We were welcomed as guests at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. We had such an amazing and luxury experience! It’s a great weekend getaway too! Check out our blog post for details about our stay.
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On this installment of “Stay, Eat, Play” – we visit the world-class Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club!
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club provides a world-class retreat located on the campus of the prestigious Duke University. Sitting on 300 acres of beautiful landscape on the edge of Duke Forest, the inn is a quiet retreat from daily life.
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club opened in 1988. It was named after Washington Duke (1820-1905), an American Civil War soldier in 1865 who became an industrialist and philanthropist.
The family’s artifacts and photographs are displayed in many of the inn’s hallways including Ambassador Angier Biddle Duke’s gifts and papers from his work. Ambassador Angier Biddle Duke (1915-1995) was the great-grandson of Washington Duke who became ambassador for El Salvador, Spain, Morocco and Denmark.
Stay
There is complimentary Wi-Fi on the property, including the 271 guest rooms and suites which have been carefully crafted using the inspiration of an English country estate. They offer rooms and suites to accommodate your needs including its largest suite, the Presidential Suite at 1,776 sq. ft.
We were kindly given the Homestead Suite, it was a dream!
The Homestead Suite is 1,120 sq. ft. with hardwood floors, views of the 18 hole championship Duke University Golf Course, in-room Keurig, dining room, a separate sitting area with plush lounge chairs and sleeper sofa.
There is also a separate powder room that is of great use when entertaining guests or clients.
The private master bedroom has a king size four poster bed, HD flat screen TV with premium cable channels including HBO and CNN (in all rooms).
Its marble bathroom with soaking tub and separate glass enclosed shower is a nice welcome at the end of the day.
I couldn’t get over the Kohler digital shower controller! There were so many settings for the jets and you could even adjust the temperature, etc. If we had this in our home, I would be in the shower for hours! It’s very addictive!
Eat
There are many dining options from the casual Bull Durham Bar, Vista Restaurant to the AAA Four Diamond, Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Rated restaurant, Fairview Dining Room. The restaurant offers plenty of fine dining options including Afternoon Tea.
Fairview Dining Room is also open for lunch, dinner, in-room dining and weekend brunch. It has a relaxing and elegant ambiance, especially at dinner. For our appetizer, we chose their spring and summer salads. They were so fresh! Probably because it came from local farmers, which we love!
There is also a very impressive wine list! Our wonderful server, Shahab, was very helpful in recommending what wines we should pair with each course of our meal. He also helped us decide on what plates we should try since it was our first time dining there.
Before our main course, we were given a peach sorbet as the intermezzo (palate cleanser) so we could get our taste buds ready for the next course. What a great idea! We ordered the lamb for our main course and also had a taste of their aged 50 day old steak. We had the best meat ever at this restaurant!
My husband ordered cheesecake and I ordered their molten chocolate cake for dessert. We topped off our amazing dinner with delicious, frothy cappuccinos.
We had breakfast at Vista Restaurant which is open for breakfast and brunch. You have the option of dining from the breakfast buffet where you could also get an omelet or waffle made to order anyway you’d like.
Dania was the chef that morning, she made me the best cheese omelet I’ve ever had! She used American and Swiss cheese with the perfect balance of salt and pepper and then her secret – swiss cheese on top of the finished omelet! I am a huge lover of all cheeses (well maybe not blue cheese) so of course I was in cheese heaven that morning.
My husband also did the buffet but got a side of lump crab – he said it was the most delicious crab he’s ever had. You may be asking, “crab for breakfast?” trust me it’s good! We asked Jose, another amazingly friendly server, how it was made. Jose asked the chef for us and told us that Old Bay seasoning was used along with butter. We hope to try that at home, although I think it may not come out as good as the pros at Vista Restaurant!
French toast wasn’t on the buffet that morning so I ordered it from the menu. It was so good! I am a fan of french toast and don’t get to eat it as often as I’d like.
Play
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club has a well-manicured 18 hole championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, the only one in the region.
Pick up some gifts and souvenirs at their onsite gift shop featuring Duke University memorabilia.
There is a golf shop onsite as well; complete with everything you need for a great game. Go for a swim at the indoor pool or get a workout in at their fitness center supplied with treadmills, weight machines, elliptical trainers and recumbent bikes. Chilled, lavender scented towels are complimentary along with fruit and water!
The inn’s location is conveniently close to all of Durham’s area attractions including Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke Cathedral and downtown Durham.
Great Hospitality
Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club has excellent staff and service including numerous longtime employees simply because it’s such a friendly and loving environment. The interaction between staff members and even the guests are kind and generous like a family.
We really appreciate everything they’ve done for us, they made us feel welcomed and everyone was so nice! The room we were in was jaw dropping – I still can’t get over our room practically being an apartment for the weekend. Not to mention the property itself is gorgeous!
Thank you so much Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, we’d love to return in the future!
Although we were welcomed as guests, my opinions are always my own.
We experienced this classic, English tradition on our stay at Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club. Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club graciously welcomed us as …
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Big thank you to Captain’s Quarters Resort for welcoming us as guests this summer! Visit our blog post to read about our stay at the friendliest resort on the beach. Don’t forget to like, comment or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great travel videos!
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Do you want to know who the friendliest resort on the beach is? Grab your favorite poolside drink and check out this post! In the first installment of my new Stay, Eat, Play series we were given the opportunity to stay as guests at Captain’s Quarters Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was the best family vacation we’ve ever taken!
The resort is located within a 10 – 15 minute drive from major attractions in Myrtle Beach. If you just want to hang out on the property there is plenty to keep you relaxed and entertained – especially if you have kids. We absolutely loved our welcome gifts from Vacation Myrtle Beach and Visit Myrtle Beach and our son really liked the balloons too.
Stay
First, let’s start with the rooms. We were given the Angle Oceanfront Suite, our home away from home.
It has a double bed with a flat screen TV in the bedroom.
A king bed in another room with a separate living room. There is also a flat-screen TV in the living room and the sofa has a pullout bed, converting it into a double sleeper sofa. So if you need extra space to accommodate a few more people you could sleep at least up to 6 (which is the maximum occupancy – no more than 4 adults though).
The suite also has a kitchen with a full-size refrigerator, microwave, stove, cookware, dinnerware, toaster and coffeemaker. No need to bring coffee and dish soap because that is provided for you as well in a suite. We packed our own because we weren’t sure if it would be included or not – we were glad to see it was.
There is also a dining table with chairs. The bathroom has a double sink, a shower, bath tub and a toilet of course! Linens and towels are included and daily housekeeping service will provide you with clean ones each day of your stay.
Free WiFi is available all over the property – that includes in the privacy of your room. It was very reliable! Free voicemail, a hair dryer, safe, iron and ironing board is provided in all of the rooms as well.
The view we had from our suite was amazing! The Angle Oceanfront Suite gives you a 45-degree angle view of the ocean and you can get a full view of the shipwreck lagoon below. We really loved waking up to the sound of the ocean’s waves and watching the sunrise from our private balcony.
I must say, having an oceanfront suite has many photographic perks for taking memorable sunrise and sunset photos! Other on-site amenities offered at the resort are a coin-operated laundry facility, fitness center, free parking and friendly service from the staff!
Eat
You will not go hungry at this resort! For a great view of the ocean, make your way up to the 9th floor and grab breakfast at Vista Nine. It is a buffet style restaurant that is only open for breakfast. If you are an early bird like us, breakfast begins at 7a and is packed with plenty of choices to keep your tummy happy.
You can choose from hot foods such as scrambled eggs, potatoes, french toast, bacon, grits, biscuits and the list goes on. There is even a waffle maker which my husband used daily (he loves waffles).
You will also find muffins, bagels, bread for toast, fruits, milk, juice (even tomato juice!) and cereal at their continental breakfast bar. If you’re out at the pool and would like a poolside snack, visit the Tipsy Turtle Pool Bar. It’s a seasonal bar that serves sandwiches, drinks and snacks.
Another dining option is at Level Six Bar in the resort’s bowling alley. You can order wings, pizza, burgers, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and pizza.
Loco Gecko is owned by Captain’s Quarters Resort but is located next door instead of on-site. It’s literally just a minute’s walk from the resort’s lobby.
Loco Gecko was our favorite! There were so many different foods to choose from; we wished we could try them all!
If you go to Loco Gecko, check out their special Rocky Mountain Oysters. Now, at first we didn’t think anything of it when we read what type of oysters they were. It was when our server told us that oysters don’t live in the mountains and that Rocky Mountain Oysters are really just….. well, maybe you should visit Loco Gecko to find out!
Play
Shipwreck Lagoon is a favorite amongst the kids! Our son absolutely loved it, not to mention it’s also a pirate theme! There are 15 water features on-site of the property.
Relax in a hot tub, drift in one of their many lazy rivers or go for a swim in one of the indoor or outdoor pools. There is something for everyone! Towels located in the indoor pool area are provided for drying off if you need to. Don’t forget to try out the hammock!
Go to the beach! The resort is conveniently located on the beach so you don’t have to leave the resort to find a beach elsewhere.
Just walk out and paradise is within footsteps away!
Captain Sneaky and his macaw parrots, Tiki and Peek-A-Boo, make appearances throughout the year. We just so happen to visit on a day that he stopped by to hang out with the resort guests! Salty Shark is the mascot for Captain’s Quarters Resort. During peak season, Salty holds a summer activity program for children.
If you need a break from the sun and water, go to the sixth floor to the Level Six Entertainment & Bowling Center. I’m horrible at bowling but we had fun anyway! The staff provided a bumper so our son could bowl too.
The center has over 2,000 square feet of arcade space. You will find all of the arcade classics here!
If you’re interested in visiting attractions, sightseeing or watching a show, the resort is in a prime location so it’s very easy to get to where you want to go. I will have a later post about cool things to see and do in Myrtle Beach.
I know I’ve already said this, but we had the best family vacation ever! Captain’s Quarters Resort became our home and by the end of our stay, it felt like we were leaving family. The front desk staff, housekeeping, maintenance, restaurant servers – everyone were very helpful and always had a smile on their face.
Thank you to the team at Vacation Myrtle Beach and Captain’s Quarters Resort for making us feel like we were at home. We’d love to visit you again!
Although we were welcomed as guests at Captain’s Quarters Resort, my opinion is always my own.
Happy travels!
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