Even during these difficult times, I found that spending time with our children and mentally running away from this craziness meant leaving our city. While being at home for some has been a getaway from the usual hustle and bustle, my husband and I are amongst the population whose jobs became even more demanding and time consuming than they already were. Years ago, I visited a place I instantly loved in Georgia, this place felt like an escape to the French countryside. That may be a slight exaggeration but it is quite beautiful and it also happens to be a winery! Inspired by the architecture of Provençal France the Inn at Château Élan is sure to be the perfect getaway just North of Florida.

Visiting during a pandemic took a little adjustment but the hotel had temperature scanner machines at the entrances, a mask requirement and hand sanitizer at every corner. While I did miss housekeeping and having tucked sheets every day, we took the time to explain to our children taking part in that every morning as each room was closed off to staff once it's sanitized and they do not return until check out! Enough about that, on to the fun stuff. 

We are not golf players so I will not bore you with stories of missed golf cart rides. We are however wine enthusiasts and while this wasn't the Chianti region in Italy or Sonoma and Napa Valley, it had one wine I could go back for. The Tempranillo from their Fingerprint Collection has a deep violet color and is best served around 60 ℉. It has aromas and flavors of raisins, dark chocolate, molasses and port. Medium to full body with firm tannins made it perfect to have outside while the children played on the lawn.

We woke up early each day to go for long family walks on the property filled with trees, water streams and nature trails. It was exactly what we needed to truly focus on each other. We explored a little outside of the hotel but only to have an incredibly delicious meal at Bottles and Bones. The rest of our stay was spent poolside while socially distanced and taking a day to fully enjoy nature while kayaking on the Chattahoochee River and zip lining inside of the Historic Banning Mills. More of that fun day on my personal Instagram so be sure to follow me there. In the meantime, can we all just hit rewind or fast forward to days without travel restrictions and dinners with friends and all the food and wine!

We are not golf players so I will not bore you with stories of missed golf cart rides. We are however wine enthusiasts and while this wasn't the Chianti region in Italy or Sonoma and Napa Valley, it had one wine I could go back for. The Tempranillo from their Fingerprint Collection has a deep violet color and is best served around 60 ℉. It has aromas and flavors of raisins, dark chocolate, molasses and port. Medium to full body with firm tannins made it perfect to have outside while the children played on the lawn.