Spotlight

Holiday Style Week 2009 Kick off the holiday season November 16-19 with tips, techniques, shows and expos on everything from great food and wine to chic holiday fashions and décor. More Info (PDF) Spa Offering Discounts The Spa at Old Edwards Inn is offering special discounts Sunday through Thursday for the holiday season as part of the Comfort and Joy Season Celebration. Sunday through Thursday Spa Specials include: 20% off of all Treatments 10% off of all Spa Products Complimentary Champagne & Chocolates with Salon Treatments Holiday Spa-Tini Add On More Info (PDF) New Year's Eve Back by popular demand, Old Edwards Inn and Spa presents Atlanta's Rai Ragland Jazz Band. It's part of the Old Edwards New Year's Eve Package, which also features the fun tradition 12 Grapes at Midnight, as well as a four-course dinner and a Bloody Mary/Mimosa bar New Year's Day. More Info (PDF)

By Katie McElveen
(July 2009) There are a lot of reasons to brave the twisty mountain roads that lead to Highlands, North Carolina; one of the best is to visit the AAA Four Diamond rated Old Edwards Inn & Spa.

Tucked into a cluster of stone and brick buildings—some more than 100 years old, others new--that ramble up a hillside in the center of town, an artful mix of casual elegance and quirky charm. Lovely stone terraces complete with outdoor fireplaces and couches for enjoying the view connect different sections of the inn; staircases twist and turn their way from floor to floor (there is an elevator, but it isn’t half the fun) and a tiny stream flows through an outdoor wine garden bursting with flowers. There are delightful surprises, too, such as Champagne to sip during check in, 24-hour access to a freezer full of Dove bars in the butler’s pantry, free valet parking, bottled water and chocolate at turndown. The complimentary house breakfast of pastries and granola—both homemade—along with coffee in wonderfully gigantic cups is served in sunny Madison’s restaurant.

Thirty-two guestrooms and suites are each individually decorated in soft, warm tones but share gracious amenities such as working fireplaces, Frette linens, original artwork, antiques from around the globe, flat screen televisions and wireless internet; the massive marble bathrooms offer heated floors, oversized soaking tubs and Bulgari premium bath and body products. Spa lovers can book one of four oversized spa suites with direct access (via the elevator) to the spa; luxury spa suites have heated porches that overlook a forest thick with pine and spruce. Around the corner from the Inn, and perfect for families, sit a pair of three-bedroom stone cottages decorated with oriental rugs over hardwood floors, fireplaces, screened porches, large dining tables and lofty sofas upholstered in English country fabrics. All rooms receive twice-daily maid service and room service is available throughout the property.

Although the Inn and its sister property, the Lodge at Old Edwards, have only 62 rooms combined, their amenities rival those of much larger resorts. Public areas, such as the mahogany-lined Hummingbird bar Lounge and the Library, where a piano player entertains guests before a roaring fire, are filled with an eclectic collection of antique furnishings. The two-story fitness center, completed in 2007, offers a full range of classes including nature hikes, aerobics and yoga; a weight-training studio, outdoor workout terrace, dozens of TECHNOGYM machines and an on-site trainer. A large outdoor heated mineral and saltwater pool is open during the spring and summer months.

When Old Edwards Inn made the decision to add a spa to the resort’s offerings, they went all out, creating a sumptuous 25,000-square foot sanctuary done up in muted shades of slate blue, gold and cream, highlighted with dramatic splashes of plum and chocolate. Fireplaces, both in the main relaxation room and ion the outdoor relaxation terraces, add a cozy glow; enjoy time—or a bite to eat--in front of them or drift away in the inviting nap room, with its velvet couches and crystal chandeliers. Oval treatment rooms are decked out with weightless silk comforters and heated massage tables.

Treatments are unique and varied. Lighted by candles, the Rainforest Rejuvenation Room, which is the first of its kind in the United States, is dominated by an ornately tiled shower chamber where couples can enjoy a rainforest shower or pulse-point water massage and take in steam scented with a choice of aromas. Color light therapy and a soothing soundtrack add to the experience, as does the palette of creams, scrubs and lotions designed to be used as part of the experience. The spa also offers several “metamorphosis” treatments, both of which incorporate several types of rhythmic massage into a single treatment that ends with a hydrating cocoon perfumed with lavender and rose or seasonal fragrances. Traditional massage, both Swedish and deep tissue, are also offered, as are relaxing spa baths, rejuvenating facials and salon services.

Therapists often recommend steam and whirlpool baths before or after a massage to enhance the effectiveness and ward off potential soreness. At the Spa at Old Edwards, men and women can enjoy their rituals in separate areas that also house quiet solariums and spacious multi-jet showers.

Although the streets of Highlands are filled with wonderful restaurants and cafes, don’t miss dinner at Madison's Restaurant and Wine Garden. Old Edwards’ fine dining is now a AAA Four Diamond restaurant and is designed for relaxed dining in rustic elegance. Limestone floors and a low-coffered ceiling give the room an intimate feel; creamy wainscoting panels, crisp white tablecloths set with sterling flatware and sparkling crystal add lightness and a touch of formality.

Madison’s serves what it calls Elevated Southern New South Cuisine, a witty moniker—the resort sits, after all, at more than 4,100 feet—that also aptly describes the menu’s fusion of traditional southern tastes with luxury ingredientsuse of top quality ingredients from sustainable sources blended in the simplest ways to maximize the flavor of each ingredient—think Chilled Local Carolina Shrimp Salad with Florida Citrus, Winter Greens and Vanilla Citrus Double Cream macaroni and cheese studded with black truffles and or Grilled Kurobuta Pork Chop with Stewed Local Apples, Barker’s Creek Grits, Leeks and Fresh CiderHawaiian red salt-cured ribeye steak.  Although the menu changes seasonally, Chef William HeubelJohannes Klapdohr utilizes locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Start your meal with Champagne from Madison’s Wine Spectator-award winning wine list--the sommelier has pulled together a wonderful collection of vintages available by the glass--finish with one of the hot soufflés that have become the restaurant’s signature. (Updated July 2009)