Albemarle Inn
Asheville, North Carolina
Cathy and Larry Sklar gave up their law practices and chose a beautiful mansion in Asheville to enter the B&B trade. It was my Mom (Nira) and her good friend Louise's first B&B experiences. I could tell by their excitement.......they were hooked.
Cathy welcomed us in with a smile, even though we had come early to take pictures of the inn. She set aside the vacuum cleaner and took us on a tour of the 10-room and 1-suite inn.
 | My room had a 9-drawer dresser with a lamp on top and a 31-inch TV with remote. There was an armoire and a 4-poster queen size bed. There were 2 chairs and a table with a lamp and there was overhead lighting.
Like many of the older mansions, it had radiators that were detailed nicely. I had a private bath and a private balcony that you entered through the bath. It had 2 chairs, side tables and a coffee table all made of white wicker. Mom and Louise sat on the balcony for a while before we headed downstairs for the social hour. |
| We met the other guests of the inn while enjoying a hot drink made with raspberries, along with cheese and crackers. The show was stolen by their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Bridget and Chance. We got recommendations for dinner and went to see the new movie "The Mexican" with Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. After dinner and a movie, we returned to the inn for a great night's sleep. |  |
The next morning, Mom was waiting in the common area and we followed the great scents coming from the kitchen. I gave Larry his photo disks and he looked at a few while we chose a table on the sun porch for breakfast. Louise soon joined us and we started with hot poached cinnamon pears with raspberry sauce, garnished with mint leaves. Next was a hash brown with ham casserole and homemade blueberry muffins. This dish was garnished with an orange twist and star fruit.
We had plans to visit a good friend of ours, Robert Hunt, in Old Fort, NC, so we saddled up and headed off fresh and ready for the day.
This mansion was a girl's finishing school in its early days. But, the Sklars have made it better than ever. This is a perfect B&B to get a feeling of elegance in the south. I know two lucky ex-lawyers that will agree. Make sure you check out their Website and book a week or two for your next visit to Asheville!
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