I remember those days when traveling was a great joy, and getting there was half the fun. You know, when First Class air travel actually meant “Top Shelf” with great service, gourmet meals, fine wines and spirits. If you are traveling within this hemisphere, none of that exists any longer. You can still expect something of quality on longer international trips…but, even then, you have to select your carriers well and pray for a good day. This explains why I don’t travel nearly as much as in the past. After hundreds of trips, I just detest the hassle of flying these days. Oh well, that being said (damn, that makes me feel good!), below is a brief list of trips I have put off (many to spots I have yet to visit or it was so long ago that it doesn’t count) that I intend to rectify soon.
Beginning in our own back yard, Bedford Springs Resort up in Pennsylvania has been blipping on my radar since they first announced the total redo of the property a few years back. I had been there a good 25 years back when it was less than ideal, but good sources the likes of the well-traveled Bob Roland rave about this place, and he assures me this is “my kind of place”. Believe it…that is good enough for me.
Nostalgia is making me thirst for two spots from my dark past, The Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown and The Mimslyn in Luray. They are both owned by the same consortium, and both have recently undergone extensive renovations. The idyllic location and spectacular views from the Bavarian, high over the Potomac are calling after many years since my last visit around 1990. In the mid ‘70s, when I was in college I used to take the women I really liked to the Mimslyn for the weekend. It was a little tattered then, much like the Algonquin in NY was for many years…what I refer to as “thread barren elegance”, but I understand, like the Algonquin, pure elegance is now the call of the day, and I can’t wait to see that lovely dining room again.
I was playing golf a couple weeks back with a friend from Banff Springs in Alberta who stated, “you’re kidding…you’ve never been to the Fairmont at Banff?” to which I sullenly replied that I have always intended to get there, but I wanted to plan a railway trip across Canada, with Banff perhaps being my last stop. Like a fool, I always let some other trip take precedence, but this has now worked its way to the top of my list. I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to spend a few days in the late summer than there.
A return trip through the Keys has been crossing my mind as of late. Starting at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo (they have apparently done a lot there in the past 10-12 years), then moving down to Cheeca Lodge and Hawk’s Cay near Marathon where a world of change has occurred. From there, it only seems natural to head on down to the Mecca of debauchery, Key West. I don’t seem to have any difficulty finding a suitable watering hole there. After a trip like this, it usually takes me around a week to10 days to clear up enough to write about the experience.
Also while in the Florida area, I need to revisit some old classics such as the totally re-engineered Fontainebleau on Miami Beach. This is no longer a Hilton but a very handsome and elegant resort, much like it must have been when it came on line around 50 years ago. As you may know, I love the Gulf coast, and I briefly stopped by South Seas Resort on Captiva Island just prior to the storm that virtually wiped them off the map. The entire place has been totally rebuilt, and since it was one of my very favorites, I can’t wait to see it now…possibly even take in a side trip to Cabbage Key and Useppa Island!
Some of my very close golfing buddies tell me the trip out to Bandon Dunes in Oregon is out of this world. They rate the seaside golf right up there with the Scottish and Irish experience. They know I love Pinehurst, but they claim that will fall down the ranks after my visit there. I also plan to visit a new property in Cle Elum, Washington on the same trip, Suncadia…a new, true west coast mountain haven I have been hearing quite a bit about.
It is fairly well documented that I really like venerable hotels and resorts that have withstood the test of time, and two very special places I have not seen in a while are the always splendid Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel and Ojai Resort and Spa, located near Santa Barbara. Ojai is one of those privately held resorts that closed a few years back in order to complete a total transformation. Many of the staff were retrained to learn new crafts and skills and greatly helped in the reconstruction. Also out near the Ritz are two very new resorts being developed that have really caught my eye. Terranea in Palos Verdes is being constructed on what is most likely the very best site remaining on the California coast…there was formerly a seaquarium on the peninsula jutting out into the Pacific, and it is only about 30 minuets from LAX. Another new resort worthy of note is the Resort at Pelican Hill along the Newport Coast. Both resorts are mix use, as most new properties being constructed these days are, but to find a piece of dirt as special as both these resorts have is quite unique.
Well, time for me to hop into my car and head down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Olde Mill Golf Resort for our 32nd Annual Spring Fling…we were all young when we began this thing, but it is more fun now than ever. Please be safe in all your travels, and perhaps we will cross paths along the way. Cheers!
