Built in 1889 and once home to magnate William Painter, the turreted architecture of Baltimore’s Ivy Hotel is right at home in the stately residential neighbourhood of Mount Vernon. I would get out and explore the historic district, but leaden clouds had unleashed powerful claps of thunder. A good chance, I thought, to take advantage of the complimentary afternoon tea at this Relais & Châteaux hotel.
Waiting for my jasmine pearl brew to steep and my scones to emerge from the oven, I sampled a few spots in its expansive series of drawing rooms – a table at the corner window here, a sinuous golden chaise there.
Finally, I settled in like a lazy cat on a sofa in the library alongside a fireplace and surrounded by walls covered in olive green leather.
Gazing out at the pouring rain, I felt absolutely no need to move beyond my little nook.
Location, location
North of downtown Baltimore, Mount Vernon is a National Historic District and cultural centre that’s widely regarded as having one of the best collections of 19th-century architecture in the United States.
One morning, I took a short walk to the newly restored Washington Monument, an obelisk that sits at the centre of a verdant square.
Nearby, two of my favourite cultural attractions – the Peabody Institute (a music school with a robust concert calendar) and the well-regarded Walters Art Museum – awaited.
Design
Marble fireplaces, leaded-glass windows, a showstopping central staircase – an $18-million (U.S.) restoration has brought this mansion back to (maybe even better than) its former glory. As part of the renovation, an extension has doubled the size of the original house, offering room for a conservatory, a small spa and a bright, below-ground restaurant, Magdalena. These and other public spaces – a music room, a library, a sitting room – are piled thick with textures both exotic (animal skins, Turkish kilims) and sumptuous (leathers, velvets).
Gilded finishes and antique objects fill the suites. Mine was filled with sybaritic touches such as heated limestone floors, a deep soaking tub, fresh flowers and a canopy four-poster bed made cushier by a feather, mattress top then swaddled in navy floral print sheets and an indigo bedspread. A bathroom vanity with an electric makeup mirror added to an overall feeling of being pampered.
Best Amenity
Each room offers a well-stocked “barmoire,” hand-painted by different local art students and filled with complimentary goodies such as chocolate chip cookies and a bottle of pinot noir.
If I Could Change One Thing
I counted six light control panels in my room, but I never mastered a balance between being plunged into darkness or becoming blinded by unwelcome light. The hotel management promises labels are forthcoming – as soon as it figures everything out.
Eat In or Eat Out?
One night I enjoyed dinner at Magdalena, the hotel’s fine dining bistro, where the menu leans toward classic American dishes such as pork belly and beef tenderloin, along with a few pasta and vegetable entrees. Set below-grade amid a brightly lit wine cellar and the mansion’s former vault, it offers a relaxed but elegant dining experience in a city not overly replete with them.
Eat In or Eat Out?
The Ivy, 205 E. Biddle St., Baltimore, theivybaltimore.com; 18 rooms from $475 (U.S.), includes breakfast and afternoon tea.
The writer was a guest of the hotel.