Posts tagged ‘spa’

Sundance Central (aka Stein Erickson Lodge) wins America’s best spa

Readers of Conde Nast just chose The Spa at Stein Erickson Lodge as the numero uno spa in the country. That’s no big surprise to Katherine Heigl who married musician Josh Kelley there in 2007. Or to the lucky few who score rooms there during the Sundance Film Festival. During those ten high-octane days, it’s booked years ahead by the elite and the lucky.

Nestled mid-mountain at Silver Lake Village at the Deer Valley Resort, this snazzy five-star, five-diamond property with its 145 fireplaces pampers during the winter with ski butlers carrying guests’ skis and pastry chefs welcoming guests with handcrafted Belgian and French chocolate.

But it’s even better in the summer because a) rates are much lower and b) you can actually recognize any stars you happen to bump into. During the winter, they’re in cognito hidden their ski goggles and warm hats.

As for that spa that just pulled down the top spot, it provides head-to-toe pampering in 20,000-square feet of lush. There’s a calming rain bar, Vichy showers, couples’ massages and an ashiatsu massage where your masseuse walks upon and down your body.

Click here for more info on this amazing resort near Park City, Utah.

Pre-breakup: Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal drank lattes at Big Sur’s romantic Post Ranch Inn

Just weeks before their much-publicized breakup, Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal had one last romantic interlude at Post Ranch Inn, the serene, seductive getaway atop the cliffs of Big Sur, California.

This breathtaking inn with endless views of the Pacific Ocean has won permanent spots on everybody’s “green list” thanks to its organic architecture that curves around old-growth trees and makes use of reclaimed wood, glass, stone and steel. A few of the 40 rooms are even built on nine-foot stilts to protect delicate root balls below. Protected habitats, using only drought-resistant native plants, provide refuge for endangered Smith’s Blue Butterfly, California Red-Legged Frog, Western Pond Turtle and California Condor. Needless to say, the intimate inn is powered by a solar array and its limo is a Lexus Hybrid convertible which guests can take for free into nearby Carmel and Monterey.

Not only does this one-of-a-kind eco-inn sing harmony with nature, but it has daily yoga classes, nightly star-gazing sessions and outdoor pools and hot tubs from which guests can watch migrating whales. The spiraling Pacific Suites with their floor-to-ceiling windows offer stars like Swift and Gyllenhaal commanding views without forsaking privacy.

Post Ranch Inn’s acclaimed Sierra Mar restaurant has one of North America’s most extensive wine cellars with bottles from both well-known wine producers and from rare boutique vineyards. Executive Chef Craig von Foerster’s four-course, prix fixe organic menu changes daily depending on what’s in season.

Although Post Ranch Inn didn’t open until 1992, it has been in the Post family for more than 150 years. In fact, the boutique inn’s logo is the ranch’s cattle brand. Explorer and entrepreneur William Brainard Post married a local Costanoan Indian and became one of the first to homestead Big Sur’s wild beauty. W.B.’s New England-style house that sits on Highway 1 across from the entrance to Post Ranch Inn is a registered historic landmark.

All 40 guests rooms at Post Ranch Inn, paneled with redwood salvaged from old wine barrels, come with king-size beds, wood-burning fireplaces, either indoor or outdoor hot tubs and free mini-bar.

As for Taylor, who tends to write songs that reflect her life, she’s busy looking for words that rhyme with Gyllenhaal.

Post Ranch Inn: Highway 1, Big Sur, California, 831.667.2200, http://www.postranchinn.com.