September 25, 2000

My wife and I enjoyed our weekend at Sunset Mountain. The main attraction of this B&B is mountain top isolation along with proximity to restaurants and attractions--a difficult combination to achieve. Yet Sunset Mountain delivers both.

The Sunset Mountain B&B is indeed on a mountain. In fact, the last quarter mile of the drive is nearly straight up. The incline is so steep that it looks like only vehicles with advanced equipment could get up the hill if it were at all icy.

The surrounding countryside has a few eyesores, but for the most part the ranch houses and grazing fields have bucolic beauty. There is also a scenic view of the Charlottesville valley from the B&B grounds.

The B&B is also--as promised--a fifteen minute drive to a large shopping center, with many more major commercial and recreational centers close by in Charlottesville. There are also vineyards, the Monticello tourist attraction, and the University of Virginia to visit. At Sunset Mountain, you can have it all: restaurants, shopping, and mountain top isolation.

We stayed in the cottage. It has plenty of room and is tastefully furnished with antique furniture. The décor makes it easy to step back in time. We received excellent service as the cottage was cleaned while we were away and well stocked with fire wood.

The breakfast at Sunset Mountain was exceptional. The blueberry muffins were great, and the bacon was cooked to perfection. I could almost recommend this B&B as worth visiting just for the bacon alone.

Our plan during our stay was to go for a walk. However, we didn't see any opportunities near the B&B. Again, the road up the mountain was much too steep.

Instead we ended up driving to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Shenandoah National Park, which is about an hour away. There were several hiking trails near the parkway, and an exhibit of an 1890's farm near the Visitor Center.

In retrospect that was too far to go for casual hiking. There are some hiking opportunities in and around Charlottesville. I believe there is one near Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. The B&B owners recommend the Ivy Creek Natural Area for walks. It is about twenty minutes away on the north west side of town.

The only negatives worth mentioning is that there is no cable TV, and the only network station offered on the Samsung TV/VCR is NBC. Of course, if you stay at Sunset Mountain, you should have better things to do than watch television. On the positive side, the VCR will play videos.

The other glitch is that the B&B doesn't accept credit cards. That fact is published in the literature, but it is easy to forget. As a heavy credit card user with a computer-bill-paying checking account, I'm not used to paying by either cash or check. We were lucky because my wife happened to have her checkbook. So make a point to remember to bring cash or check in order to avert any inconvenience.

Our rate was $165 per night for Friday and Saturday. That is slightly pricey for my personal taste, but the rate is not out of line for B&Bs. I've had quotes for $100 a night at places with a shared bathroom.

Sunset Mountain's web site is excellent. You can make reservations and order breakfast. I was impressed that a B&B offering a get-away-from-it-all experience would be so advanced on the internet. But that seems to sum up the Sunset Mountain B&B--the best of both worlds.