Luxury Getaway from NYC

My wife and I are looking for some short getaways trips from NYC. We prefer something with 2-3 hours of driving, must be 5-star. Can be a resort, spa, inn, or just plain hotel.

We last tried the mayflower inn in washington, ct.

Please help us with suggestions!

Thank you.

Luxury Getaway from NYC

Naples48,

Two choices in northern DE:

Hotel duPont -- http://www.dupont.com/hotel/index1.htm

Inn at Montchanin Village -- http://www.montchanin.com/

They%26#39;re both Mobil 4-star. If you want 5-star according to Mobil criteria, you%26#39;ll have to bypass Delaware.

They are completely different experiences. Hotel duPont is in downtown Wilmington, a M-F commuter city. Unless you have tickets to something at the DuPont Theater (http://www.duponttheatre.com/) or the Grand Opera House (http://www.grandopera.org), or some of the smaller theaters, there%26#39;s not a lot to do in Wilmington on a weekend. (I assume you%26#39;ll be weekend visitors.)

OTOH, Montchanin Village is definitely out in the countryside, fondly called ';chateau country'; around here, because the DuPonts have so many estates -- some of which are now open to the public.

Both lodging options have outstanding restaurants, either under the same roof (Green Room at Hotel duPont: http://www.dupont.com/hotel/dining_green.htm) or a hop, skip, and jump away (Krazy Kat%26#39;s at Montchanin: http://www.krazykatsrestaurant.com/)

You%26#39;ll see from the restaurants%26#39; sites how different the ambiences are, but the food is excellent at both places.

A short distance from Montchanin, a little farther from Wilmington, is another absolutely fabulous restaurant: Gilmore%26#39;s in West Chester: http://www.gilmoresrestaurant.com/. The chef is from Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia. Amazingly innovative food and outstanding service, and it%26#39;s BYO. You%26#39;ll need to make a weekend reservation several weeks ahead; weekdays are easier.

Grand Opera actually has a page with other attractions: http://www.grandopera.org/visitor/. Of the restaurants listed, can definitely recommend Deep Blue and 821.

If you%26#39;d like other restaurant recommendations, post here about your food preferences and we can probably help. There are some *very* good restaurants just outside Wilmington city limits, as well as just across the state line in PA.

And if food is your real interest, and you%26#39;ll put up with less than the finest accommodations (but still very nice, esp. if you like B%26amp;Bs), you really MUST visit the DE beach communities, particularly Rehoboth and Dewey Beach. No question the biggest concentration of outstanding restaurants in DE is within a 5-mile radius of Rehoboth Ave. at the Boardwalk. (And half of that is in the ocean! LOL!!)

Are you willing to pack your suitcase every day? Consider the Hotel duPont one night and Montchanin Inn the next night if you want to spend only one weekend in Wilmington.