Resorts & Spas
Luxury Hotels & Spas
Despite its contemporary furnishings, there’s a timeless feeling about The Proximity, Greensboro’s latest and most luxurious hotel. It’s easy to picture Edwardian ladies having tea or men in knickers returning from a round of golf. Apparently, that was precisely the point.
“We wanted to restore an old factory, but when we couldn’t find one, we decided to build what we’d like to have found,” says Dennis Quaintance, co-owner (with Mike Weaver) of Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels. “It has the delightful proportions, ample natural light and authenticity of design that cause such an aesthetic reaction.”
The Proximity is just one of North Carolina’s hot hotels, where visitors can relax and renew with an array of luxurious accoutrements and amenities. The 147-room, AAA Four Diamond Proximity – it’s named for one of Greensboro’s first textile factories – and its adjacent Print Works Bistro are also award-winning for their green, energy-saving design (the hotel is said to be the “greenest hotel in America”). Both were built to use 36 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than a comparable structure, and even 87 percent of the construction waste was recycled.
“If energy costs had stayed the same, we’d have recouped the extra money we spent in seven or eight years,” Quaintance says. “We’re thinking it will now be more like five.”
Cary’s Umstead Hotel and Spa has a similar green outlook, especially where water conservation is concerned. The 150-room nonsmoking hotel, which received its AAA Five Diamond status just 22 weeks after opening in early 2008, pumps lake water to irrigate its 12 acres of property, which was landscaped with 800 trees and 5,600 shrubs. The Umstead also has a 14,000-square-foot spa, offering a full menu of services, fitness programs and other ways to pamper yourself.
“As an independent hotel, we wanted everyone to see that this is a property North Carolina should be proud of,” says Richard Brooks, director of sales and marketing at the Umstead. “It’s important to us that nearby residents, as well as guests, feel comfortable coming by to see our art, to have afternoon tea and enjoy a harpist, or to celebrate their important anniversaries and birthdays with us.”
Among the tried-and-true luxury hotels and spas joining these is The Fearrington House Country Inn, located near Chapel Hill. The 32-room inn is in a country setting near several independent shops that sell unique, handcrafted items. Guests can choose among several restaurants and enjoy several massage and fitness offerings.
In the state’s Mountains region to the west, the 87-acre Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock is home to a new, luxurious spa that has become a main attraction.
Chetola is also known for its wide variety of adventure packages – from wing shooting and fly-fishing to whitewater rafting and rock climbing – and the Bob Timberlake Inn, an eight-room bed-and-breakfast that features artist Bob Timberlake’s furniture, artwork and accessories.
An 1880s farmhouse has been converted into the seven-room Mast Farm Inn bed-and-breakfast in Valle Crucis, and seven cabins and cottages are also available. Gourmet food, often using organic foods and North Carolina wines, is a highlight of any stay.
Greystone Inn, located not far from Asheville in Lake Toxaway, is a 1915, six-level mansion overlooking the 614-acre lake. Guests in its 33 rooms can enjoy spa treatments, golf privileges, high tea on the sun porch and a champagne cruise on the inn’s mahogany launch, the Miss Lucy.
Asheville’s Inn on Biltmore Estate allows guests a chance to savor the 8,000-acre Vanderbilt property from one of 204 rooms and nine suites. Relax on the veranda, curl up in the library or take a dip in the pool. Transportation is also provided to the estate’s house and vineyards.
Southwest of Asheville is the Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, which offers an outdoor heated mineral pool, a world-class spa, guided hikes, golf, fine dining and more. In 2010, The Spa at Old Edwards Inn was named the No. 1 Hotel Spa in North America in Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s 20th Annual Readers Choice Survey.
On the Outer Banks, consider the Sanderling Resort & Spa, located five miles from Duck. The resort, which was recently renovated, includes a variety of accommodations; three restaurants; a spa offering body, skin and nail treatments; and a racquet club. It is also adjacent to the Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary.
Durham’s Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club is a AAA Four Diamond hotel built in the manner of a British country estate. The inn features 271 rooms and suites and overlooks the Duke University Golf Course. Guests can enjoy a meal in its award-winning Fairview Dining Room or kick back in the Bull Durham Bar.
Discover the first luxury hotel in Charlotte, the Ritz-Carlton Charlotte, at Bank of America Corporate Center. Opened in Fall 2009, this 150-room, 17-story downtown complex includes gourmet dining, a salon and health club, and a rooftop swimming pool.
Rest easy, there are many more places to stay.
By Leslie Mizell, courtesy of Journal Communications; Additional information provided by Rebecca Denton
added: March 10, 2009
updated: May 3, 2011
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