The Ivy Hotel – Baltimore, Maryland

Idyllic. Illustrious. Incomparable. The Ivy.

Hello my fellow Luxe Lovers,

Today I’m sharing all about my recent Girls Getaway! My friend Liz (@espressofied) and I just returned from the most amazing stay at The Ivy Hotel in Baltimore, where we experienced luxe and opulence beyond our wildest imagination. The Ivy Hotel is part of Relais Chateux, the elite association of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. The staff here, led by General Manager Rob Arthur, are simply incredible and just all around top notch! From the moment we pulled up to the hotel, we felt like VIPs being greeted by name and warmly welcomed. I am not one to pack light, and brought along 5 pieces of luggage (including my guitar) lol, but my excessive baggage was handled with grace and care!

Gloriously Grand

After leaving our luggage and car in good hands, we made our way into the lobby and up the elevator… When the doors opened, we were again greeted immediately, this time by James of the concierge team, and he led us into the most gorgeous great room, full of charm, grandeur, and most importantly, the Champagne Bar! He explained, this was available daily and open for guests to enjoy, as well as the self-serve mansion bar. One thing’s for sure, you’ll never go hungry or thirsty while at The Ivy – with fully stocked in-room “bar-moires,” daily tea time, and made-to-order breakfast — all included, you’re enjoyment will be endless!

The Magnificent Mansion

James showed us around the hotel’s main level, and shared a lot about the property’s history and indulged all of our oncoming questions! We loved learning all about how the property became what it is today…I could tell you, but James does a MUCH better job of relaying the info in such a captivating way, you’ll have to go visit him and The Ivy for the full experience! Side note, for all of my fellow fur parents out there, the property is dog friendly!

Royal Retreats

After checking in, we made our way up to our rooms, numbers 12 & 13 (Side note…I just have to mention I had already sent Liz a screenshot of these two rooms earlier in the week and said, wouldn’t it be cool if we had these two room that could be connected! Wouldn’t you know it…The Ivy must have read my mind because that’s just what we got!). Every room and suite are completely different and unique, which I just love! Like kids in a candy store, we ran between both rooms taking photos and videos and admiring the unique ambiance of each space, oohing and ahhing non-stop! We really loved that we got to be in adjoining rooms, it made our whole stay so much more fun. I really fell in love with my room – number 13. It was perfect for me, with its soothing shades of blue, separate seating area with large bay windows that let in so much light, and the most expansive bathroom I’ve ever seen in a hotel room!

Tea Time

After checking out our rooms, we made our way down to our first tea service, and it was just delightful! We met Neketa who created magical tea times for us, and we looked forward to chatting with her each day. I tried two different teas during our stay, the Awaken and the Escape; Liz loved her Mint tea and stuck with that one each day! We enjoyed an array of sweet treats and bites that were the perfect afternoon snack.

It’s Magdalena’s for me

We had dinner both nights at Magdalena, and we would do the same all over again. We loved how convenient it was just on the bottom level of the hotel, and the food was so fabulous, we didn’t need to even consider going off site. One thing I’m dying for more of right about now, is the warm bread and daily butters at Magdalena’s; I could eat that all day lol! We also enjoyed the same mocktail each night because it was just soooo good – shoutout to the @thelastruggedbarman for the delicious drinks! The style and vibe of the dining spaces were cozy and intimate, simple, yet so refined at the same time. I especially liked the private tasting room, which just felt so exclusive and special! All of our meals were so impressive, but on our last night, we had some specialty items that our server came up with for us, which was just so nice. Again…ALL of the staff at The Ivy & Magdalena were the most gracious, kind-hearted, warm, and friendly folks who truly took our experience over the top!

Wake me up…for breakfast!

I’m by no means an early riser, but for the amazing breakfast at The Ivy, I will certainly get up and out of bed for this daily treat. We loved meeting Anthony during our stay, he was so kind, and took such great care of us at breakfast and we connected over our love for our dogs. The weather was perfect for our stay, and we enjoyed eating breakfast in the dreamy courtyard each morning. The luxurious garden with its stunning greenery, is the perfect place to start the day in.

Flower Mart 2023

We were so lucky that Baltimore’s annual Flower Mart was taking place during our stay at The Ivy, and were so excited to check it out. We both absolutely love flowers and couldn’t think of a more perfect activity. This was our only venture off the property because we just couldn’t peel ourselves away from The Ivy! Amazingly, we were driven to and from in pure style, thanks to Dane, the Culinary and Beverage Director, who escorted us to the Flower Mart in the hotel’s logoed London cab car! So cute right?!

Epic Experience

All in all, it was such an amazing stay! The thoughtful touches and personal attention were endless. I already miss everything about The Ivy, but the wise words of Maya Angelou ring true, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel…“ The feeling you get from experiencing The Ivy is something I definitely will not forget, and it will always draw me back! It’s so hard to find the exact words to fully describe the exquisiteness of it all; it truly is just an incredibly special experience.

This has to be one of my top Occasionally Luxe travel memories. My wish is to share this treasure with everyone, and I hope you get to experience the magic, that is The Ivy.

If you’ve stayed here before, comment below and let me know your favorite memory from your stay!