did a one-night stay here for our annual girls' trip. Our visit may have been brief, but it certainly was memorable!
History of the Omni Homestead:
The Omni Homestead has the immense honor of being the very first resort in the United States! It opened all the way back in 1766 as a small 18-room hotel, after the discovery of all of the natural warm and hot springs in that region of the Alleghany Mountains. The original hotel remained quite small in size for many decades. The iconic tower (pictured above) wasn't even added to the building until 1929! It has changed ownership many times over the centuries, first being owned by individuals, and then moving to being owned hospitality groups in the 1990s. This is also when numerous other additions to the property began, such as expanding the ski area for the winter months, a major expansion on the spa and outdoor pools, and golf course renovations. Omni Hotels & Resorts took over the property in 2013. The iconic Warm Springs Pools (fueled by natural hot springs) have been open to guests since the 1700s. They were closed for a few years recently for renovation, but fully reopened to the public in 2022.
There is a free history tour of the Omni Homestead property that happens daily at 10am. Sadly Amanda and I were not able to make that work with our brief visit schedule, but I'm sure it's a great way to learn even more about this iconic American hotel! You can also read more about the history of the property HERE on the hotel website.
The resort pays homage to its rich history with the beautiful and elegant decor throughout. The Omni Homestead decor is a lovely mix of traditional, antique and grandmillennial. There's lots of classic wood furniture, decor accents in light blue and light green hues, and traditional artwork that ties everything together.
Hotel Location + Travel Info:
While the Omni Homestead's remote location in the Alleghany Mountains is peaceful and filled with natural beauty, the downside is that it is not the easiest place to get to. The Omni Homestead is located within Bath County, which is located in the western central part of Virginia. Bath County is the second least populated county in the state, and the only county in Virginia that doesn't have any traffic lights! The nearest interstate access is about 40-60 minutes away (depending which interstate and which direction you need to access), so you are limited to only backroads for driving to the resort. The nearest airports are Roanoke or Charlottesville, both over 90 minutes away. If you do drive, do be aware that there is a $40 nightly valet charge to park!
There is a tiny downtown main street area in Hot Springs (the town the resort is located in). The downtown has a wine bar, a brewery and a couple of other local businesses. There are also a few restaurants in the neighboring town of Warm Springs, if you're looking for any dining options off-property of the resort.
Geographically, The Omni Homestead is only about an hour or so away from another iconic luxury resort, The Greenbrier in West Virginia. Having stayed at both, I will say the Greenbrier felt a bit more accessible and easier to get to, because it is just a few minutes off of Interstate 64. The fact that the Omni Homestead is so far from the interstates really does make it a bit isolated! (But that's certainly not a bad thing, especially if you're really looking to disconnect and have a relaxing trip.)
How I Learned About The Omni Homestead:
I used to live in Charlottesville, Virginia, which is just under two hours away from the Omni Homestead. I first heard of the hotel during my time living in Charlottesville, since it was a fairly accessible destination to that area (although I never made it to visit myself during my time living there.) I then became more enchanted with visiting the resort after seeing several bloggers and influencers that I follow stay there in recent years! I have enjoyed posts about the Omni Homestead from favorite follows like Katie Urban, Heather Bien and Grace Hamlin, just to name a few.
My friend Amanda D. and I have been doing an annual girls' trip since 2022. Our innaugural trip was to the nearby Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, and we both agreed that we wanted to make it to the Omni Homestead within the next couple of years to compare and contrast the two lodging experiences, since both are iconic and historic luxury properties!
Rooms:
Much like our trip to The Greenbrier, Amanda and I opted to stay in the most affordable room type at the Omni Homestead. When we visited The Greenbrier, we went on a weeknight in the off-season, so it was a fairly reasonable rate for how nice that property is. For our Omni Homestead trip, we went on a weekend night during what is still considered peak season (since the outdoor pool complex was still open!), so for those factors we paid a good deal more than we had for our Greenbrier trip. But no regrets! 😊 We were both impressed with how spacious the lowest tier room was at the Omni Homestead (our Greenbrier room had been quite small). The bed were very comfortable! We had a window view of the back part of the property.
Dining:
There are several dining options available on the property at varied price points. Amanda and I have a shared love of going to Afternoon Tea, we've been to tea together at a few different spots in our local area. We were both excited to see that the Omni Homestead offers Afternoon Tea on the weekends! We decided to make that our "splurge meal" of the trip, and to choose more casual / affordable dining options for dinner and breakfast.
Here's everywhere we ate, and my reviews on the food at all:
- Afternoon Tea at the American Audubon Dining Room - This was our most luxurious meal of our trip! The Omni Homestead serves a formal Afternoon Tea (by reservation) on Friday and Saturday afternoons in their American Audubon Dining Room. You can choose your preferred flavor of tea from their menu, and everyone at the table is treated to an assortment of tea sandwiches and miniature pastries and desserts. This was the priciest Afternoon Tea that I've ever done- with tax and tip it came out to $70ish. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my all-time favorite tea that I've been to. If I am being honest- I have preferred the ones at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond and The Cavalier locally in Virginia Beach. Both of those were cheaper and I think also had slightly better food options. But with that said- Amanda and I still enjoyed this tea experience. And I was glad we got to see the American Audubon Dining Room. It is also used for the hotel's daily breakfast buffet, and for a special dinner buffet on Fridays each week.
- Woody's - This is one of the more casual dining options for lunch or dinner. Woody's specialty items are their wood-fired pizzas, but they also have pasta and some meat dishes on the dinner menu as well. Amanda and I each ordered an appetizer, and then split the Parma pizza, which had different types of peppers, prosciutto and arugula on it. The pizza was delicious and definitely the stand-out item here! We closed out our meal with the skillet chocolate chip cookie.
- Martha's Market - This is the casual coffee shop / marketplace at the Omni Homestead, which is perfect for a more affordable and fast grab-n-go breakfast. Amanda and I each had an iced latte with a biscuit sandwich. This is a niche thing to appreciate, but as someone who doesn't eat eggs in a breakfast context, I was thrilled that they had breakfast sandwich options that didn't have eggs! That can be rare to find sometimes, especially at more casual coffee shops with limited menus.
Pools:
I think the biggest incentive to staying at The Omni Homestead is their fantastic outdoor pool complex! Rates are cheaper to stay here in the months when the pools are closed, but I enjoyed visiting the pools so much that I think it's worth it to pay more and visit when they're open. (There is an indoor pool opened year round, although Amanda and I didn't have time to check that out.) There is a giant regular outdoor pool, a shallow kids pool, a hot tub, a lazy river and water slides! There is also a pool bar that serves food and drinks. Amanda and I each enjoyed a cocktail from there. This is truly one of the best outdoor pool complexes I've ever seen at a US hotel or resort.
Things to Do:
Despite the rural location, there are no shortage of fun things to do when visiting The Omni Homestead! There is an additional cost for the majority of activities, but it's still great to know there are so many available. Amanda and I enjoyed Afternoon Tea, visiting the outdoor pools at the resort, visiting the nearby Warm Springs Pools and shopping in the resort stores. Additional activities include but are not limited to:
- Golf
- Visiting the Falconry
- Spa Treatments
- Virginia Wine tastings
- Mixology Classes
- Horseback Riding
- Nightly Movies in the Resort Theater (free!)
- Afternoon Social Tea in the Lobby (free!)
The Omni Homestead has its own speciality print on clothing items and accessories for sale in the shops! The print was designed by preppy fashion brand Smith & Quinn.
Warm Springs Pools:
The oldest public warm springs in the United States are found in Bath County, just a few miles from the Homestead. They've been around long enough for Thomas Jefferson to have visited! They were closed to the public for several years for renovation, but fully reopened again in 2022. These pools are fed by a natural warm spring which keeps them permanently at 98 degrees. The waters are filled with various minerals, which help add to their relaxing and healing effects. There are public soaking times available seven days a week for $35 on weekdays and $40 on weekends. Amanda and I booked a co-ed Saturday morning soak (on the morning of my 31st birthday). It was a very unique and calming experience!
Customer Service Issues:
If you have been reading my blog or following my social media for any length of time, you know that I'm not usually one to complain about service received at a luxury lodging establishment. I worked last year as a hotel front desk agent between professional career moves, so I am especially sensitive to knowing what a hard job it can be to work in hospitality!
With that said, both of us were a bit taken aback with various staff interactions and customer service experiences we had during our 24 hours at The Omni Homestead. From the front desk agent trying to upsell us on a more expensive room than we had booked (when we weren't asking for an upgrade or asking for another room), to multiple abrupt or rude waitstaff interactions when dining, we were not impressed with the service. I did look at the Google reviews for the resort after getting back home, and I saw there were multiple reviews of the property that also spoke poorly of the staff service in recent months. I would still recommend visiting because this is a beautiful resort with lots of fun activities, but service is an important part of a hospitality experience, especially when you are paying a premium to stay.
Past Virginia Travel Posts:
God Bless,
xoxo Annnaliese
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