Concierge Review of The Umstead Hotel and Spa – Raleigh NC
The Umstead Hotel Location
The Umstead Hotel is located between Raleigh and Cary in North Carolina, just off I-40 on exit 287. It’s only a 1/2 mile from the William B Umstead State Park and only 4 miles from the North Carolina Museum of Art.
We loved the Umstead’s 12 acres of wooded land, gardens, and lake. A paved path around the lake connects guests directly to the natural areas, whether you want a morning jog or an evening walk.
In August, the spa closed for renovations until the end of 2022. We’re excited to see what they’ve done, and we’ll update our imagery with revised pictures when the work is complete.
The spa scenography follows the hotel’s theme of when art meets nature. I loved the outdoor spaces secluded from the main grounds with sculpture and extensive gardens.
Dining at Herons is an experience not to be missed!
It’s one of only 64 Forbes Five Diamond restaurants in the world. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch with beautiful Chihuly glasswork inside and views of the surrounding gardens and grounds.
Afternoon Tea at the Umstead is popular enough that reservations are required, and same-day reservations are not accepted. In fact, you might want to book your tea and room together to make sure that you can get in.
Our room was comfortable and spacious. We had a 540-square-foot room with an oversized balcony overlooking the 3-acre lake. With local artwork on the walls and the private balcony, we could feel art meeting nature without ever leaving our room.
We love bike vacations and were immediately attracted to the Umstead’s location between the Raleigh and Cary Greenways. There are over 300 miles of greenways and bike routes between the two cities and several exceptional day rides from the hotel,