Cornerstone Inn
300 Buttonwood Road
Landenberg, PA 19350
610-274-2143

Cornerstone Inn Home Page

January 2003

Welcome to www.weloveourlife.com. This is our page dedicated to our experiences while staying at the Cornerstone Inn in Landenberg, PA.

Accommodations

	We stayed in the Cornerstone Room up on the third floor under the eaves.
	The walls were painted a dark sage green color. There was a color cable TV, two stuffed chairs, and a window seat. We liked the room because it wasn’t too frou-frou.
	The highlight was a two-sided gas fireplace surrounded by white beaded-board wood cabinets.
	On the other side of the fireplace was a wonderfully deep Jacuzzi big enough for both of us, by a double window. We spent quite a bit of time lounging in the tub in front of the fireplace – it was decadently relaxing.

The bathroom was huge. There was a stall shower and a separate compartment that contained the sink and toilet (separated by a pocket door). The inn has a variety of rooms – some with whirlpools and fireplaces. There are also fully furnished one and two-bedroom cottages with full kitchens.

Inn Amenities

There is a guest pantry located on the first floor with wine, beer, and soft drinks available, as well as glassware. There was also a refrigerator centrally located on the third floor along with a bar sink and icemaker. The inn boasts an outdoor pool (seasonal). Cornerstone is 300 years old, complete with random-width floors and thick walls and deep windowsills. There are several fireplaces on the first floor. Also on the first floor is a double parlor/common room, a formal dining room, and an additional dining room with separate tables.

Inn Food

On our first morning, we chose to have breakfast served in our room (it was part of a package). We were given menus the night before to make our selections. We had wonderful mimosas, scrambled eggs, potatoes, toast, and blueberry muffins. On our second morning, we ate downstairs and had a good breakfast of an open-face egg sandwich (with cheese and ham). We’re not sure if they make their own muffins, but they sure were good. Fruit was served with each breakfast, and the food was good and fresh.

Inn Bar/Lounge

There was no bar – we did order a bottle of champagne, which was waiting for us, chilled, by the Jacuzzi (along with two hand-painted champagne flutes). We brought our own cooler and supplemented our ice supply with the icemaker.

Inn People/Service

Keith made these reservations for a special birthday for Lori. He dealt with Kelle Ann, the resident innkeeper. She was extremely pleasant and helpful to deal with, and he had high hopes because of his experience dealing with her. We were not disappointed. We would definitely return to Cornerstone.

The inn has a couple of Golden Retrievers, but they were on vacation when we visisted. There is also a cat, BillyBob, which is the inn's outdoor only cat. He tried to sneak in with us as we came back after dinner one night.

Area/Attractions

We went to the Brandywine River Museum, located on Route 1 at Route 100 in Chadds Ford, PA (610-388-2700). We went there in the morning. We have been there before, and enjoy the many Wyeth paintings that are displayed. Since this was the holiday season, the museum also had a seasonal model train display, which was enjoyed by children as well as adults.

Keith had arranged something special at Stargazers Vineyard, 1024 Wheatland Drive, Coatesville, PA, 610-486-0422. Stargazers is usually open on Sundays only, but Keith arranged for a champagne presentation and tasting (by appointment). We met Alice and John Weygandt, the owners and winemakers extraordinaire. They spent time with us in the winery, showing us how sparkling wine is made. We had been to many wineries but really had no idea how sparkling wine was made, so we found this fascinating. It was a nasty, cold, damp day, but spending time with the Weygandts made us forget all about the weather. We tried several different kinds of their sparkling wine (Lori is a big fan and thinks sparkling wine should be an everyday choice just like still wine – a sentiment shared by the Weygandts). They were extremely knowledgeable and knew a lot about many different things. We spent quite a bit of time with them, and the time flew. We highly recommend a visit to Stargazers. They produce a wide variety of wine and the hosts are great people to be around. We will return soon. Of course, we couldn’t leave without purchasing a case of sparkling wine!

Dining

Il Giardino - 9173 Newport Gap Pike (Route 41), Avondale, PA 19311 610-268-8874
Il Giardino's Web Site
On our first evening, we found this local restaurant pretty much straddling the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware. It was immediately after the holidays and the restaurant was quiet. We had an interesting but good bottle of Italian white wine we’d never seen anywhere else. Lori had the baked clams au gratin, and Keith had a soup – Tortellini in Brodo. For main entrees, Lori had the lobster and shrimp with scallions and prosciutto in a white wine sauce, and Keith had the veal sautéed in white wine with a lemon sauce. We love Italian food and usually it is a pretty good bet for us – this was a fine authentic Italian restaurant..

Krazy Kat's - Route 100, Montchanin, DE 18710 302-888-4200 or 1-800-269-2473
Krazy Kat's Web Site
Keith made a reservation and we ate here on a Friday evening. The sign by the reception desk said it was appreciated if men wore a jacket in the evening. Keith wasn’t wearing one, and we checked around, and saw all manner of dress, so they don’t take themselves too seriously. That is apparent by all the wacky cat décor. For an appetizer, Lori had the roasted lobster with beet risotto, fennel, and crème fraiche – it was heavenly and looked so good she was hesitant to start eating it. Keith had the potato gnocchi with tomato-basic infusion and parmesan cheese – also excellent. We ordered a bottle of Duck Pond Pinot Gris from Oregon and was good – it tasted more like a dry Riesling than the drier pinot gris we were used to. When it came time for the entrée, Keith had filet mignon with a cognac-black truffle jus, and Lori had the lump crab cakes with sweet potato corn shrimp cake, complete with jalapeno-cilantro aioli. Is your mouth watering yet? For dessert, we split an assortment of cheeses accompanied by grapes and a baguette – sinful but great. The service and food was excellent.

Nightlife

The entire time we visited the area, the weather was nasty – cold and rainy, so we opted not to venture too far from our inn in the evening. On Thursday evening after dinner, we stopped at the Hilltop Bar & Grill on Route 41 in Avondale. It was our lucky night – they had karaoke, and we had a good time singing in front of people we didn’t know.

Weather

This is the southeast Pennsylvania/northern Delaware area. We visited in January, when it can be quite cold and there could be snow. We lucked out – the temperate stayed just above freezing the entire time so the roads did not freeze. In the summer, it can get very hot, so we recommend accommodations with four-season comfort. Cornerstone had central air and heating.

Tips and Suggestions

There are a lot of historic things to see in this region and many wonderful restaurants. Kennett Square, PA is a major mushroom farming area, so if you love mushrooms, this is the place for you. Longwood Gardens is also nearby. We were tentatively planning to stop there to see their Christmas show, but the weather did not cooperate.