Keswick is an itty-bitty village located seven miles outside of charming Charlottesville, Virginia, in Albemarle County, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sandwiched between bucolic, white-fenced horse farms and a thousand shades of green rolling hills, Keswick is my picture-book rendition of fine country living. So, it's unsurprising that it is also home to the stately 112-year-old Keswick Hall.
Story By Colleen Thompson
Turning off Route 22, Keswick Hall appears quite suddenly and majestically out of the mist. It's been raining all day, and the drive up from Wilmington, NC, has been a tiring five hours. But an almost instant calm washes over me as I walk up to the entrance of this grand Georgian-Italianate-styled villa with its creamy white stucco walls and terracotta tiled roof.
Originally built in 1912, Keswick Hall was once the private residence of Bob Crawford, who transformed the property into a country club. In the 1990s, Englishman Sir Bernard Ashley, husband and widower of designer Laura Ashley, purchased the property. In 2017, the 600-acre property was purchased by Charlottesville residents Molly and Robert Hardie, who wanted to develop a high-end boutique hotel that embraced its serene surroundings and paid tribute to its history. The Hardies set out on a multi-year and multi-million renovation project to establish an 80-room luxury resort that retains the charm of the original property but transforms the space into a contemporary, luxurious, chic country manor house.
The word that comes to mind when walking through the front doors of Keswick Hall is "opulent." But not in a stodgy, fussy sense. Attention to detail and a sprinkle of whimsy at every turn encourage guests to linger and unwind. Whether it's slumped in a leather wingback, in front of a crackling fire in the library, flipping through "Trees of Virginia", sitting at the expansive marbled Crawford Bar sipping an Old Fashioned, or relaxing in the Garden Room designed with delicate, artisan-crafted dried botanicals created by Anne Blackwell with floor-to-ceiling views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Strategically placed throughout the hotel, it is an eclectic mix of art and objects that keeps me seeking and curious throughout the entire visit. Each piece feels hand-selected and chosen for a reason. There is an easy and natural flow between the inside and outside spaces, and the connection is fuelled by owner Molly's personal pollinator art collection and artist Anne Blackwell Thompson's hand-pressed foliage: a celebration and tribute to the beauty of Virginia.
Where You Lay Your Head
Each of the 80 guest rooms is unique in layout and décor. The calming blue, cream and white hues of the walls and upholstery flow into the light wood and elegant furniture. Bespoke touches include original local art and artisan chocolates at turndown from Thierry Atla, the only Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chocolatier in the United States. Each guest room incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, including smart televisions and Lutron lighting that lights up the bathroom when it senses someone walking in and allows guests to personalize the room's privacy settings with the touch of a button. There's also a UV light air purification system that eliminates airborne pathogens. Double French doors open onto views of the golf course. My highlight is curling up on the king-size Duxiana mattress underneath the 600-count Frette linen, flipping through the book "Charlotte Moss: A Visual Life," at my bedside. The bathrooms are sumptuous, with a shower large enough to turn on the water and not get wet. Custom-bath amenities were formulated red flower, and I'm seduced with a smoky scent of mountain grasses.
Serenity in the Woods
A short walk from the main hotel building, the spa offers a full range of holistic treatments. Start your day with a plant-powered massage incorporating hot adaptogenic herbal compresses, steamed aromatic towels, and firm but relaxing pressure to relieve aching joints. However, the relaxation room may be the most rewarding part of the spa. Designed for maximum serenity, the floor-to-ceiling glass windows with a view into Virginia woodland are in shades of cream, soft pinks, and wood. Planting myself on a chaise lounge beneath my weighted blanket, sipping a raspberry& chlorophyll infusion, and watching a busy warbler painstakingly build a nest is mesmerizing.
An Outdoor Oasis
The entire landscape at Keswick Hall is designed for guests to explore the numerous walking paths and beautifully designed resort grounds – all sustainable and reflective of the native Virginia landscape. However, perhaps the most striking and alluring feature is the 80-foot T-shaped, dual-level, heated Horizon pool with ultraviolet light filtration. Even on a rainy fall day, curled under a cabana, sipping an Aperol spritzer, it's a sweet spot to spend time. If lounging at the pool is not enough, there are also clay tennis courts as well as an 18 hole golf course. There is nothing they havent thought of.
Farm to Table in the Truest Sense
Emphasis is placed on the food at Keswick Hall, and the signature restaurant, Marigold, is under the direction of renowned Michelin star chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who oversees the property's culinary operations. The restaurant is housed in a separate building, next door to the hotel, which I love. It immediately sets the tone of standing on its merits and holding its place. And it does that with ease. The Hardies, who have lived in Charlottesville for decades, are dedicated to the hyper-local food movement and have paid attention to the sustainable menu, which includes everything from beef to honey sourced from their nearby farm, Oakdale. The plant-based menu doesn't feel like an afterthought, with options like squash & basil potstickers, butternut squash agnolotti and black truffle pizza. Each dish showcases Chef Vongerichten's French roots and passion for fresh, local organic ingredients. Start with the Oakdale beef tartare served with kimchi, avocado, sesame and gochujang aioli and sip on a glass of sparkling. As an entrée, try the Maine lobster in a lemon-cardamom emulsion. Breakfast is no less elevated. And sitting outside in front of a fireplace, overlooking the restaurant garden, with my avocado toast and green juice, there is no better way to start a day.
I spend the entire time at Keswick Hall following my nose, trying to identify a subtle scent that seems to waft in and out of the spaces. When I enquire at check out, I'm told it's the hotel's signature scent, Dawn Meadow. An intoxicating blend of flowers and herbs grown on-site and designed by Molly herself in collaboration with Yael Alkalay of the organic beauty line Red Flower. They dug deep into the life of the surrounding indigenous flora before embarking on some "alchemy," a fitting reflection of this beautiful place captured in a bottle. Thomas Jefferson called this area of the country the "Eden of the United States," and Keswick Hall affirms that claim.