Sunday, December 23, 2007
Life, Travel

Far and away in Ashville, N.C.

Indulge in a luxurious retreat at the Grove Park Inn

Wait until you have children. That’s what all our friends with kids said as my wife and I prepared for an exotic journey to some faraway land. In those halcyon first years of marriage, we traveled abroad any chance we got, covering several continents, dozens of countries and countless passport stamps.

And then our first child arrived.

And yes, this has changed everything. But not necessarily for the worse. We have put away the passports for a bit, and we now are excited to explore things a little closer to home.

High on the list of domestic destinations was Asheville, N.C., particularly the fabled Grove Park Inn, a resort whose legend is known throughout the country as a true throwback to days gone by.

The Grove Park Inn first opened its doors in 1913, the vision of E.W. Grove who settled on Asheville and its breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains as the place to build his Inn. In just one year, with only 400 men, an army of mules, ropes, pulleys, wagons and just a single steam shovel, the Inn was completed. And it was built so well that it actually even saved itself from demolition after WWII when, during hard times, it would’ve been too cost-prohibitive to tear down.

  Winding through the undulating Blue Ridge Mountains with autumn colors in full swing, it’s easy to see what first drew Grove to the destination. The hills roll easy and are hypnotic, almost flowing like gentle ocean waves. Asheville sits in a valley surrounded by these hills and almost as quickly as you come upon it after about three and a half hours drive from Atlanta, you’re soon pulling into the entrance of the Grove Park Inn.

The building itself is visually stunning when you first gaze upon it. Before you stands a jumbled mass of brown, jagged stones, which appears to somehow have assembled themselves into a hulking structure. The windows are crammed in with perfect symmetry amidst the rubble, with Yugo-sized boulders above each one. The roof is a curvy red-tiled wave, completely devoid of right angles which smoothly covers the rocks almost like a giant mushroom cap. Somehow, it all really works.

Entering the lobby, or Great Hall as it is known, is an experience all its own. The hall is 120 feet across and almost three stories high. Book-ending it are two of the most gargantuan fire places you have ever seen. Each 14 feet high and comprised of boulders that are the size of large pieces of furniture, you will find dozens of guests sitting in oversized oak rocking chairs at all hours of the day and night watching as the staff feeds tree-sized chords of wood into the flames. It’s the resort’s penultimate relaxing spectator sport. I write penultimate because the ultimate spectator sport occurs just a few feet away on the back porch.

There, the massive wooden patio, covered by the red-tiled bubbly awning, provides a perfect view of the Blue Ridge hills to the west. And in the evening, a divine sunset puts on a magnificent show. As the giant fiery ball drops towards the bumpy horizon, the sky turns a hundred different hues of blue and finally smolders with a reddish-pink that cannot be captured in painting, photograph or prose. The pleasures at the Grove Park Inn are simple yet exquisite.

The next day, we head down to the Spa, the $42 million addition built in 1998. You enter the Spa through a cave-like corridor into a stone labyrinth, which leads to an incredible series of hot tubs, steam rooms, inhalation rooms, saunas, indoor pools and waterfalls where relaxing music is piped in beneath the water to calm you as you swim. A door leads to an outdoor area where a giant fireplace, heated pool and hot tub are at your disposal looking out over the mountains. In our pre-child traveling days, we were fortunate enough to visit spas from Budapest to Buenos Aires. This one, ranked for relaxation, amenities and uniqueness, tops them all.
Luxury-wise, our room was unspectacular at best, except for the view overlooking the Donald Ross–designed golf course. But you probably aren’t going to want to spend a lot of time in the room with so much atmosphere and history to soak up. The restaurants on site were all very good, especially the romantic dinner we ate at the Sunset Terrace beside a fireplace (much smaller than the fireplaces in the Great Hall). And just a stroll through the building itself is like a history lesson with halls strewn with photos of decades of famous guests as well as archived historical documents and one of the largest arts-and-crafts furniture collections in the world.

Sure, we miss the days of jumping on a 12-hour flight and landing in a place where not one soul spoke English. But there’s plenty to experience so much closer. I know one day we will get back on the road, but for now, the ease and comfort of the Grove Park Inn fits our new life pretty well. SP