Homestead Resort Review

The spa and The Jefferson are both enjoyable! Note to self... don't take a room above the dining room...cooking smells and smoke, ugh!

Historic resort in beautiful mountain location. Hotel service and restaurant many items were outstanding. The spa and the outdoor hot tub were very enjoyable. Plenty of outdoor activities, including golf, hiking, zipping, horseback riding, archery, and others. My wife and I enjoyed this romantic getaway, but the nightly cost of the room was too high. That, and the cost of meals and drinks equated to the cost of a luxury stay in Manhattan. Won t be going back.

This is hands down the nicest hotel I've ever been in. From the fancy dinners to the waterfall jacuzzi, lazy river, waterslide, and hotspring spa, the homestead has it all. You can zipline, shoot skeets, and even do falconry. It is surrounded by gorgeous mountain trails many of which become ski runs in the winter.

Are you kidding me? This place is the standard by which all others are measured!!
Awesome

The setting. The amenities. Everything. This place is beautiful.

Very family friendly hotel. We visit every year with our family and always enjoy it. There is plenty to do for kids of all ages and the food is very good as well.

It is a lovely historic Oasis in a beautiful natural setting that is surprisingly current. Also, the staff are friendly and accommodating.

Incredible place to play golf. Ben from the pro shop came out this week to ask us how we enjoyed the course. What a Virginia treasure.

Best vacation spot we have found. Everything is professionally done, food is great, and spa is amazing!

Holy cow. I had never been to the Homestead before. They were fully decked out for Christmas and it was insanely beautiful. Highly recommended. Definitely go around Christmas.

Rooms were great. Staff was friendly and very helpful. Location was about an hour SW of Harrisonburg. Room service was excellent. I wish there was more availability of free activities given limited local options.

Drive up appeal: check.
Friendly staff: check.
Championship golf: check.
Stellar food: check.
Brand-new Canyon Ranch spa: check.
Incredible views of the Appalachian mountains while shooting skeet: check.

Optimal place to host a memorable wedding reception: priceless.

First time at the homestead, I had high expectations due to what friends had told me it used to be like back in the days .. my experience of the homestead was food about average at its best, room noisy due to old ac until, carpets had lots of stains, service ok, staff were friendly .. felt like a 3 star hotel charging 5 star prices! Won t be going back

We really enjoyed our stay at the Omni Homestead. The staff could not have been nicer or frendlier.

Wonderful Girlfriend Weekend - great experience loved it highly recommend

Worst stay in hotel in four decades of serious travel around the world. Stay away, or better yet go to the Greenbriar where the management might actually treat you with curtesy, respect, honesty and consideration. Please avoid dealing with the Front Desk Staff unless it s Courtney who s wonderful.
Please avoid trying to discuss any issues with a Lamore or Mr. Keith Bohacs. Mr. Bohacs needs to find another career path, one in which he s got one shred of interest in helping his customers. He obviously is only focused on himself though I ve learned that he s not the General Manager, just posing as this individual. He s the Assistant Manager.

An American classic that evokes and retains the beauty and charm of a bygone era They don't make them like this anymore!

Still a wonderful experience...much as before it became Omni owned.

The great DC getaway vacation spot. Visit every year for its charm and grace. A must visit in the Shenandoah valley

Beautiful resort. Pool area is lovely. My husband and son took the segway tour and highly recommend it.

Great location for a conference with some amenities that are included with your stay.

Ridiculously overpriced, many services were unavailable. Once I got home there were charges placed on my card for dinner that we didn't purchase. Virtually no healthy options at any of the eateries so we ate elseware. Shame because we used to frequent this beautiful property and lavish spa regularly. We will not be back. Update: The large corporation that bought this property has now permanently closed the Jefferson pools. A local treasure that should be available for access by locals and tourists.

Loved the place. Great service and food options. Cascade falls is worth the visit

The staff was amazing and amazingly hospitable. The food was amazing I have two children under 8yrs old and they loved the food too. You have to try the she crab soup sooo good!!!! The room was beautiful. I will definitely go back to stay again.

No amenities included. Business hotel disguised as a resort.

A beautiful and historic place to escape with plenty of activities indoors and out. The staff was wonderful.

Overall, absolutely a beautiful property and friendly, helpful, efficient staff! We certainly highly recommend going there. We did have one day when our room was not cleaned when we returned at 5pm after having been gone since early morning. It then took a couple of hours to be cleaned after we advised the Front Desk. We also were quite disappointed when we went to The Dining Room to celebrate my husband's birthday (had advised the restaurant of this in advance) and we were seated at a Table by the kitchen in the corner of the room with no visibility of the dance floor or band (truly the worst table in the room). While they did move us when we requested it to a much better table, we were disappointed that we were ever seated there in the first place considering this badly positioned table remained empty the rest of the evening as did several other tables that had good placement.

Again, everything else was super so would still highly recommend going to the Omni Homestead.

Had a amazing time here. Lots of great activities for the whole family. Food was very good but a little on the pricey side for what you get. The spa was very worth it. Even if you don't get any services paying for a day pass to the garden is worth it.

The Homestead is a fine environment for large-scale business conferences. The building itself is interesting and gorgeous, if not a bit antiquated. Some oddities include outdated plumbing and much more wood creaking than I'm usually comfortable with, but the warm and welcoming atmosphere helps quickly settle these discomforts. The building is also difficult to get to for those unfamiliar with the mountainous location, and be aware that there is no cell phone service in the area.

Unparalleled setting for a resort. Omni has recently acquired property and you can see the new life being breathed into this grand resort! Great for families or a weekend escape. Can't wait till we have opportunity to return

Beautiful scenery, luxurious accommodations, friendly staff.

Excellent. Great hospitality and service. Would definitely go back again. Beautiful resort.

If I could rate this lower I would. I went to the omni for my best friends wedding this past weekend and was appauled by this location. If you are any kind of progressive person, or a person of color do not go to this hotel. On the drive up confederate flags were hung in the neighborhood.
Upon arrival we were completely ignored by the bell hop staff. The hallways are stuffy and the rooms are outdated ( no usb ports in the rooms, no fridges, the clocks look like something out of the 80's, the hallways aren't air conditioned in 90 degree weather in July.) we went shopping in their gift shop and were ignored by the cashers. The dining staff was all people of color while the patrons were almost all white. It felt very segregated, elitist and part of a history of america that we left behind a long time ago. I will never return to this location and do not recommend it as a vacation spot.

Homstead is a must see and do!! It is just beautiful! There are many things to do and enjoy whether you are in a romantic get away or a family vacation. The food and overall service is very good. Having said that, there is room for improvement.<br/>1) Our room was not fully serviced as the toilet was not clean properly nor did we get body lotion replenish etc.<br/>2) The Jefferson bar and restaurant offers amazing cocktails and food, but yesterday they run out of peanuts and the man tending the bar was quite rude when asked for more. To run out of peanuts seems actually pretty ridiculous. <br/>3) Homestead was well known as a tennis resort. They have 4 courts now but no tennis program to speak of. That s a shame. Please hire a pro and offer lessons, clinics, and round robins.

We ate dinner at the lounge of the Jefferson cafe. All the staff were very welcoming and accommodating. The food was on point. We'll definitely be back!

We loved our stay at the Homestead. We only wish we had a few more days. The Skeet shooting was fun, the spa was excellent. I would have loved to play golf but I was there to relax - accomplished. We will go to this resort again. (Now our second visit). Get there during the daytime. The drive is beautiful.

Great spa, great food and great hotel. Very unique historical setting in a beautiful part of the world. The mineral pool in the spa was so relaxing and could spend hours soaking in it. And I have never experienced anything like those warming chairs in all the spa's I have been in. Totally enjoyed our stay.

Lovely visit to Homestead, staff was very friendly and always smiling, however the dining experience was terrible in main dining room. Only 7-8 choices for dinner and they didn't change all week. Food was not up to the standard I believe the an Omni hotel should have.

Okay. For what you pay, you d think that there would be a few activities that would come with the resort. It s $28 for two people to play mini golf. We paid 1500 for a room that didn t come with a mini fridge and there is no access to water unless you drink from the sink which is what the concierge suggest we do. I m sure you can buy bottled water for twice the price downstairs but for as much money as you pay I think the least they could do is give you a mini fridge and access to water. There are only two restaurants open for both lunch and dinner, both with like 10 items on the menu. You can walk to Hot Springs which is nice but there s only 3 restaurants there. Everything closes at 8 so if you stay up past 9 you are SOL

Absolutely spectacular resort! If you like history, or the outdoors or just a quiet time to relax- this beautiful place has everything! The food is incredible and the service is 5 stars. The pools and the spa are amazing and the shopping is great. If you are going to be there near the holidays at the end of the year, be prepared for gorgeous decor!!

Elegant and beautifully landscaped as usual. Conference facilities, restaurants, shops and excursions offered were all impressive. Rooms were well appointed and elegant but a little run down. In 2 of our families 3 room the toilets ran continuously without manual intervention and there must have been recent water issues because there was a distinct mildew smell in rooms. Rooms had AC but units they didn't work very well. Rooms were warm and humid during the day and cold at night. Staff at hotel get an A+. Everyone was very polite, friendly, professional and helpful.

The homestead is a very historic place, which shows in the building somewhat, there's little problems that you'll notice if you like to nitpick . Otherwise if you don't mind little things being slow or slightly unusual then you'll love this resort

This is a great place for relaxation and enjoy nature and history in the same place at the same time.

Beautiful resort and relaxing stay. In need of maintenance due to the age of the hotel, but if you don't mind historic buildings, you will love it.

Spa is fabulous!

Great resort with luxurious rooms and a very relaxing atmosphere

Came for a mid week escape & we are having a great time. Take advantage of the concierge & check out the Jefferson Pools.

Gorgeous location for this classic hotel. Great food, drink and shopping.

The hotel is nice but being mistakenly charged an additional $1,000.00 for a one night stay is ridiculous. I am sure they will fix the problem but when they created it I have no sympathy

The valet and bell staff are phenomenal. Food is crazy overpriced and the restaurant staff (that I had) in the hotel are awful. I always try to tip 20% but had such horrible service I wasn't able to. We did eat dinner at the restaurant in the pro shop and had good service. Maid service is great and super friendly.

The rooms are okay, nice but a little dated and damaged. We had problems with our hot water as well. Some mornings we had no hot water and banging pipes, the next morning I burnt my foot expecting it to be the same.

Started this review at 3 stars, but now I think it deserves a 2 star.

Beautiful hotel!! Just how I imagine Virginia to be: stunning.

Bad bar experience. Sitting here at bar for 10 minutes and no one asks what I want. Two guys come sit at the bar next to me and they get served right away. Am I invisible? Or not the right color?

Beautiful, historical, and fun. The food is great and the hotel has a lot to do and places you can go for adults and kiddos.

Great time at the spa, ski lodge, s mores express, and main dining room. The main dining room has excellent food and live music. The ski lodge has a fun and warm experience with a full bar, fire places, and a great view.

Just returned from a lovely weekend with my daughters. We an an absolutely marvelous time!! The location and beauty of the area is breathtaking. From beginning to end all staff were gracious..... attending to every need. After check-in we headed straight to the spa for a relaxing afternoon inside the spa and outside by the pools...........relaxing in the natural hot spring pool, followed by the pool then on to the outdoor sofas. I had never been to the Homestead, and I understand that many upgrades have been made all over the facilities, from the spa, to the new pools, fun waterslides, etc. Everything is very tastefully done, only complimenting the history and architecture of the Homestead. There were so many options of things to do that there was not enough time to do everything. As well, there are diverse options of things to do from golfing, fishing, falconry, hiking, horseback riding, mini bowling, games..........the list goes on. Very young children, teenagers, young adults, to our seniors would all find an activity to enjoy. All in all, I felt that I had totally escaped from a busy world to a relaxing, magical world that encorporated more than I could have imagined. The morning breakfast was spectacular..............I am still thinking about it.........We will definitely return!!

Fantastic resort with tons of activities and fantastic service. Highly recommended for anyone looking to escape the grind.

Beautiful hotel with old time charm. Expensive to visit, many of the activities are outdoors so go when the weather is nice.

The Homestead is a beautiful historic resort located in the most beautiful setting. Surrounded by rolling hill and mountains in a county that does not have a stop light this is a perfect getaway! Social distancing was no problem with limited occupancy, it made our stay even better! The resort is so grand with its beautiful lobby in which 3:00 afternoon tea is still served. We enjoyed an amazing room in the tower with a view I have seldom enjoyed in other mountain towns. We took a morning walk each day, my husband enjoyed the golf range and we spend two days in the outside spa area. Although the inside sauna and steam room were closed we so enjoy the outside natural hot spring we did not miss them. We enjoyed a card game in the library/lounge room. They have the bonfire going each night and corn hole on the lawn. One night we enjoyed pizza from Woodys in our room. The Jefferson bar and restaurant are open as well as options in Hot Springs like Lindsey's Roost Bar and Grill and Sneads 1912 which had a wonderful outdoor patio serving great BBQ. if you have never been here this it the time to give it a try. It is a place you will want to come back to again and again!

Overrated, overpriced, shabby, only one elevator working and now, the bloody power had been out for 10 minutes. No emergency lights in hallways. Has to be a violation. Stay far away!

The resort was absolutely beautiful! Our room was nice and had a great sleeping bed. A good little drive for us 6 1/2 hours. My only complaint is the restaurants on site are more than we want to spend. We had lunch at the outdoors pool area and had all other meals off site. We stayed 5 nights. Had a great time and loved the mountain setting.

Let down from latest experience, hopefully next time if I go it'll be better. Room had multiple problems upon arrival (shower clogged/A.C. broken), greathall was like a mosquito sauna, no finger sandwiches at tea time (the cake substitution doesn't do the sandwiches justice), and people show up to the main dining room in Tshirts. Not the same experience from when I started going years ago. On the positive side, the employees were very nice and the activities offered were very enjoyable.

Sprawling resort in a great mountain setting. Staff are friendly but mostly inexperienced. Facility needs work all over.

It's an ok place. The food is good but still highly overpriced. Everything is far more expensive than ot should be, even for the quality. Avoid shotgun shooting. The segway tour was awesome and very reasonably priced for what you get! It wouldn't be so bad if every little thing was an extra charge.

There was some mildew on the tub, not so flattering view of roof from room. Parking fee, service fee. Really nice gardens and beautifully restored buildings. All activities seperate and expensive!

Four stars because we did enjoy our stay but not without some ambivalence. The hotel is old but not too worn, at least our room. Curiously rooms in the same wing, just across the hall from us, had very sad looking sofas, one of those rooms would have been a big disappointment. I'm happy we didn't pay more for a room larger than our Deluxe Double with view. That's not to say our room was large; it wasn't exactly small but the square shape made it less functional than a rectangular room of the same size. The room was a little lean on furniture, the small dresser just fit our family's clothes for the 3 days we were there. The desk is small and there's no chair other than the desk chair and very little space to set things on which isn't something I typically notice in a hotel room but I often found myself searching for key cards, beverage passes, and activity passes that were buried under other things. The closet was very large but had only one rod to hang clothes on so it was only as functional as a much smaller closet. I did not like that the door to the hallway opens right onto the main room; it swings open to within a couple feet of the bed. The bathroom was a good size and nicely updated, relatively new tiles all around and a new sink. It has a large window but is still private with some nice plantation shutters. The large windows open. The AC worked but the carpet within three feet of it was damp the whole time making it unpleasant to walk on. One afternoon the shower started running very cold. Double beds just feel small, if we were there for more than three days these little annoyances would have started to really wear on me.
The grounds are beautiful, well designed and well maintained. The pool area was a lot of fun even when crowded. The water slides were great: kids 42"-48" can go down on their own with a parent waiting at the bottom, kids over 48" can go down on their own. The lazy river is nice. The main family pool is much less crowded since it's not heated, or at least it wasn't while we were there. There are hammocks scattered around the property. The mini golf was fun. Falconry was pricey but worth it as it is pretty unique and the woman running it really tries hard to give everyone a good experience. The kids' horse ride was disappointing for our kids that are ready in their minds, if not bodies, for a trail ride. But it was nice enough for a 10 minute ride. The skeet shooting was fun and they tailor it to each shooters' level. The indoor pool is a comfortable temperature and nice.
The valets bring the cars around pretty quickly, just call down a few minutes in advance.
The lobby bar had disappointing bourbon selection.
The food was for the most part not good and may be a dealbreaker in us ever returning. If we do return we'll eat off-property (but that's a hassle given the few nearby choices).
In the end we all had fun but for us food is a critical component in a getaway and on that front the Homestead falls short.

Got stuck here during a snow storm. If you are coming here with any hint of snow, bring a SUV. The entrance is on the bottom of a hill, so most sedans couldn't escape to the top of the hill. Food was okay. Amenities are a little outdated. But overall, pretty relaxing place. They offered us a promotional rate for the extra night we had to stay, which was very kind of them.

Hotel staff was terrific. Only major complaint is that Hotel is in need of cosmetic renovation. Carpets, wall coverings, wood work all need renovation and restoration. I know its an old hotel and historic but for the prices I feel more should be done. Not only is there a premium price point but they also charge a resort fee per night. In my opinion things should be better. The building cosmetics need attention. The grounds are beautiful, the staff outstanding. Food was average.

The property has good bones and lots of wrinkles.. some areas just aren t kept up. Service was spotty. The kinda place you wish they would keep up. Because you would like to come back. But not worth coming back if they don t.

Staff was very friendly! I had a great experience being there for the day.

Had a great time with family. Been here a few times, I gotta admit it really shows both time and sadly lack of funds for proper maintenance. we got hit by a day long monsoon rain while there and was shocked to see the serious water damage across the entire building with water buckets placed all over the place, library, room with piano and pools. Water was literally dripping on top of our heads. Rooms are good and bed is comfortable. I still had a great time because of the company but can tell place is not the same it used to be.

Not what it was but still as much as it needs to be. Superior service, food, and amenities. Well worth the premium price.
Twentieth century elegance meets twenty-first century economics with enough mutual respect to provide an uncompromisingly superb experience for guests.

Beautiful hotel, nice firm/comfortable beds and a great refrig. Gym was great, very big with all the equipment we needed. Golf courses are awesome.
Not giving it 5 stars because they don't offer recycling here and that is something that I judge hotels on.

The Easter buffet is very good and the grounds are absolutely wonderful. All of the staff are nice and the hotel is full of history.

I was very excited to visit this historic hotel. When we got there, our room had only two lights working, one bulb in the bathroom and one nightstand light. We decided to upgrade to a suite and that was a lot better. One of the main problems is the food. Only one restaurant is open and the food was horrible, chicken was dried, bread stale, food cold, and service was a hit or miss. in the morning we went to get milk (for my toddlers cereal) and the milk was expired. I am not talking about just the milk I got, the entire tray of milk and the rest of the milk they had in the kitchen. They had to send someone to bring milk to the main warehouse they have. They did not seem concern about it though even though the milk had expired almost a week ago. Most of the amenities were closed while our stay but at the end, we found out that they were offering them for the Holliday weekend ( which made us feel cheated a little bit). When I expressed my experience with the hotel, they said they felt bad but never offer to make it better. On their website they offer a 30% discount for first time visitors which they did not honor saying that it was for my next stay (like I want to come back). Overall is a beautiful place with great history but the food is probably 0 stars and the service a 3 star. Not worth the Money I spent. The Greenbrier is 100 times better!

A truly wonderful experience anytime, but at Christmas it is magical.

Amazing stay, excellent room, amenities, and they sent champagne and strawberries as an extra for our anniversary.