The Ivy Hotel
Daily price line
Upcoming nightly rates
Review
Character and identity
Set in a 19th-century mansion in Mount Vernon, The Ivy is an intimate 18-room Relais & Châteaux property that trades on residential-scale luxury rather than grand-hotel theatrics. Rooms layer canopied beds, cashmere throws and deep sunken tubs with thoughtful in-room extras (complimentary minibar, films). Magdalena, the in-house restaurant, spreads creative bistro cooking across five distinct rooms: a Garden Room facing a walled courtyard, the Treasury, a Wine Cellar, a Tasting Room and a clubby bar. A spa, billiards room and 24/7 house car service round out the picture, and the register is quietly attentive rather than performative.
Who's it for
Best for:
Couples after a cosseted city escape who want the hotel itself to be the experience: long baths, dinner downstairs, a nightcap by the fire, and a chauffeur on call when curiosity wins. Design-minded travellers, wine drinkers and small-dog owners (crates, beds and walking can be arranged) are particularly well served.
Should look elsewhere:
Families with older children, groups, and anyone who wants resort-scale facilities, multiple dining outlets or a buzzy lobby scene. At 18 rooms with one restaurant, it skews intimate and quiet, and the historic mansion footprint means a more traditional aesthetic than a contemporary design hotel.
Bottom line
The pull here is the property itself: a townhouse-scale Relais & Châteaux where the room, the bath and Magdalena's five dining spaces are designed to keep you in. Book it if you want Baltimore on your own terms, with a car service filling the gap. A canopied suite with a sunken tub is the room category that justifies the rate.