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Brandywine Valley The light-heartedness of its restaurant called Krazy Kats extends to the deluxe accommodations in this charming complex on the site of a 19th-century workers' village. In 1996, local preservationists Missy and Daniel Lickle opened the first half of 37 planned bedrooms and suites in eleven buildings on a twenty-acre site formerly occupied by mill laborers who worked at the nearby du Pont powder mills and factories along the Brandywine River. Guest accommodations were dictated by the idiosyncrasies of a row of turn-of-the-century duplexes, dependencies, a schoolhouse and a railroad station that made this a thriving workers' village in the midst of du Pont country. Most units are one- or two-bedroom suites with sitting areas and wet bars. Our quarters in Belin, which turned out to be fairly typical, contained a cozy downstairs sitting room with plump sofa and chair covered in chintz, a TV atop a gas fireplace and a kitchenette area in the corner with wet bar, microwave and mini-refrigerator, complete with automatic icemaker and stocked with soft drinks and mineral water. Coffee and end tables were charmingly painted with flowers and rabbits. Everything was jolly looking and colorfully decorated in mix-and-match patterns that flow together. Up steep stairs was a skylit bedroom with a king bed dressed in Frette linens, about the most comfortable we’ve had the pleasure of luxuriating in, and a stunning, huge, all-marble bathroom. The latter came with chandelier, a deep tub embedded in marble, a separate shower encased in thick clear glass and, if you turned on the right switch, heated towel racks. Wood-look venetian blinds covered the windows, padded hangers and ironing equipment were in the closet, and a country window had been painted whimsically on the wall beside a real window. The inn’s distinctive cowbird logo – a bird perched on the back of a leaping cow – was everywhere (monogrammed on the terry robes, embedded in the marble above the bath). The bed was turned down with chocolates and a copy of the weather forecast, and a thermos of ice water was placed beside. Breakfast the next morning beside the front windows in Krazy Kat’s was a feast of fresh orange juice, muffins, and a choice including eggs benedict and an omelet with smoked bacon, brie and chives, tasty walnut-raisin toast, garlicky browned potatoes and garnishes of large blackberries. The six-acre, steeply sloping complex is sandwiched between main road and train track (golf carts are lined up to transport luggage from parking areas as well as guests of limited mobility). All is artfully landscaped and full of surprises, from picket fences to gas lights to porches with wicker rockers. Room sizes and configurations differ, but each appeals in its own right. Some have poster beds and some kingsize. The Jefferson offers wicker porches front and back and a bathroom walled in travertine marble up to the vaulted ceiling. Missy, who decorated with goods from her huge gourmet emporium known as Everything But the Kitchen Sink, incorporated fine period and reproduction furniture, Staffordshire figurines, colorful fabrics and a sense of whimsy. Like the outbuildings of a plantation, the character of Montchanin derives from the visual harmony of the whole. The property is notable for 19th-century stone, frame and stucco construction and paths, gardens, carriage ways and such. It represents the core of the old village named in honor of Ann Alexandrine de Montchanin, mother of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours. Almost next door are Winterthur and the Hagley Museum, and not far away are the Brandywine River Museum and Longwood Gardens. "We're surrounded by treasures and have everything right here," says Dan Lickle. "How could we miss?" Twelve rooms and sixteen suites with private baths. Doubles, $150 to $185. Suites, $225 to $375. (302) 888-2133 or (800) 269-2473. Fax (302) 888-0389. For more information: www.montchanin.com Material excerpted from Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2003. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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