What’s making news: Located in a 19th-century building that once served as a boarding house and restaurant, Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, North Carolina, completed a $50 million renovation last year. The inn more than doubled the size of its spa by adding a fitness center and an amenities building.
The atmosphere: Though almost completely rebuilt, the inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, looks like it has existed in its current state for at least a century. Acquired piecemeal over time, the property -- which also encompasses shops, a hilltop lodge, and a farm -- feels like a grand manor that you could explore for hours. The exterior, a combination of brick, clapboard, slate, and hand-cut North Carolina stone, tells of the property’s different phases.
Accommodations: Though the interiors speak of history, with period antiques, patinated finishes, and gently worn Oriental rugs, the guest rooms are equipped with modern luxuries, including Frette linens, bathrooms with heated-tile floors and Bulgari bath products, and large flat-panel televisions. Lucky guests staying in the Spa Suites, accessed by a private elevator, can go from room to spa without changing from their robes.
The food: At Madison’s restaurant, chef William Heubel changes the menu quarterly to showcase seasonal ingredients in his Southern-inspired dishes. The savory Pear and Arugula Salad with country ham and Dijon vinaigrette and the Steamed Carolina Mountain Trout served with braised bok choy and sweet onion marmalade are favorites. For dessert, you won’t go wrong with the melt-in-your-mouth chocolate soufflé or the crème brûlée, with its crisp caramelized crust.
The spa: Architect Keith Summerour and designer Barbara Westbrook seamlessly carried the inn’s traditional European style into the spa with crystal chandeliers, antique furniture, and corridors painted a deep chocolate
brown. As I lunch on a light chicken salad, homemade bread, and hot tea from the spa café, feet propped up beside the glowing fire, my only concern is what to do with the 30 minutes until my treatment. The options
are exhausting: Take a nap in the curtained sleeping nook, try out the new whirlpools and sauna, or read a magazine on the
terrace while enjoying the view.
Only at Old Edwards: I know I have to try out the Rainforest Rejuvenation Room, billed as the first of its kind in the Southeast. I’m not sure whether it’s the steam, color therapy, and pulse-point jets or the array of masks, scrubs, and gels set out for me to experiment with, but afterward, I feel relaxed and, at the same time, invigorated. The signature facial -- Journey to Bliss -- is just that. The 80-minute experience begins with a foot rub, followed by a facial consisting of a skin analysis and a series of cleansing, hydrating, and nourishing treatments. As I try unsuccessfully to stay awake, I determine that this alone is worth the five-hour drive from Birmingham.
When to go: The high season runs roughly from April to mid-November. In summer, enjoy days that are merely warm -- a relief from the sweltering weather elsewhere in the South -- and nights that are cool enough for an alfresco dinner in the award-winning Wine Garden. For fall color, go in October, when sunlit red, yellow, and orange leaves form canopies over the winding mountain roads and make for spectacular views in every direction.
445 Main St., Highlands, NC, 866/526-8008,www.oldedwardsinn.com.
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