Remember "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous"?
For several days recently, I experienced what British host Robin Leach would refer to as "champagne wishes and caviar dreams." I stayed overnight at two AAA-rated five-diamond hotels in the area: The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va., and The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary.
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The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va.
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The Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary.
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Both hotels offered top-notch accommodations, gracious service and luxurious ambience, while each featured its own unique atmosphere.
The Jefferson is a historic Beaux Arts-style landmark in the heart of bustling downtown Richmond, with elaborate stained glass windows and marble columns and a dramatic carpeted staircase that's said to be the inspiration for the one Rhett carried Scarlet up in "Gone With the Wind." The Umstead is a contemporary hotel made of Texas limestone with warm wood paneling, museum-quality North Carolina art and large windows that provide scenic views of its wooded surroundings.
Room rates go from we-can-splurge-just-this-once-'cause-it's-our-anniversary pricey to that-would-pay-my-mortgate-for-a-month outrageous, but even common folks will be treated like royalty. Isn't that a small price to pay?
The Jefferson Hotel
I felt as if I was stepping back in time when I walked into the Palm Court lobby of The Jefferson. The hotel is a jewel from a bygone era. As I checked in, I admired the stained-glass rotunda and the life-size marble statue of hotel namesake Thomas Jefferson.
The suite where I stayed, The Adams Suite, was outfitted with a living area, a dining table with six chairs, two fireplaces, a double bed with a white coverlet and plump pillows, a desk, two flat-screen TVs, and a marble bathroom with whirlpool tub and shower stall. It was nearly as large as my first apartment.
Marketing Director Rick Butts told me a bit about the hotel's history as we sipped Richmond blend tea and nibbled on cucumber sandwiches at afternoon tea. He said The Jefferson was considered the finest hotel in the country when it opened in 1895. It featured every contemporary convenience including electric lights, electric elevators, hot and cold water in the bedrooms, and a predecessor of the telephone for room service. Hotel guests have included 11 presidents, Charlie Chaplin, Elvis Presley — and now me.
I loved people-watching in the glorious common areas, picking up souvenirs in the gift shop, listening to the harpist in the Palm Court. I used the complimentary car service to sightsee along Richmond's famous Monument Avenue.
I was treated to the ultimate makeover in The Jefferson Spa, where Kathleen pampered my face with a custom facial and makeup and Loys gave my hair a deep conditioning and styling.
I felt like a movie star when I walked into the hotel's fine Lemaire restaurant for my dinner reservation. Ben Eubanks, a New Bern native who's the hotel's director of restaurants, chatted with me about the menu, which spotlights upscale Southern cooking with French accents and seasonal ingredients. A highlight of my meal was the amuse bouche: a panko-covered, sauteed oyster atop corn shaved ham, corn bread and sauteed greens — an unusual, appropriately Virginian combination. I also loved the traditional spoon bread that accompanied the filet mignon. I wish I had been able to save room for the apple souffle dessert.
The staff was incredibly attentive and promptly spoiled me by bringing me ice and turning down my bed.
At The Jefferson, I experienced the most gracious Southern hospitality.
The Umstead Hotel and Spa
Cary's Umstead Park lends its name and its ambience to the nearby Umstead Hotel and Spa, but the new luxury hotel is anything but rustic. It's a sleek, modern oasis in a natural setting with fine food and top-notch service.
From the garden suite where I was ensconced, it was hard to believe that the heavy traffic on I-40 was just a stone's throw away. All was cool and quiet and serene,
The Umstead Hotel and Spa, which opened in January 2007, perches on the edge of the SAS Institute campus. The hotel's owner Anne Goodnight is the wife of Jim Goodnight, founder of SAS, one of the largest computer software companies in the world.
Over a three-course afternoon tea with smoked salmon sandwiches and blackberry tea, Marketing Director Richard Brooks told me that Ann Goodnight visited five-star hotels around the country to get ideas, and even built prototype rooms as she was making decisions about what to include in The Umstead.
She didn't miss a trick when she decked out this hotel, which already has earned AAA's five diamonds and Mobil's four stars. In addition to the expected iPod docking stations, flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet throughout the hotel and grounds, each room is equipped with a doorbell, a red light to signify "do not disturb," a sensor that notifies room service when you place your dirty dishes outside the door and a staff-only elevator for whisking luggage and room service orders to and from the guest rooms.
The public spaces of the hotel are paneled in golden wood, with large windows overlooking the pond and woods. The decor is influenced by the natural surroundings, featuring a palette of muted golds, browns, greens and blues. Works of art by regional artists, many with a nature theme, fill the hotel; there's even a pamphlet for a self-guided tour of the on-site art. Don't miss the glass sculpture in the lobby by renowned artist Dale Chihuly.
The food at Herons restaurant is "New American cuisine with a Southern flair," incorporating ingredients that are locally grown or produced in the area. After I turned down dessert following a dinner of salad and steak, one of my two waiters, Budi, offered me a tempting selection of hand-crafted chocolates from a wooden box.
When I returned to my suite, the bed was turned back, a bottle of Voss water sat on the bedside table and the flat-screen TV was playing an atmospheric video spotlighting the hotel.
One of my favorite parts of The Umstead was the stone shower stall, with its wide seat, numerous shower-heads and a water temperature gauge I could set to my specifications. I felt as if I was bathing in a tropical waterfall with the eucalyptus-scented bath products, made especially for the hotel.
I returned home relaxed and rejuvenated — and unwilling to settle for less than a five-star hotel again!
