While Elah was away at Twin Lakes and Evelyn was with a friend for a couple nights, Russell and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and ran away to Hot Springs, AR for a couple nights. I had never been to Hot Springs and I was excited to see all the natural springs, bath houses and Hot Springs National Park! I am a bit of a National Park nerd, so I was excited to mark another one off my list.
We stayed in the loveliest bed-and-breakfast called The Reserve at Hot Springs. Located directly across from the Oaklawn horse racing arena, it is tucked discreetly off of Central Avenue only a couple minutes from Bathhouse Row.
“An elegant estate steeped in history, The Reserve at Hot Springs is a new Hot Springs luxury hotel offering a contemporary take on elevated Southern hospitality traditions. The iconic W.C. Brown House, a former private mansion and national heritage landmark, has been fully restored to its Gilded Age glory.”
I can’t say enough great things about this place. The staff were hospitable and incredibly helpful eager to answer all my questions and requests.
They welcomed us at our car, helped us with our bags, gave us a tour of the house, had warm cookies and champagne waiting for us in our room and showed us the “Butlers Pantry” stocked with drinks, iced water, coffee, and snacks that were all complimentary.
Breakfast each morning was a 2-course, 5 star worthy culinary work of art served by the friendly and knowledgeable Jessi. Breakfast at the Reserve was definitely a highlight of our trip and we looked forward to it each morning.
The entire property was immaculate. Our room was spotless, not a wrinkle or spec of dust to be found and I have very high standards of cleanliness. Beds were super comfortable and plush. Loved taking baths in the gold tub.
Room was very spacious and perfectly furnished with period appropriate antiques. The house has been so well maintained and still holds true to its original history.
I can’t wait to return to the Reserve again for another visit!
Our first day we arrived around 4:30 and spent the afternoon walking around the house and gardens at The Reserve. Then we had a great Italian dinner at Luna Bella.
The next day we got up and had an amazing 2-course breakfast at The Reserve and then headed 5 minutes down the road to Bathhouse Row and the Hot Springs National Park. We were super curious about the huge abandoned military hospital building on the hill so we went there first to check it out.
We took the Oertel Trail up to the Short Cut Trail then over to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower.
The view from the top of the tower was great! From the tower, we took Peak Trail back down to Batthouse Row. Not much time for hiking this trip. Once we got off the trails we stopped in the historic Arlington Hotel. It was beautiful! I was so glad we stopped by.
From there we walked down Spring Street to get a drink from the Happy Hollow spring as recommended by Jessi at The Reserve. It was really good and refreshing!
After that we walked back down Bathhouse Row to stop in and check out all the Bathhouses.
I loved walking through all the bathhouses and reading their stories. The Quapaw Bathhouse is still open for a spa & bath experience. Buckstaff is open for baths only. Fordyce Bathhouse serves as the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center. It also functions as a museum and Is open for tours to see how the bathhouses looked and functioned in the early 1900s. Superior Bathhouse has a great restaurant with patio dining where we got a snack and drink to refuel for our day!
We also stopped mid-day for a spa experience at Oasis on Ouchita. We chose a couple's experience that included a hot spring bath and relaxation massage with hot-stones and foot scrub and it really was amazing AND romantic. It was a great addition to our day.
We ended our day with dinner at 501 Prime which was absolutely fabulous. Service and good was great. I would totally recommend and go again!
Our last day we woke to another wonderful 2-course breakfast at The Reserve which included a chicken and vege waffle followed by a lemon poppy seed cake with bluberry compote. It was as incredible as the last. After fueled with good food and coffee, we packed our bags and headed out but decided to stop by the Garvans Woodland Gardens and Anthony Chapel on our way out of town.
The gardens were beautiful but the chapel was breath-taking!
That wrapped up our Hot Springs trip. 2 nights, 1 full day, and 2 half days on each side was a good amount of time to spend there. I could have done a little more hiking in the park, but feel like I got to see and experience most of the highlights. Most importantly, it was sweet, quality, alone time away with Russell. It was a great trip!
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