Vacay for the Day: Wylder Hotel Tilghman Island

Sometimes you just need a day. Do you know the feeling? Work, responsibilities, familial duties and obligations are par for the course, but it can’t all be done at the expense of your health and wellness. I wanted to eat, drink (non-alcoholic for me) and be merry. It was Christmas after all…so I took a day and decided to do it at Wylder Hotel, Tilghman Island.

The Wylder Hotel has two locations. The other is Hope Valley, CA. Tilghman Island is in Talbot County, Maryland. It is, indeed, an island, which spans about three miles in distance and is separated from the mainland by the cutest little drawbridge called Knapps Narrow (also referred to as the Tilghman Island Drawbridge). Quaint is probably the word, that would work best for the area, and quaint is just lovely..

I halfway expected to see the charming, semi-rugged, small-town guy from almost every Christmas Hallmark movie when I pulled up to the reception area at the Wylder Hotel, Tilghman Island, but if he worked there, he wasn’t on shift. No bother, I wasn’t disappointed because I did receive repeated wonderful hospitality by the hotel’s reception staff, which was an army of one on Christmas, when I visited.

My main requirements for my day was being somewhere I could gaze at the water, sit near the water. walk near the water…in other words, water was a major part of the equation. The other part was being able to have a decent Christmas dinner and they totally made that happen.

I made my order to Tickler’s Restaurant, the Wylder Hotel’s onsite restaurant, which also has an outdoor crab shack on the bay for your warmer weather stays. I decided I would get the Rockfish Imperial meal. The menu describes the entree as a wild striped bass, lump crab & herb stuffing with imperial glaze. It was accompanied with Chesapeake-lemon butter jus and brioche croutons.

Now, I get concerned when I order fish. I’ve been burned many times because it can be too dry, not seasoned well or, at times, too fishy. (I know, ironic right?). It can be all over the place if you don’t know what you are doing, but I had faith because I was on the Eastern Shore, right on the Chesapeake Bay and they should know what they’re doing. Crab, fish, seafood—it’s what they do! My faith was not in vain. My Rockfish Imperial was perfect. And oh, the Chesapeake lemon butter jus and brioche croutons…Mama Mia!

The Wylder Hotel has rooms, suites and bungalows. I had a beautiful suite with a jacuzzi, king-sized bed, the most comfortable robe ever, and a view of the Chesapeake Bay from the window. The real view was from the private walkway balcony, which adjoined from the bedroom. Although it was cold, I made the most out of my opportunities to enjoy the awesome view. I even decided that I needed to wake up early to make sure I didn’t miss the unbelievably majestic break of dawn on the bay.

There are lots of other amenities like fire pits, bikes, kayaks, canoes; it’s all included in your resort fee. They even have nightly bonfires at the fire-pits. There you can sit on the adirondack chairs, make s’mores or just sit enjoy the sights by the bay. And just a stone’s throw away is St. Michaels, Maryland, which is also beautifully quaint and whimsical. Their unique shops offer the opportunity to get out of the ordinary pieces or fun gifts.

If none of the activities or the shopping interests you, I found that the Wylder Hotel, Tilghman Island is a wonderful place to just “be.” I imagined, I would do a lot of writing while I was there and maybe I would have done so if my stay was longer. But what I ultimately discovered was I just wanted to be on the property getting my gaze on because sometimes—and hear me when I say this—you just need a day.