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Resort details: The joys of vacationing
without kids
By Stefanie Berry Stark, Special to
USATODAY.com
Here's a list of upscale, adult-oriented
hotel properties good for R&R, sans kids:
The Point, Saranac Lake, New York
Located on ten acres of peninsula
stretching into Upper Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks, The
Point originally served as Camp Wonundra, home of William
Avery Rockefeller during the Adirondack Great Camp era — from
1870 to 1930 — when such places served as spectacular retreats
for the very wealthy.
Today, The Point is a rustic yet
luxurious hideaway nestled between a thick forest of towering
pines and a shimmering mountain lake. Activity options include
boating, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, skiing or
snowshoeing.
Or, simply relax in one of 11 spacious
guest quarters spread among four log buildings. Lake views,
custom-made beds, spacious private bath and fireplaces of
chiseled stone come with each room. A mix of antiques and
Adirondack furniture creates an unexpected ambiance that is
grand and unpretentious, roomy yet intimate.
Gourmet dining at The Point is served
family-style for lunch and dinner-guests sit down together and
there is no menu. All meals, as well as wine and spirits and
afternoon tea are included. Dining by the fireplace in your
room is an alternative option, as is enjoying a picnic lunch
on a hike or canoe trip. Ranked first among "Best Small U.S.
Hotels" by Condé Nast Traveler and second on its
worldwide "Best of the Best" list in November of 2001.
Children: 18 and over.
Price: $1,200-2,300 (room rates
include full meal plan for two).
Also of note: The Point's nearby
sister property, the Lake Placid Lodge, which is larger and
slightly less exclusive. Lodge guestrooms and 17 newly
renovated lakefront cabins offer lake and mountain views.
Furnished in a rustic style, the décor incorporates finely
crafted works of local Adirondack artisans and designers.
Children: 14 and over.
Price: Room rates range from
$350-450; suites from $600-725 and cabins from $550- 675. A
full breakfast is included, as is afternoon tea and nightly
bonfires with smores.
Canoe Bay, Chetek, Wisconsin
Designed to be a true retreat from the
strains of modern life, secluded Canoe Bay inhabits 280
unspoiled wooded acres with three lakes. They've kept
peacefulness in mind so you won't hear motorboats, jet skis or
snowmobiles. Activities include walking, canoeing, swimming
and snowshoeing. Or enjoy simple pleasures like indulging in a
substantial library collection that includes current books,
magazines, and newspapers, watching movies or listening to
music. Movies and CDs are available.
Seven guest rooms are located in the main
lodge and inn, while 11 cottages are widely spaced on the
property, many with views of the lake. All rooms offer
fireplaces, private decks, two-person whirlpool baths, down
pillows and duvets. One luxury cottage also offers an
"emperor" bed (much larger than king-size) and — drum roll — a
private mini spa with sauna, large steam shower, Jacuzzi
whirlpool and elliptical trainer. A fitness center is
available to all guests.
As for dining options, continental
breakfast is included and delivered to your room (breakfast
entrees are available); gourmet basket lunches for two ($40)
and cheese plates are offered daily and can also be delivered;
and a prix fixe formal dinner ($55/person) is served in the
main lodge, overlooking the lake.
Children: None permitted.
Price: Rooms range from $270-285;
cottages range from $310-725.
The Kenwood Inn, Kenwood, California
Situated on a secluded hillside facing
more than a thousand acres of estate vineyards in Sonoma
Valley, The Kenwood Inn makes you feel like you are in
Tuscany. The Inn combines intimacy — only 12 suites, all with
fireplace, private bath and queen size feather bed — and fine
European charm. Consider the garden with fountains, located in
the midst of rose and herb bushes and persimmon, fig and olive
trees.
An ivy-covered main building offers four
rooms while three smaller Italian-style buildings offer two to
four suites. Second-story suites feature charming balconies
while ground floor suites offer private terraces.
A full service spa and outdoor pool and
Jacuzzi are available. Gourmet breakfast is included and
served every morning. The inn is a 15-minute drive from the
town of Sonoma and close to many of the area's best wineries
and restaurants.
Children: 16 and over.
Price: $295-475 (a rate increase
is expected in spring, 2003).
Note: Starting December 1, 2003,
the inn will be closed for a few months for renovation.
The Mayflower Inn, Washington,
Connecticut
At the Mayflower Inn, located on 28 acres
two hours outside of New York City, guests can explore
beautiful Shakespearean gardens, as well as rhododendrons,
maples, rare specimen trees, classic New England stone walls
and running streams and rolling hills.
No two of the inn's 25 rooms are alike,
but all feature beds with down comforters, oversized pillows
and luxury linens by Frette, fireplaces and spacious marble
baths with deep soaking tubs. An extra touch: love sonnets
placed in the rooms. A fitness center with steam and sauna is
also available.
Children: 12 and over.
Price: Rooms range from $420-650;
suites range from $650-1,400.
Triple
Creek Ranch, Darby, Montana
In the heart of Montana, the
all-inclusive Triple Creek Ranch is a 19-cabin mountain
hideaway. Depending on the season, guests can ride horses,
learn to fly-fish, cross-country ski, snowmobile or do a whole
lot of nothing. Day-long cattle drive outings with lunch in
the hills are another option. Three creeks run through the
property (hence the name Triple Creek), offering the
comforting sound of natural running water.
"Roughing it" at this ranch is done in
style. All cabins are log or cedar and feature wood-burning
fireplaces. Luxury cabins offer spacious separate living
rooms, bedrooms with king-sized log post beds, bathrooms with
a double steam shower and private hot tubs on the deck.
Gourmet dining is offered in the main lodge, but dinner can be
delivered to your cabin.
Children: 16 and older.
Price: $510 -995 (rates include
full meal plan for two, including alcohol).
Ventana Inn & Spa, Big Sur,
California
Located 1,200 feet above the Pacific
Ocean on the Big Sur coast, the Ventana Inn & Spa resides
on 243 acres of spectacular wooded wilderness. Extremely
secluded and peaceful, the inn's 12 buildings house 62 rooms
and luxury suites with stunning views. Amenities include a
spa, fitness center and two heated 75-foot swimming pools. The
pools feature adjoining bathhouses, Japanese hot baths and sun
decks. One also offers a sauna. Bbathhouse and swimming areas
are "clothing optional."
Geared toward rejuvenating the soul and
connecting with nature, complimentary yoga, tai chi and
meditation classes are offered, as are guided hikes.
Continental breakfast from the inn's
bakery is served in the lobby and the ocean-view library,
where a stone fireplace spans from floor to ceiling. For
dinner, head out to the Cielo Restaurant, housed in a separate
building framed with giant, hand-hewn cedar beams and
posts.
Children: Not recommended.
Price: $410-975. (Continental
breakfast and afternoon wine and cheese are included.)
White Barn Inn, Kennebunkport, Maine
Built in the 1850s and widely renowned
for its restaurant which offers a four-course, prix-fixe
dinner ($81/person) served in a converted barn, the White Barn
Inn is an ideal setting for a romantic retreat. Each of the
inn's 25 rooms come with fresh flowers and fruit, comfy terry
cloth robes and Molton Brown toiletries. Nothing is spared
here: small portable book lights are offered with evening
turndown service.
Six newly renovated junior suites located
in an adjacent carriage house offer king-size beds,
fireplaces, forty-two-inch plasma-screen televisions and
whirlpool tubs. Here, the charm of an English manor meets
modern amenities usually found at a larger, luxury hotel.
But don't miss dinner. The White Barn Inn
Restaurant offers a truly gourmet experience in an incredibly
romantic setting — rustic but elegant, candlelight atop white
linen tables and garden views from floor to ceiling picture
windows.
Children: 12 and older.
Price: $295-675 (Includes
continental breakfast and afternoon tea.) | 