Shire Suite at the White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat

I plan on being very transparent with this review so others know what to expect. My husband and I booked the Shire Suite for our wedding anniversary/ baby moon. When I booked the room, I received an email confirmation with the keypad code to get into the room; my reservation was not for at least a month. It definitely made me question the security of the space. The room itself looked like the photos online but did not give a cozy feel like we were hoping. The suite is right behind the bar and next to the communal bathrooms, which we did not know. The walls are thin so we could here people talking, going in and out of the bathroom, etc. The chairs in the room were so uncomfortable. I sat in the recliner and became itchy; I'm thinking it is because there was dog or cat hair on it. The throw blanket on the bed had hair on it and I almost used a dirty fork. The bed made a lot of noise. Unfortunately, I was 8 months pregnant and hardly got any sleep because of the thin walls and squeaky bed. The location is more of an Airbnb vibe as we are expected to wash and dry our dishes, set up the hot tub if we wanted to use it, etc. Plus, no one was there at check in; so we had to figure out a lot on our own. There is the option to text the property manager but we decided not to (that's on us). The continental breakfast was not what we were expecting. They had very minimal items; we ended up driving into town for brunch. As a whole, the property looks beautiful. When taking a closer look, the plants and grass were overgrown, the hot tub looked unsanitary, there were random piles of trash/junk; it felt very outdated. The benches and other furniture were not properly taken care of; ie rusty, dirty. Overall, it was a decent stay. Now that we know what to expect; we might come back. For the price, it seems worth it to us. We can always adjust our expectations.

Unique. Rustic. Peaceful. Positive: If you love Lord of the Rings, you will LOVE this. Such a unique, magical property! Very peaceful to wake up to the sound of birdsong. The suite was spacious and comfortable. The rest of the grounds were beautiful, we loved exploring all the different buildings and rooms. The solarium in particular was a perfect place for yoga and meditation. The suite was well stocked with coffee, tea, a mini fridge and microwave, etc. Though we never met the staff in person (self check in was a breeze!), they were very helpful and responsive via the app. Negative: It would have been nice if the continental breakfast was offered in the nice shared kitchen in the Barn where the suite is — for convenience, and because the shared kitchen space in the Castle (where the continental breakfast is) had would benefit from some updates and a deep clean. This is very nitpicky, but the tile floors throughout the suite were very cold; I would have loved some more rugs to walk around barefoot comfortably. Note there is no cell service and food options nearby are limited, so be prepared for that. But all of these were minor inconveniences - overall we had a wonderful stay, and would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a peaceful, rural, off-the-beaten path style of retreat for yoga/meditation/reading.

Positive: La casa è immersa nel bosco. Una vera oasi di tranquillità Negative: Informazioni insufficienti per l'accoglienza. Ci è sembrato che ci fosse un locale comune per la colazione in un altro edificio, ma non abbiamo trovato indicazioni per l'utilizzo ed abbiamo avuto il sospetto che non fosse destinato anche a noi

I will return in spring and with a rented Jeep Positive: This is a beautiful property with genuinely kind people. I loved the peaceful atmosphere, the barn setup, and especially the indoor swing. The staff and other guests were wonderful — someone even brought me birthday pancakes and sang to me, which meant a lot. That said, winter travelers need to know that the access conditions can be extremely challenging. When I first tried to enter the property, I got stuck on the icy road leading to the Hobbit House and ended up crying in my car because I couldn’t move forward or backward. A very kind gentleman with a bulldozer came to my rescue — he literally cleared the path behind me and in front of me, bulldozing nearly a mile of frozen ground so I could safely get through. I cannot overstate how grateful I was in that moment. Then, when I got stuck a second time trying to reach my actual suite, the manager’s partner, Victoria, came out to help. She is absolutely lovely — she saw how done I was (I was about in tears again) and helped guide my car over the ice patch so I could finally get settled. Everyone was so kind and patient with me. Once I was in the Shire Suite (inside the barn), I realized I couldn’t safely walk the gravel paths because the snow had turned into hard, slippery ice. The trails were completely iced over, so exploring the grounds wasn’t possible. When it was time to leave, I got stuck twice more, and another guest with a truck had to guide me and help me get enough momentum to reach the main road. If you are visiting in winter, you will absolutely need one of the following: • a 4WD or AWD vehicle • top‑tier winter tires • or snow chains A standard car is not enough for these conditions, even if you’re an experienced driver. You may find yourself unable to leave your cabin or the property without assistance. One more important note: If you book through Booking.com, the “Shire Suite” is the one located inside the barn. The “Hobbit House” is a separate building.

We stayed in the shire suite and absolutely loved it! Convientently located not too far from the Luray caverns and Skyline drive. Absolutely perfect for going on an adventure!!!