Earlier this Spring I had a little girls getaway with two of my faves Tristan of The Polished Posy and Annie of Absolutely Annie. We met last summer when we attended BlogHer in Orlando and hit it off immediately so this trip has been in the works for a hot minute to say the least. We wanted to find something easy to travel to, but that we all were interested in. Charlotte was on the top of our list! I live just over three hours from Charlotte and Annie and Tristan could easily fly there so it worked out really well. I can’t wait to share all the details from this trip because it really was the best time!
Where to Stay:
We stayed with The Omni Hotel Downtown Charlotte and boy were we blown away! From the decor to the service and the amenities… it was a dream! Literally! We couldn’t believe how much they spoiled us. It has a very luxurious feel without the stuffy vibe that a lot of high end hotels can have. It also happens to be right in the middle of EVERYTHING. I kid you not… if it’s downtown… you can walk from the Omni.
I think the biggest thing that impressed me about the Omni was the attention to detail. From the welcome setup they had for us down to little things in the room like drawers to hide your toiletries (huge for a type-A gal like me!) they really do think of everything. Oh, and don’t forget the turn down service every night. I always looked forward to coming back to my cozy robe and water each night.
**Our Pj’s Are c/o Bed to Brunch**
Amenities at the Omni:
We were truly blown away by the concierge and valet! Both teams were so incredibly kind no matter what they had going on. It always took no more than 5 minutes to get our car and any time we requested water or towels (I even forgot my toothbrush and razor… oops!) they got it there so quickly. That really means a lot when you are in a foreign place and need assistance. I can’t say enough about them.
As for at the hotel, they have a gorgeous bar downstairs and the adjoining restaurant Trade was so good! We had dinner with them the first night (I’ll touch on that below) and it was delicious! Don’t forget the coffee in your room! The best setup I’ve ever had. I didn’t even have to run down to Starbucks in the mornings!
Where to Eat:
As I mentioned above, Trade is right at the hotel and they have amazing small plates, entrees, and deserts! If you know my history, you know my family is from Maryland and while I do eat mostly plant based, Crab will always find a way into my diet when I have the opportunity! The Crab Fritters at Trade were heavenly! I also loved the cocktail they recommended called the Champagne Cobbler! The chef was kind enough to send out all four of their deserts for us to try which were all amazing! I’m a Creme Brulee girl so you know that was my fave! So good!!
For brunch day 2 we headed out to Tupelo Honey (which you know is my fave! Read about our Knoxville location here and Asheville here). Annie and Tristan don’t have them close by so they were blown away to say the least.
What we had:
- Squash and Burrata Toast (this is seasonal and they have a new version, but is still soooo good! Burrata is life!)
- The Southern Shakshuka (so so good especially if you are a huevos rancheros gal!)
- Avocado Toast and Eggs (who doesn’t love Avo toast? Theirs is delish!)
- The Southwestern Omelette (Tristan had this and Raved about it!)
- Annie and Tristan had the Mega-Mosa (delish!) and I tried a variation of the Honeysuckle cocktail I chatted about here
I can’t say enough about Tupelo you guys! They change their menu regularly. It isn’t the same at every location! The service is always amazing and I always look forward to trying a new location because I know they locally source their ingredients!
For Dinner we went to 5Church, amazing! That sums it up! From the atmosphere to the food and cocktails it was really a treat. 5Church is upscale and really does have the uptown vibe! We kicked things off with the Yellowfin Tuna Tartar and the Wild Mushroom Flatbread , then had the Seared Sea Scallops and Filet Mignon as our entrees. I think this may have been my favorite meal of our entire trip! You have to go if you’re in the Charlotte area! Side note: The decor made me feel like I was in the training quarters in The Hunger Games… seriously so cool!
After a late wrap up to dinner we headed right next door to Sophia’s lounge. Sophia’s is a sister location to 5Church so it was so cool to see their vibe go from restaurant to lounge! I wanted to move in! The decor was vintage and unique but still had an upscale vibe. I felt like I was in Chelsea, NYC! I had the “Come On Spin” cocktail (tequila with strawberry, jalapeno, cucumber, and grapefruit). I loved it! Sweet and Spicy is my thing though! I also want to say that I had Veuve for the first time and Sophia’s and now I can’t drink anything else when it comes to Champagne and sparkling wine. Holy goodness. I need to win the lottery now!
What to do:
We had three excursions during our trip and both we enjoyed each of them so much! If you have time I would recommend scheduling all three! I know, it sounds like a lot… but you will see why.
First up: The Funny Bus
I don’t have a ton of photos from this because, to be honest it was typical comedy and a little vulgar. That really is what made it fun though. Essentially you can BYOB and take a trek all over Charlotte and into the prominent outer-lying areas. You learn about the city, but your tour guide also makes the funniest jokes and gets people on the street involved too! It was so much fun! We didn’t BYOB, but I wish we had because it was St. Patrick’s Day Weekend (we had no clue before this lol!), and it was CRAZY in Charlotte! They actually have the largest pub crawl for St. Patty’s in the WORLD. What? So the weekend was entertaining to say the least!
Next: The Daily Details Beauty Bar
We actually went to the Ballyntine location (out in the burbs) which was actually really nice because we got to see even more of Charlotte. I loved the Ballyntine area! It was so nice to get a blow out and manicure after the busy day we had. I love The Daily Details because it’s a take on the Blow Dry experience that feels more like a treat. We sipped mimosas and relaxed for a couple of hours and I loved it!
They also do pedicures and other styles like braids and up-dos! I think it would be an amazing place to schedule for a bachelorette party or bridal party! I loved my hair so much! My stylist taught me how to curl my hair with a straightener which I’ve adopted as my favorite beauty trick ever now! I’m going to try to film a video soon so stay tuned!
Our Final Excursion was Tour de Food. . .
We loved this so much. First of all, you could NEVER go to all these restaurants without doing something like this in a weekend trip. We got to try so much and explore so many different areas! I also think it’s amazing that they do this all over Charlotte. Not just downtown! I would love to go back and do the NODA tour (the arts district) because I know it would be so much fun!
I loved that this was about food, but we still got to take in the architecture and hear the history of Charlotte!
I’m going to update this soon with more photos! I have WAY too many SD cards in my life right now and some of these photos got misplaced with unpacking the house!
I hope this gives you some inspiration for your next girls trip! Especially for Charlotte! Charlotte is such an easy location to travel to!
Thank you to the following for making this trip possible:
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