Michael, Orvis, and I first stayed at the Inn at Perry Cabin this past December on our way down to North Carolina to visit our family for the Christmas holiday. I’d discovered the property on Jetsetter a couple of years ago, and been trying to coax Michael into planning a trip down to St. Michaels, Maryland with me ever since. It worked out that for our first trip we were even able to take advantage of a Jetsetter sale and book a room for two nights at a great discount! When we decided to launch Map & Menu and finalized our plans for March road trip, stopping for a night at Perry Cabin was a no-brainer – we loved every minute of our first experience here so much.

Dating back to the early 1800s, the Colonial-style inn overlooks the beautiful Miles River off the Chesapeake Bay, and has played host to numerous politicians and celebrities (you might recognize the inn as the setting for the wedding reception in the movie Wedding Crashers). The inn’s nautical heritage is evident around every corner, and you’ll find yourself meandering around the property (an original English land grant) for hours, taking in the gardens, paths, and waterfront.

It was such a treat to return to the inn only a few months after our first visit, and while we enjoyed the suite where we stayed in December, the decor of the room where we stayed on this second trip was even lovelier – I honestly would have never even thought that was possible! We also enjoyed a much bigger bathroom, complete with a clawfoot tub, this time around too. From our experience at the inn, you simply cannot go wrong with any room, but when in doubt (and this goes with any hotel, really), do try to book a room with a clawfoot!

Given that we first visited the Inn at Perry Cabin during the middle of winter, we did not have the chance to ride the inn’s bright blue bicycles into town during our first trip. When we saw them out in front of the inn in March, we wasted no time inquiring about using them, and ended up having the most splendid ride around town before grabbing bagels at Sweetie’s the next morning.

I know we’ll be stopping in St. Michaels several more times in the coming years, simply because it’s a perfect place to stopover during our long trips to visit our families in North Carolina. Staying for a night or two when all of the hydrangeas around the inn are blooming is certainly high on my bucket list. Here’s to hoping I’m able to make room in my summer shooting schedule for a quick visit!

Did we mention how much Orvis loves every extremely dog-friendly part of the property?