Goldmoor Inn is perfect for a quick weekend getaway overlooking the Mississippi River, an easy three hour drive from Chicago and less than 10 miles from downtown Galena.
This past weekend brought the first signs of spring after two weeks of pretty dismal April weather. On Saturday, my boyfriend Brad and I spent the afternoon wine tasting and tooling around Galena, a super quaint downtown strip of Illinois with lots of antique shops and restaurants (every man’s dream, right?).
We stayed at Goldmoor Inn, a charming a bed and breakfast overlooking the Mississippi River, owned by husband-and-wife team Slobo and Birgit Radin who purchased it just one year ago. Formerly a large country home originally built for one of the heirs to the Firestone fortune, the inn is an elegant country manor style building that resembles a castle. Over the year, it’s been renovated, enlarged and improved, but I love buildings steeped in history like this one.
Goldmoor Inn offers 18 rooms between the elegant country manor style building, including two log cabins and three English cottages along the perimeter of the 21-acre picturesque property. It’s simple, comfortable and homey, but with all the amenities of a sprawling hotel.
Each guest room features a king bed, a gas fireplace, a big whirlpool bath tub, an in-room kitchenette, plus cozy couches and a large screen television. The beds are huge and luxurious, perfect for afternoon napping and in the Mississippi Suite, the views are about as good as you can get.
Every room has a balcony or in our case, a screened in patio large enough to host a 10-person dinner party. We didn’t quite do that, but we did get to watch the sun set over the river — something that you just can’t do in the city.
Beyond the beautiful view, one of my favorite perks of staying and bed and breakfasts is, not surprisingly, the breakfast part.
At the on-site 38-seat restaurant, executive chef Carlos Valdez, a David Burke alum who has cooked for the Dalai Lama, creates seasonal American classics infused with his native Peruvian flair. The inn has a ton of private event space and the property, with a beautiful courtyard and separate private dining room, looks as though it were made for weddings. We didn’t eat dinner there so we could experience more of the town, but we’d definitely go back if the breakfast is any indication of the rest of the menu.
All guests can enjoy in-room breakfast, or if you want to take it one step further, breakfast in bed. The menu changes daily, but we had Belgian waffles with blueberries, cinnamon scones, bacon and yogurt parfaits. We weren’t hungry again until about 4:00 p.m. and I pride myself on the ability to eat hourly if the situation calls for it.
One of the nicest things about Goldmoor Inn is that it’s perfect for all four seasons. You can easily imagine how beautiful it would be during a winter snowfall, and the views of the changing leaves in the fall are breathtaking. During the summer, there are plenty of things to do in town to keep you outdoors and when the spring weather makes for warm days and chilly nights, it’s the perfect place to sleep with the windows open.
Most rooms fall between $300 – $400 range, which might feel a little high at first for a bed and breakfast. When you factor in the amenities, the comfortable luxury and the beautiful views, it will feel more than worth it.
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