glory of The Greenbrier

Treat yourself to the ultimate Christmas vacation.

Give yourself an elegant gift this year. Stay at The Greenbrier. This grand hotel, nestled among the snow-dusted firs of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, welcomes you to celebrate the season. Massive fireplaces crackle with warmth, inviting you to curl up in a cushy armchair, sip a mug of hot chocolate, and take in the holiday joys.

This resort fits the needs of families looking for activities, as well as couples seeking a romantic retreat. While its opulence is costly ($301 to $354 per person, per day), it has lots of inclusions-breakfast, dinner, concerts, dances, and golf. Combined with the resort's world-renowned service, we think it's worth the price for an extra-special event.

A Fanciful Resort

The Greenbrier's most striking element is its style. After being used to house diplomats and as a military hospital during WWII, The Greenbrier hired interior designer Dorothy Draper to redo the place. Her results were so stunning that they remain today.

During this season, yards upon yards of garlands, handsome wreaths, and fanciful Christmas trees bedeck the public spaces that also host stately antiques. One enormous tree-made of stacked poinsettias-makes a wonderful statement in the Colonial Lounge. Be sure to take one of the free tours that showcases the architecture, design, and decorations.

The Active Season

Known as a fabulous summer retreat, The Greenbrier also serves as an enchanting winter destination. On temperate days during the holiday season, the golf course opens without green fees to guests. But when winter embellishes the 6,500 acres with snow, it's time for a merry sleigh ride across the property. It's like gliding across a Christmas card.

Other activities include bowling, falconry, indoor tennis, trap and skeet, sporting clays, and swimming in the swank indoor pool that may just be the prettiest in the country.

Guests originally came to The Greenbrier in the 170Os to take the waters. Nowadays that means an indulgent visit to The Greenbrier Spa at this time of year. Try the Signature Treatment, which begins with a soak in the sulphur spring waters followed by a steam or sauna, a Swiss shower and Scotch spray, with a mini massage ($125).

Join one of the dance classes offered daily during the holidays in the Cameo Ballroom. One of the most elegant spaces in the resort, it originally hosted The Billing, Wooing and Cooing Society in the 183Os that established rules for romance on and off the dance floor.

Just because you're visiting a resort doesn't mean you can't shop till you drop. The corridor leading to the North Entrance is chockablock with dozens of stores marketing affordable and extravagant items to fill your most challenging Christmas list. Our favorite, The Greenbrier Gourmet Shop, rivals big-city efforts in its selection of cookware, serving pieces, and specialty foods. There's also a toy shop, a furniture store, a flower shop, a chocolatier, boutiques, and a jeweler.

Dining and Nightlife

Your lodging tariff includes breakfast and dinner in the Main Dining Room, a festive Greenbrier tradition. While daytime dress code is casual, evening is decidedly formal. Large tables, filled with several generations of families, and intimate tables, hosting couples, spread comfortably under the ornate green-and-white crystal chandeliers. The three-course meals offer multiple seafood, steak, and chicken options (wine, beer, and cocktails are extra).

Draper's Café serves breakfast as part of the meal plan as well as an à la carte lunch. We especially love their soups (try the French onion, if it's on the menu) and chicken salad. Another lunch option, The Rhododendron Spa Café, adjacent to the pool and spa, is super casual. It's fine for grabbing a smoothie and a quick spring roll snack. The other resort restaurants keep limited holiday hours-one of the few downsides to a winter visit.

After dinner, guests enjoy late-night drinks in the Old White Lounge. Cabaret singers and musicians put on a show that gets you onto the dance floor.

Sleepy Time Down South

After a full day, guests slip into the elevators to head toward their long winter naps. As the doors open, hallway signs requesting quiet set the tone for a silent night. Families find their beds turned down and music wafting in the softly lit rooms. Some couples return to rose petals scattered in a heart shape upon their beds. Everyone closes the doors to the quiet hallways and glories in the certainty of a holiday filled with love and peace.

The Greenbrier: 300 West Main Street, White Sulphur Springs, WV 24986; (304) 536-1110, 1-800-624-6070, or www.greenbrier.com. Rates: $301-$354 per person, per night, double occupancy; includes breakfast, dinner, and resort-wide holiday activities. A three-night minimum stay with a $600 room deposit is required December 21-January 1,2005. A daily $27 service charge to cover tips is added to each bill. Activities: Carriage and sleigh rides are $30 per person. Golf greens fees are complimentary December 21-March 15. Bowling is $7 per lane. hot-air balloon rides are $199 per person.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Dec 2004
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