The Inn and Spa at Montchanin Village - Washington Post's FW Magazine

How quickly can you leave the 21st Century? Two hours north on 95 and a right at Exit 7 and you've entered  a time warp. There's no CVS, no Walmart, no crowds, and the newest buildings dates to, oh, 1935.

Decompression comes swiftly in Delaware's Brandywine Valley, where carriage paths have been paved for cars but not much else has changed in a century. Stone mansions jostle stone cottages, all tucked behind rose tumbled stone walls.

In its midst, the Inn at Montchanin Village is perfectly situated for exploring the duPont's Winterthur museum and gardens (including an exhibit of costumes from the Downton Abbey TV series paired with like garments from the duPont collection) , the Wyeth collection at the Brandywine Museum, and Longwood Gardens - whose conservatory makes Washington's look like a terrarium.

Once the homes of workers employed at the duPont's gun powder mills,  the eleven beautifully restored stucco-and-frame buildings, some dating to 1799, dot a twenty-acre property where cobblestone pathways (beware Manolos) amble through splendid gardens, lantern lit at dusk.

Most of the 28 period-elegant guest rooms and suites, which range in price from $192 to $399,  have a courtyard patio or porch, pleasant places to wile away hours of doing nothing. Birds chirp.

While the exteriors of the buildings would be recognized by their long ago residents, the interiors take wing.  Each is individual in layout and though varying in extravagance, all are up to the minute posh. King and queen beds wear Frette linens, gas fireplaces warm chill evenings, and marble baths have soaking tubs, room-sized showers, or both.  All  have wi-fi and flat screen TVs, if you must.

The centerpiece is the old milking barn, which contains the front desk and an enormous, oddly African-themed, common room with large stuffed animals mingling with plush sofas and chairs, books, and board games. An honor bar in the evenings offers a quiet lounge in front of the fireplace.   

The milking barn also houses a small gym and a spacious spa, where some line up a weekend's worth of royal treatments from hot stone massages to hydrating facials to manicures and pedicures, for her and him.

Despite its kitschy name, Krazy Kat's restaurant offers fine dining in the renovated blacksmith's cottage. Main courses come in either full-size or small plate versions, for sampling. Try crab cakes bound with shrimp mousse or meltingly tender rib eye, leave room for crème brûlée, and make your dinner and brunch reservations when you book your stay. The restaurant deservedly packs in the locals.