* Food for your mind, body, and soul * I was in town for a wedding and instead of staying at a…read morebudget chain hotel, I reserved a room in the renovated barn at Heartstone Lodge. I'm typically a business traveler and enjoy what could be expected with an average hotel room, but something made me say - why not, just book the barn and live a little! Wow - all I can say is that my heart is still smiling from my stay in the Country Tweet room on the 2nd level of the renovated Barn. The property manager gave me a call to confirm my package had arrived the night before and was waiting in my room for me, and gave me a few pointers for when I arrived to the property. There is no signage for the lodge, just a gravel road, free-range chickens, and a barn! I arrived about an hour and a half earlier than check-in, but Leslie escorted me to my room and gave me the way of the property, etc. with no hesitation. I spent the early afternoon on Main St. Lexington and came back to the lodge and enjoyed late afternoon/early evening sitting by the pond reading a book. I had the entire place to myself which was so peaceful. The following day, I slept in and made some coffee and spent the rest of the morning on the deck finishing my book. Everything is a "pick up after yourself" kind of thing, which seems to be a good system because everything looked neat and kept. Guests can use the mini fridge, microwave, and coffee maker which is in a public living/rec space on the 2nd floor of the barn. Later that evening, I met Antonia and she gave me a little more history of the property and invited me to stay another night if my travel plans allowed (unfortunately I couldn't), but offered a complimentary late checkout since my flight was later in the afternoon. I only saw 2 other couples during my entire stay - everyone was quiet and respectful of your privacy. The views from the property are stunning and the buildings and common spaces are so charming. I wish I could have stayed longer, cozy up next to the fire pit...and had another book because I finished mine while I was there! The bed was SUPER comfortable...I can't remember the last time I slept over 12 hours uninterrupted. I will certainly make it a point to come back...even by myself, just to get some quality rest and relaxation. I didn't even have time to explore the rest of the 250-acre property. Thank you for the enjoyable stay and for making my heart and soul smile.

The Writer's Retreat is a one of a kind experience. What a delightful escape from the busy…read moreWashington DC lifestyle I am used to. The secluded cabin provides nothing but relaxation, peace, and serenity. The property owner, Antonia, provided superior service from the moment of contact ( immediate responses, personalized welcome envelope with stickers :) , thorough welcome packet with sample itineraries and trail guides, follow-up call to ensure we arrived safely, etc). The cabin was clean and cozy, the property was gorgeous, and the stars are unbeatable. She even provided a romantic bottle of wine for us to enjoy. My boyfriend and I are eager to return and maybe even stay in one of the many other cabins. I highly recommend South River Highlands for an authentic, non-touristy, non-corporate experience. Nothing but a peaceful escape to the blue ridge mountains to enjoy nature's undisturbed beauty.

I had my wedding here over the summer and absolutely LOVED the experience. Renting out an entire…read morelodge was so helpful since everyone was coming in from out of town. Being able to arrive the morning before the wedding and spend that day with family is what really made the difference. Most of our family members were meeting for the first time and having a space to meet up ahead of time really brought everyone together. The property was breathtaking. In fact, from the first visit, we instantly decided we had found our venue. Our guests commented on how beautiful the location was. We were really concerned about our guests as it was a long drive from the airport. The feedback we got was that the drive was worth it and they could all see why we chose the venue. The price was reasonable for what you get. I do want to point out that if you're a type A person who needs a Type A sort of situation, you might struggle with this place as they're pretty laid back. I say this as a bonus for myself. I really appreciated the fact that they didn't try to micromanage. They were always available for anything I needed during the planning process but really allowed me to do things my way. This definitely helped ease some of the stress.

From the owner: vacation cabins eventsread more

Gorgeous little inn atop a knoll with amazing views of the blue ridge. Kind and attentive hosts…read moreDerick and Michele couldn't have been nicer. Place is extremely clean and nicely furnished- breakfast was fine, there are other options in addition to the main entree (a ham, egg and cheese breakfast bake- terrific). They offer homemade granola, yogurt and a selection of juices. Real draw here is this inn a shirt easy drive to downtown Lexington but you feel like you are out in the country. Can't wait to visit again when we can take advantage of the extensive porches and outdoor areas.

We spent our honeymoon here in 2012. It was great to ring in the New Year there and to enjoy the…read morequaint and inspiring landscape and the local shops in Lexington. Food was great and accommodations were excellent. The room we stayed in as well as the entire house was decorated very nicely and the paintings were beautiful. Thank you to the owners for some of our finest memories of our first year of marriage!

Stayed here August 2025. In need of deep cleaning and general repairs to community areas. Staff…read morewas nice but they don't have much to work with in the breakfast room-broken appliances, food provided was lacking. Our room did not appear clean-could have been from just being old and warn. Tub had a ring as though there had been standing water for a lengthy time. We both skipped the shower. It looks like at one time it was the place to serve as a venue for weddings, conferences, etc., but was not kept up and it looks like a dying hotel. Best Western either needs to shut it down or put some major money into it.

This place is seriously awful, especially for the price. The first red flag, which I shouldn't have…read moreignored, was the water damaged drop ceiling tiles. You can buy a whole pack for like $50, so not replacing the stained tiles just shows a lack of maintenance and care. We get up to our room, and the key card won't work. I had to get the worker to come up and do it. Seemed to only work on the third time you try. Next, we picked up pizza and decided to head down to the indoor pool to eat it at the table (there was no place to eat in the room). There was a literal ant colony in the pool area. I'm talking hundreds of ants probably. Crawling all over the table. I really should have left then, but the kids really wanted to swim and I felt bad because they were really looking forward to it. We ate up in our room, and came back downstairs to the pool. Now there's spiders on the ceiling and dead spiders in the pool. They end up getting out. In the "fitness center", nothing works. The treadmill is somehow rusted - not even sure how they managed that. This is seriously like the land that time forgot. Fine, we only really need to sleep here, right? I pull back the sheets on the bed and find.....something....smeared all over the sheets and little black bits all over the place. Still don't know what it was. All I know is this makes it clear that they don't change the sheets between customers. GROSS! I go further, and realize there's not even an enclosure on the mattress - that's pretty standard in hotels and even private home rentals. So I pull back the mattress cover and find a huge stain on it. My kids were in their pajamas, wet from the shower. I didn't even call around for new rooms. I said, pack your stuff, we will sleep in the car if we have to. Only saving grace on this place is 1) both of the employees I interacted with were very helpful 2) they gave me a refund without issue. I suspect I'm not the first person to abruptly check out, requesting a refund. I went around the corner to the Tru Hilton, which was very clean, with a great host at the front desk, for approximately the same price. I will NEVER go to a Best Western "Plus" ever again. Truly a disgusting experience.