I have this embarrassingly shallow hate-love thing with luxury in Charlottesville. I get nosy and greedy, curious and snarky about what seems richie-rich and off-limits to Joe Schmoes like me. At the same time, I love being immersed, if only for a few hours, in the grandeur, style, and creative exuberance of what’s fancy and pretty and stimulating and totally out of reach in my normal day-to-day life.
If you, like me, are petty-minded, covetous, and inclined to mock things you secretly really, really wish you could afford—or (a more attractive option), if you merely have wondered what lies behind that stately Jeffersonian facade on the way to the JPJ—then you’ll understand why I had to peek inside.
Who knew every staff member there would be so preposterously friendly, every detail so authentically welcoming, that I would fall in love with the damn place? They even give a portion of proceeds to fund financial aid at Darden. Daggone it! How dare they turn my sour grapes into a delightful cocktail of sparkling wine and effusive good will? I was shaken, I was stirred. Where’s the fun in that?
Trust me, there’s fun galore when you let Darden’s Kimpton The Forum Hotel bless you with a little local TLC.
What
Exploring the brand-spanking-new Forum Hotel that Darden built.
Why
Because when you get the chance to play Cinderella at a world-class inn located right here in our humble city, if we can refer to UVA’s North Grounds as “the city,” you take it! Plus, dogs are welcome.
How it went
In a word: Wow. I mean, your mouth can’t help forming “wow” upon entering the expansive lobby, bathed in natural light from a huge Rotunda-style domed window, with a spectacular view of the arboretum out back. An art installation of translucent white leaves and buds descends from the ceiling in front of the window, twirling ever so slightly, as if communing with the trees outside.
Okay, maybe I’m a gawker and a rube. All I can say is thank goodness for the long blue sofas framing the lobby, because I needed a fainting couch to catch me, especially after a complimentary glass of bourbon lemonade. I don’t even drink! Or so I thought, two glasses (three?) later.
In a blissful, boozy blur, I checked out the plush lounge areas; the state-of-the-art meeting spaces; the bustling bar; the jaw-dropping local art; and the glorious outdoor patios, trails, and botanical garden.
Then, we dined. Oh, how we dined, darling! A cocktail, a mocktail, a roasted bone-marrow fantasy of an appetizer, the crispy skin salmon, the seasonal fruit sorbet. Birch & Bloom, the steakhouse helmed by Executive Chef Eric Brownlee, blew my little celiac mind, right down to gluten-free “white truffle oil over classic air-popped popcorn,” for snacking in my room.
Ah, that room. Immaculate, modern, and cushy—and I’m just describing the dog’s bed.
I thought I’d feel like a poor relation in a manor of lords, but all around I saw just regular people. Students in shorts and baseball caps, faculty in…well, you know how faculty dress. No “Succession”-style masters of the universe, no “White Lotus” snooties (though I did spy a dead ringer for Jennifer Coolidge).
Believe the Forum folks when they tell you you’re welcome there, even if you don’t stay overnight. Walk your dog along the trails or work from the lobby. Enjoy weekday morning coffee on the patio, breathing in the green of the garden. Grab a burger and beer at The Good Sport before a game. Meet friends for drinks at the bar or a foodgasm at Birch & Bloom. Why feed your snark when you can feast on a local slice of heaven?
