CHESTERTOWN, Md.  -- The East Coast is blessed with inns.  Saturated, some might say.  But few are as worthy of a repeat visit as The Brampton Inn, which is tucked near the neck of the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Its location about an hour from Philadelphia, two from Washington, D.C. and less than three from New York make it ideal for quick escape. 

 The drive up the long allee lined with ancient boxwoods toward the historic Greek revival brick mansion gives you enough time to adjust your shoulders (loosen) and breathe (deeply).  

The plantation house with a widow’s walk capping the roofline and a wide wraparound porch dates back to the 1860 and is situated on twenty acres of meadow and woods.  The inn is the picture of American hospitality paired with European service (the owner Danielle Hanscom is Swiss).

Green Room at Brampton/Photo: Jumping Rocks Photography

When my mother and I decided to get away for an overnight, we followed the recommendations of two friends: one who had eloped to the inn five years before and another who nursed her broken heart after a rough divorce at the inn.  Each called her stay “transformative.”  After a brutally difficult autumn for each of us, my mother and I were more than ready for a transformation of our own.

When we arrived the innkeeper Rita was dusting antiques in the parlor room.  These antiques aren’t knock-about flea market finds, but exquisite 19th century European pieces that the owner Danielle inherited from her grandmother and imported from Switzerland.  Despite the elegant details, like the carved mantle surrounding the fireplace, 15-foot ceilings and a plaster rosetta surrounding the chandelier, the atmosphere at the inn is relaxed.  In fact, Rita fluffy duster in hand threw aside her work and cheerfully took us on a mini tour of the inn.

Fireplace at Mulberry Cottage

Later that afternoon, my mother and I took seats by the roaring wood-burning fireplace in the dining room.  Tea is served from four to five o’clock on and is a fun, informal affairs.  A selection of teas, coffee and wine is served, as are fresh bite-sized sweets.  The day we visited there were mini pecan cakes, chocolate chip cookies and lemon bars.   (Tucked towards the back of the mansion is a cozy den-like room with well-stocked cookies jars, as well as coffee, tea and wine, and a fridge full of bottled water, soda and beer, all available free to guests around the clock.)

Upstairs at the plantation house there are 12 rooms, all of which have fireplaces.  (Ten are wood burning). Each room is decorated differently and while all of them have antiques the emphasis here is very much on comfort rather than collection.  What that means for guests is that they can rest their feet on footstools without guilt and sip a glass of Cabernet in a wingback chair without fear. 

The newest addition to the inn is a pair of cottages tucked behind the old horse stalls.  After hearing words like “total escape”, my mother and I couldn’t resist checking into one of the cottages called Mulberry. 

Following the path from the plantation house to a secluded corner of the property you are met with a beautiful juxtaposition: the weathered red horse stalls and the fresh, new lines of the cream colored cottages.

The cottages sit side-by-side separated by a 12-foot fence, which makes each yard a private oasis.  This isn’t a patch of grass, but a true yard (larger than my own at home) that comes outfitted with a hammock, an outdoor rain shower with teak floor, and 100-year-old shade trees.  There’s even a lawn, large enough to arrange a private game of croquet upon.

At over 1, 00 square-feet, Mulberry has everything you’d have put into your own dream design: a kitchen with stainless coffee pot, kettle and sink (and a mini fridge stocked with drinks), a freestanding wood-burning fireplace, a Jacuzzi tub for two, a jetted steam shower, a heated towel rack, soft robes and even a side porch with a luxurious Japanese-style soaking tub.

My mother and I couldn’t resist lighting a fire, a feat made super simple thanks to the innkeepers attention to detail.   A proper fireplace is set daily using just the right proportions of wood, kindling and paper to ensure that lighting a fire is effortless.  The innkeepers are very aware that a great allure of the inn is its many fireplaces.  From October 15 through April 15th, every fireplace in common rooms is kept alight and every guest room and cottage fireplace is set for a fire.  My mother and I nestled into the comfy pair of chairs beside the fire and lost track of two hours of the afternoon.

Turns out losing track of time at The Brampton Inn is a common practice and the secluded cottages in particular have been known to seduce guests into holing up for days.  The owner, Danielle, recalls many guests who were never seen again once they checked in.  “They just stay out back, and hang out and use it as a home away from home,” she says.  “We take it as a compliment.”

Bedroom at Mulberry Cottage

And it really is easy to disappear from the world at the cottages since The Brampton Inn will deliver breakfast to your door.

Whether you’re dining en suite or in the dining room at the plantation house, breakfast is a multi-course affair.  In addition to a carafe of good, strong coffee (the inn is serious about coffee), we were presented with a mango lassi thick enough to stand a spoon in, a basket of home-baked muffins, and ham and cheese breakfast pudding.  (There’s always a choice of three entrees to choose from, including wildly popular buttermilk pancake served with sliced peaches).

If you do manage to extricate yourself from the seductive environs of the inn, the waterfront town of Chestertown, an architecturally intact marvel with homes dating back to the 1700s, is about a mile away.  Life is breathed into the pretty downtown from the local liberal arts Washington College with a funky café, a pair of good bookstores, galleries, and boutiques.   The Chester River plays host to yachts, sailboats and a tall ship called The Sultana.

The Brampton Inn has a policy that’s great for those who honor spontaneity.  Call 24 hours before you want to visit and if there’s a room available you’ll get 20% off the regular rate.