Local Flavor: Peddler's Village

This Local Flavor goes out to all you who NEED. A. GETAWAY.

I needed a Getaway. My daughter was born 15 months ago, and until this weekend, we have not had a weekend away without her. I realize my previous sentence sounds like I couldn't wait to get away from my precious Chica. Not at all! But, as every parent knows, we need time away to regroup and relax. We also need time with our significant other to reconnect!

Regroup. Relax. Reconnect.

As of December 15, Hubby and I will have been married 3 years. In our 3 years of marriage, we have had very few successful vacations or getaways. I will partially attribute this to the fact that we don't have a huge amount of money to blow on a vacation, so we have enjoyed vacations visiting our loved ones. This is a wonderful blessing, but allows for little Together Time. I will also attribute our low Vacation Success Rate to the unfortunate luck of choosing REALLY BAD Getaway Destinations.

Really bad.

I will not name names or slander any business, but I can tell you that I have stayed in some whoppers. One hotel room smelled funky. It took 24 hours to realize it was because our room was situated above a deli. That functioned without air conditioning. In 95-degree summer heat. You can imagine the stench. One getaway was to a Bed and Breakfast. This occurred while I was not quite 3 months pregnant, and still rolling with "Morning" (read: ALL DAY) Sickness. I was scolded by the Inn Keeper for not finishing my (free) tea. Not even kidding. And Hubby was convinced our room was haunted.

Needless to say, we have become hesitant in booking new Getaways, for fear of history repeating itself.

As Chica graduated to Year 2 of her life, we decided to begin researching a nice overnight or weekend getaway. We were more than ready, and Grandparents were chomping at the bit for a Little Chica sleepover. We wanted to keep it local (within 2 hours), and economical, as we still wanted to have a reserve of money to treat ourselves to a nice Anniversary Celebration in December.

I poured over pages of internet pages. Hotels. Motels. B&B's. Packages. Specials. Close. Far. Inclusive. Not inclusive. Cheap. Too Cheap. Expensive. Too Expensive.

My sights set on a semi-local attraction. After reading through some reviews (most good, a few not-so-good), we decided to hold our breaths and book the Getaway. I was nervous. What if we made another bad decision? What if the beautiful pictures on the website are doctored, and it's really awful? What if our hotel room is disgusting? What if? What if?

Well, we went last weekend, and I cannot say enough good things about our visit. Our little excursion was to a wonderful place called:

Peddler's Village

About and hour and a half away from our home (which is outside of Philadelphia), Peddler's Village is a quaint little town filled with shops, restaurants and calendar FULL of events! We arrived on a cold and rainy night, having got turned around a few times (No, we don't own a GPS), so we were at the end of our ropes. This would have been a bad time to be Bad Vacation ambushed. Upon arrival, Hubby received our room key, as well as:

1. A $7 voucher for each of us to be used the next day at Breakfast OR Lunch at one of the participating locations within the Village.

2. A book of coupons and discounts for Peddler's Village

3. A complimentary bottle of wine from Chaddsford Winery (a small bottle - enough for 1 glass for each of us), which has a shop and tasting room at Peddler's Village

Every guest receives these amenities! Our room was in the Golden Plough Inn, Peddler's Village offer for housing. This neat Inn is not just a hotel. The rooms from the Inn are dispersed around the village over the different shops. It was a neat variation from the usual! So, we drove to our location (which is not far - Peddler's Village is small, and everything is within walking distance), and headed toward our room.

To give you a better (and more concise) overview of our stay:

The Room: Gorgeous! The Golden Plough Inn was a treat. We were DELIGHTED to find a large room, nicely decorated, with lots of lighting. The room was clean and warm, with a big bathroom and fireplace. A small refrigerator with 2 complimentary bottles of water was nestled in a cabinet under a television. We enjoyed our night in this room, as the bed was comfortable, with extra pillows and blankets in the closet if we needed them. And no disturbance from the neighbors (if we even had any?).

The Food: DELICIOUS! We had dinner at Earl's Prime, a slightly more upscale restaurant. The food was not only gourmet, but locally sourced, which I appreciated. Hubby had Ahi Tuna, and I had Braised Short Rib. I highly recommend dining at Earl's if you can make it up to PV! We had breakfast at the Town Crier Bakery, simply coffee and a muffin. Lunch was at Sweet Lorraines, which had a great variety of salads, soups and sandwiches, as well we entrees for our choosing. Hubby enjoyed that they had a bar, and paired his lunch with his favorite Brew. We were not disappointed with ANY of the food we ate, and put to use our $14 of vouchers toward our lunch. Our only regret? Not staying longer, as there were so many more restaurants to try! For a complete list, check out the Peddler's Village Dining Guide.

The Shopping: Entertaining! While the shops are naturally geared toward women (and their fashions), there were plenty of shops to keep both Hubby and I engaged (YES, my HUBBY, a BOY, enjoyed Peddler's Village. So do not be deterred by thinking that Peddler's Village is a "chick thing." It is equally fun for all!). Kitchen Shops, Cheese Shops, different cultural and heritage shops, candy shops and clothing stores. It was fun to walk around the village, popping into each shop and checking out their wares. The vendors were friendly and helpful. While we didn't buy too much, we both agreed it would be worth a trip back in the future to shop again. Another bonus? Across from Peddler's Village is a small center of outlet stores: Bass, Van Heusen, Kitchen Collections, DKNY, etc. The outlets boasted 3 different children's clothing shops (Gymboree, Children's Place and Osh Kosh BGosh), and the prices were great! We made away with 2 outfits for Little Chica for the holidays! For more info on the shops of Peddler's Village, click here.

MISC: Check out Peddler's Village Calendar of Events. There is something every month worth visiting for. We came one weekend shy of the Grand Illumination Ceremony, which includes lighting 1 million Christmas Lights around the village! The kickoff is part of a Merchant's Open House, with free cider and marshmellow toasting. Throughout the year, Murder Mystery Dinners, as well as Colonial Dinners are offered. We kept note of all the different events we wanted to come back for (possibly before Christmas!)

If you need more than just shopping, there is a winery (New Hope Winery) just down the street which does tours and tastings. We did not get to go here, but look forward to checking it out in the future. We also found that there is some hiking not far as well.

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Overall, it was a great and rewarding Getaway. We were delightfully surprised by our accomodations, our dining experiences, as well as all the Village had to offer.

Are you in need of a Getaway? I HIGHLY recommend looking into a night (or two!) at Peddler's Village. TREAT YOURSELF (or surprise your spouse) this Holiday Season! This would also be a great location for a Girl's Weekend. Can't think of a gift to give a family member or friend? Consider a Peddler's Village gift certificate.

If you want more info, head over to the Peddler's Village website. Also feel free to contact me, as I would happily answer any questions you might have!

THIS WEEKEND: The Grand Illumination Ceremony including Merchants Open House. Fun for the whole family! Check it out!

Do you have a great (and LOCAL) Getaway Destination? Drop me a line and give me the info! Hubby and I want to add more GOOD vacation spots to our repertoire!

moderndaydonnareed@gmail.com