East Coast Road Trip: Founders Inn & Spa.

When Sam and I first started planning our road trip, we looked at a map of the east coast and all the places we could go. We landed on Virginia Beach because one, I'd never been, and two, it was far enough away from Florida to be completely different, but we could still make it there in a day. From there, we found Founders Inn & Spa and knew that's where we wanted to kick off our trip. 
We fangirled a little bit when we pulled into the parking lot (can you fangirl a resort? Because we did) because from the moment we pulled on the grounds, it was the most beautiful place. So green and gorgeous and historic without feeling stuffy. 
We'd been joking about how fun it is to grow up from college life to post-college life together. When we first became friends in college, a girls weekend looked something like Netflix and Taco Bell, and maybe a trip to Target if we'd gotten paid that week. It's fun to go from that to being able to treat yourself to a real girls weekend (thank you, real life jobs), and this place was the definition of treat yourself. 
Aside from being the most beautiful place ever, they had a pool, a hot tub, a spa, a bar, two restauarants...see what I mean? Treat-yourself-perfection.

We'd been in the car for hours, so after we checked-in, we headed straight for the pool. It was magical. There's all this beautiful forest around, and then bam, a giant pool right in the middle of it. It was gorgeous.
We left the pool refreshed and ready to take on the night. We got dressed up, took a bunch of selfies, and headed to dinner. 

Now, if you're anything like me, you'll understand how you can be at the most beautiful place in the world and walk away saying dinner was your favorite part. Let me explain: At The Swan Terrace (the on-site restaurant), we ordered sangria. The sangria came with a SCOOP OF SORBET FLOATING IN IT. I will never forget this drink as long as I live, and will maybe go back to Virginia just for this. Needless to say, me and Sam and our ice cream sangrias had the best time at dinner. 
We had planned on going out and exploring the town that night, but we left dinner so full, we decided to cozy up in the room, order chocolate covered strawberries and champagne (because we're fancy on girls' trips), and watch TV and talk about life. It was relaxing and perfect and exactly what we needed. 

After the best sleep ever (something I don't normally say when I'm not sleeping in my own bed), we got up and went right back to The Swan Terrace, only this time, for breakfast. And coffee. All the coffee. The breakfast was delicious, the coffee was life-giving (only a slight exaggeration), and it was the perfect start to our day in Virginia Beach. 
We had planned on getting an early start on exploring the city, but this place was so pretty, we stayed behind and walked around and took pictures for a few hours. Because, this: 

And this: 

And this: 

If you're looking to have a little getaway soon (especially a girls trip), I cannot recommend Founders Inn & Spa enough. Everything about it was perfect. We were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived, and everything about this place went above and beyond my expectations. We loved it so much, I know it won't be long before we're planning another trip there. 

I received a free stay in exchange for an honest review of our trip. I would never recommend something I didn't truly love, and this is no exception. I adored our stay here and cannot recommend it highly enough!