Five Gables Inn & Spa in St. Michaels, Maryland
Julie Register visited this inn and spa on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in April 2002

*Sometimes it's easy to overlook treasures in your own back yard. That has certainly been the case with me. I have been to spas around the world but not many within driving distance of my home. I decided to correct this oversight starting with a visit to the Five Gables Inn & Spa in St. Michaels, Maryland - a scenic drive through rural countryside and less than two hours from my home in Wilmington, DE. The Eastern Shore of Maryland has interested me ever since I read Michener's Chesapeake years ago, and I looked forward to spending time in that part of the country.

Snug on the shore of the broad Miles River, historic St. Michaels has a lot to offer  - museums, boating, shopping, and restaurants. Its picturesque streets are lined with quaint buildings that have been lovingly restored to serve as homes, boutiques, restaurants, and B&B's. Three of these charming buildings from the 1860's make up the Five Gables Inn & Spa. Owners John and Bonnie Booth acquired The Brick House in 1992 and offered two guest rooms just on weekends. They eventually expanded to the buildings next door in 1995 and across the street in 1998 and now offer a total of 12 rooms and 3 suites year-round. 

The Brick House

I had the good fortune to stay in the Queen Suite - the entire second floor of The Brick House. This suite offers a cozy sitting room with TV/VCR and gas fireplace separated from a bedroom by French doors. The bedroom is home to a queen-size bed crowned with a whimsical birdhouse headboard, wall-mounted TV and a separate bathroom with shower. Another bath with a large whirlpool tub is located off the sitting room separated by two additional French doors. Through another door in the sitting room is a large balcony with Adirondack chairs - perfect for relaxing and watching the world go by on the street below. There is also a bar area with a small refrigerator at the top of the entry stairs. In-room amenities include Aveda bath products, Frette towels, thick terry robes, down comforter, CD player, hair dryers, iron and ironing board. I spent a lot of time in the evenings in the whirlpool tub watching The Travel Channel - two pleasures I don't have at home. 

The Brick House	The Brick House Entry Hall with entrance to the Queen Suite on back wall
Queen Suite Bar Area with Mini-Fridge at Top of Stairs	Sitting Room of Queen Suite with Gas Fireplace in Corner
Queen Suite Bedroom	Whimsical Birdhouse Headboard and Lamp
Queen Suite Bathroom with Whirlpool Bath off Sitting Room	Queen Suite Porch with Adirondack Chair

The Spa

In the morning, a continental breakfast of fruit, muffins, bread, juice, coffee, and tea is offered on the second floor of the main building. This is also the building that houses the Spa - an addition to the inn inspired by a trip the Booths took to The Lavender Hill Spa in Calistoga, California. The second-floor Aveda concept spa currently consists of two multi-purpose treatment rooms, a hydrotherapy room for two with its own bathroom and a couples treatment room. Beneath these on the first floor is a sauna, steam room, changing rooms and a small indoor pool. Future spa expansion plans include two additional treatment rooms, one with a Swiss shower for wet body treatments.

*The Five Gables Inn Main Building housing the Spa and Breakfast Room, across the  street from The Brick House

Stairway to Second Floor Spa

Couples Treatment Room	Hydrotherapy Room
Treatment Room	Treatment Room

After the soak, Glynda led me back to the treatment room for a massage. While I'd like to provide a detailed description of the massage, I can't. I quickly zoned out and all I know was the massage was great. When it was over, Glynda gave me a bottled water with instructions to drink lots of water for the rest of the day. I floated across the street to my suite and "recovered" by taking a short nap. It was great!

Other treatments and therapies offered include: 

• HERBAL BATH TREATMENT
  Relax in a warm bath for 20 minutes while high-powered jets circulate water around your body
• MASSAGE THERAPY
  Alleviates soreness and tension, enhances circulation, releases tight spots and transports you from stress to a quieter, calmer place. 45, 60, or 90 minutes
• FACIALS
  Each facial is targeted to restore and maintain skin beauty and health. Light touch and relaxing facial massage is combined with plant derived Aveda lotions for an invigorating experience. 30 or 60 (with neck, foot & shoulder massage) minutes.
• BODY POLISH
  Includes 45 minute massage for a total of 70 minutes
• SPA ADDITIONS
  Foot Relief Treatment with Aveda Foot Relief 15 minutes
  Quick mini Facial with Aveda facial products 15 minutes
• HALF DAY AT THE SPA
  Hydrotherapy Tub bath with 1 Hour Massage and use of the Heated Indoor Pool, Steam Room and Sauna. Also offered with 30 minute Facial.

The Five Gables Inn & Spa offers complementary bicycles but is within easy walking distance of everything in St. Michaels. I found the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum very interesting. From the stacked barrels representing the oysters in the bay in the early 1800's (~100) to 1997 (2) to the punt guns, battery guns and sink boxes used to market hunt ducks and geese, to the decoy display, to the Hooper Straight Light House, the museum does a great job of presenting the history of the bay. I saw the Skipjack Rebecca Ruark, built in 1886 and one of the few remaining sailing oyster boats. Captain Wade Murphy offers year-round sailing on the bay - two-hour trips and longer chartered excursions. I poked around the many boutiques and antique shops and found too many things I liked at The Mind's Eye Craft Collection. I enjoyed crab soup and a broiled crab cake at the St. Michaels Crab & Steak House at the St. Michaels Marina. I wandered west to Tilghman Island (a place I had read about in our local newspaper for their fire hall's oyster and shrimp feasts) in search of the perfect sunset. It was a lovely, relaxing getaway that I would recommend to anyone, but specially to those living within a two hour drive - Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Wilmington DE, Philadelphia PA and anywhere in between.

Hooper Straight Light House at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum	Marina
Relative size of oysters available in the Chesapeake Bay. Early 1800's on left and...	1997 on right (2 barrels) at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
St. Michaels Marina	Black Walnut Point on Tilghman Island

 

A final unique note about the inn - it is dog-friendly. In addition to offering Flying Fred's dog boutique, the Five Gables Inn & Spa provides a dog bed for dogs to use during their stay, doggie blankets, plenty of treats, and a special souvenir for an additional charge per night ($25 at the time of my visit). The inn has allocated a number of first-floor rooms for guests and dogs, allowing one (at least 1 yr old and weighing less than 80 lbs) per room. Dogs are not allowed in the breakfast room or Spa and must be crated when left unattended. Pets are booked only with advance reservation.