Saturday, August 25, 2012

The Blue Waters Mountain Lodge

In July, I wrote a short post about our trip to the mountains of western North Carolina, but I wanted to share some more details and pictures of the trip with you.  Our destination was the small town of Robbinsville, NC -- more specifically the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge on Lake Santeetlah.  I wrote about the Blue Waters last year, and you can read that post Here.  I took lots of pictures of the interior of the lodge last year; I'll try not to repeat those this year, because I have some new things to show you.

The Blue Waters Lodge is aptly named because this is the view directly across the street from the lodge.





Pretty awesome, huh?  In the early morning, the mist from which the Great Smoky Mountains get their name, hangs over the lake and the mountains until the sun burns it away by mid-morning.  I love waking up to that sight every morning while we're there; and the sunsets over the lake in the evening are just spectacular.


The lodge has nine guest rooms, each decorated with a different theme.  In fact, the whole lodge is decorated in a perfect combination of eclectic, with a touch of French country and North Carolina mountains.  It exudes a classic style and warmth that, in my opinion, is magazine worthy.  The first year we stayed there, I just wandered around and looked at all the decor.  It's a chick thing, as my husband says.  :)


I love the various hand-made baskets that are scattered throughout the lodge.


 Have I mentioned how good the food is?  Well it is -- really good!  Breakfast is included in the price of your room, and dinner is usually served Thursday through Saturday evenings.  Friday evenings in summer, dinner is a cookout at the lake.  Everything is freshly prepared by the owners, Mike and Maury Stewart.


Breakfast is served buffet style, and there's simply no excuse for leaving the table hungry.  Every morning, they offer an egg dish, such as quiche or strata; bacon or sausage; pancakes or waffles; and scones.  Also offered are fruit, yogurt, cereal, milk, orange juice, and coffee.  An example of our breakfast one morning was Quiche Loraine, sausage links, French toast stuffed with cream cheese and wild blackberries, cinnamon pecan scones, and fresh local fruit.  Yum!!

Mike and Maury printed a cookbook...


 ...featuring some of their most popular dishes, such as Shrimp and Corn Bisque, Cream of Mushroom with Brie Soup, Tomato Bisque with Basil Creme Fraiche, House Honey Mustard Salad Dressing, Fourth of July Trifle, Apple Cheddar Quiche, and Raspberry White Chocolate Scones (to name a few).  In addition, the setting for the meals is so pretty and relaxing, with a view of the lake right outside the windows.




This year we did something different; on the Friday night, we were treated to a sunset ride on the lake on Mike and Maury's pontoon boat, which was driven by one of the local residents.  She pointed out all the big homes around the lake that we had never seen from the road.







Below is the Blue Waters Lodge and the dock, seen from the boat.






You can see the wake from the boat in the lower left corner of the next few pictures.


The reflected colors of the sky in the water are amazing.



Now the moon is up...




It was really hot the week we were in Robbinsville, and it was so cool and peaceful on the lake that evening.

There are so many pretty wildflowers growing along the roadside in that area, and this year, for the first time, we were able to find a spot where we could safely pull off the road to photograph some of the flowers.  These beauties were blooming along the Cherohala Skyway, which runs from western North Carolina into Tennessee.  You can access the Cherohala Skyway just a few miles from the Blue Waters Lodge.

 
Turk's Cap Lilies...



Miniature daisies...


Wild raspberries


Queen Anne's Lace


Wild Phlox


If you live in or near North Carolina, I hope you get to visit this area sometime soon; and if you stay at the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge, Mike and Maury will go out of their way to make your visit enjoyable.  I wasn't paid to say that, by the way -- just like to share beautiful places with my readers.  I'll leave you to look at the rest of the pictures.


A watercolor of the lodge.
















I'll be joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays, and Elaine for Sunny Simple Sundays -- thanks so much for visiting!

Denise

11 comments:

  1. Denise, I am in love with this lodge since the first post you did. I hope to visit one day, I want to see the Smoky Mountains. It must be absolutely gorgeous in the fall. xo

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  2. Oh dear, LOVE LOVE these photos. We're always on the look out for GOOD places to visit. Although I have to take motion meds for travel, we just may have to put this place on our list. LOVE those mountains! Thank you so much for sharing, and making this lovely place known to us.
    JoAnn

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  3. the pictures of the sunset reflected in the water are just breathtaking....

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  4. What a gorgeous place! I would love to spend some time there. We have a condo halfway between Hendersonville and Asheville. We love it there! Enjoy your week!

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  5. This is just breathtaking. So relaxing, calm and beautiful. I saw your first post too and just love the lodge. Fantastic job with this post.

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  6. Love this post. The pictures are so beautiful. I see now why you two enjoy going there so much. Might want to go myself sometime. Hats off to the photographer or photographers. Mom

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  7. What a breathtaking place to visit Denise, I'm sure it will always be in your heart.

    Please pop over, there's an award waiting for you to collect :o)
    Rose H
    x

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  8. OMGosh Denise, we will have to visit the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge the next time we come to NC. It looks sooo wonderful and relaxing. The food sounds incredible, too. Thanks for taking me along for a tour of one of your favorite spots.

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  9. What a beautiful place to stay Denise! We don't get to the mountains very often, we need to rectify that. I love all your photos of the scenery~ flower, butterflies, and gorgeous sunset photos! There is nothing more relaxing than being on the water at sunset. Thanks for sharing this wonderful vacation spot :)

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  10. Hi Denise,
    You mentioned this lovely place on one of my recent posts (in comments). I am finally getting over to take a look and must tell you I'd love to go there someday soon. It looks gorgeous. Your photos really do it justice. Next time we are looking for a getaway I'm keeping this one in mind.
    You also asked me what lake I was posting about. It is Lake Norman. The only lake I've been on in North Carolina ... so far :).

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  11. What gorgeous place. I've never heard of this little lodge but it looks like a great place to stay. Your photos are gorgeous. I hope you are well.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND COMMENTS. I ENJOY READING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.

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