We were hosted by Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, as always opinions are our own.
Lately we’re discovering that we don’t have to travel far from home for a memorable experience.
A weekend getaway doesn’t have to involve hopping on a flight. With a one hour drive from Raleigh, we found ourselves at the world-class destination of Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club.
This trip was a couple’s weekend for Meshach and I. We hadn’t done a trip on our own in over three years. Watch our Insta Stories from the trip on my Instagram!
Arriving at the inn, we immediately felt like we walked into luxury!
Accomodations
We stayed in their Homestead Suite a few years ago and for this visit we stayed in the Deluxe Suite.
Walking into our suite, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. The Deluxe Suite is spacious with an open floor plan and beautiful natural lighting in its living room.
There are two bathrooms (a full bathroom with tub and shower) and separate walk-in shower. The other is a powder room.
Both supplied with beautifully scented toiletries from Gilchrist & Soames of London.
All 271 guest rooms and suites at the inn have a Keurig, flat screen HD TV, minibar, safe, 100% cotton linens, complimentary WiFi and gorgeous English style decor.
The Inn
Sitting on 300 acres of beautifully manicured landscape, Washington Duke Inn has a 18-hole championship golf course, golf shop, indoor pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, and gift shop.
It’s also a Four star, Four Diamond hotel conveniently on Duke University campus.
Washington Duke Inn was named after Washington Duke (1820-1905), an American Civil War soldier in 1865 who became an industrialist and philanthropist.
Artifacts, sculptures and other historic memorabilia from the family are on display throughout the property. Stop and take a look!
Fairview Dining Room
Have a world-class stay at the inn and dine at its AAA Four Diamond restaurant, Fairview Dining Room. We ate dinner there during our stay. We’ve eaten there a few times before and it never disappoints.
The service is always perfect and the food is so good! We love that it’s an elegant restaurant but also offers a large serving of food so you will not go hungry.
They do not skimp on the servings and we absolutely love it!
Our Dinner
For starters we ordered the Strawberry and Spinach salad, shrimp cocktail and Summer salad. All were made fresh.
We couldn’t stop eating their freshly baked cheese biscuits either from the bread basket and noticed other diners doing the same. Get the biscuits – it’s a hit!
Just leave some room for the rest of your meal.
I ordered the Moroccan swordfish for my main course and Meshach got the New York strip steak. They were juicy and bursting with flavor. We both ordered a side of their addictive lump crab cake. Cheers to the chef!
I can’t remember the wine Meshach had with his steak, but I had Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc with my fish and it was such a good combination. Thank you for the suggestion, Miguel!
Things got even more sweeter when our desserts (yes more than one!) arrived to our table.
We each ordered the Molten Cake, but were also given the opportunity to try a couple of their new additions to the menu: Chunky Monkey Banana Cheesecake and Blueberry White Chocolate Bombe.
Meshach is a huge fan of cheesecake so naturally he was jumping for joy when they surprised us with it!
I honestly can’t tell you which one you should choose because they are all uniquely delicious in their own way. Whichever you decide to order, I think you’ll be very pleased.
JB Duke Hotel
Before we checked out, we had breakfast at JB Duke Hotel’s dining room called, Marketplace.
You could literally walk to the new sister hotel of Washington Duke Inn within minutes from the inn’s entrance. It’s across the street.
We didn’t stay overnight at JB Duke Hotel but judging from its gorgeous, contemporary decor I imagine the rooms look amazing as well.
Breakfast at Marketplace is served kiosk style (buffet) with hot food, cereals, bread and pastries, a waffle and omelette station, tea, coffee and juice.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet, I don’t think you’ll have an issue finding something to eat at Marketplace as many of their items were labeled gluten-free.
And can we talk about how cute the dining room is? So many ideas I’d love to do to our kitchen now!
Big thank you to the staff at Washington Duke Inn and JB Duke Hotel for giving us a relaxing getaway, even for just a weekend. We truly appreciate the opportunity to visit.
And if you’re in North Carolina looking for a place to get away and “treat yourself” – Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is the place!
Bonus:
Where is your favorite place to visit that is easy to get to from home? Comment below and share this post!
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