The Greenbrier Experience

Our most recent trip was to The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV for one of our much needed spa getaway weekends.  Our drive there was about 4.5 hours but took us on multiple back roads and as we learned from one of the bellman "there's no easy way to get here from there".  Upon arriving at the resort, we felt transported back in time.  The resort and property has been maintained to reflect a genteel era from the past and has an immaculately trained staff to match.  The entire resort pays homage to the famed interior design legend Dorothy Draper and boasts bright colors and bold prints everywhere.  "We have 800 rooms on property and no two are decorated the same" said our very friendly, well educated and proud bellman...he has worked at the Greenbrier for 43 years and we could tell he felt a sense of pride and ownership over it.  "You can have anything you want at any time, just push this button", we came to find and realize he wasn't kidding...chocolate cake at 4am...no problem! "If you are having a medical emergency, don't worry, just push this button and one of the doctors we have on staff will come to treat you right away". While we chuckled about that once he left the room, obviously hoping we would not be needing those services yet kind of relieved to know that they were there if we did.

Attention to detail is what stands out at The Greenbrier…they have taken painstaking measures to maintain the original décor and design of the resort and the main dining room is no exception.  The 100 year old main dining room hosts breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner and it feels just as grand as you'd imagine.  Our dinner our first night was was in the main dining room and we also had afternoon tea there earlier as well.  The afternoon tea was lovely but it is not a traditional afternoon tea and the only reason we mention that is because we both actually enjoy traditional afternoon tea and were slightly disappointed but as stated earlier, still very lovely.  Our dinner later that evening was also lovely but if we are being honest, we were disappointed for the price.  They have a champagne cart and a cheese cart yet never wheeled them over and just assumed our drink order...big mistake especially since we wanted a bottle of good champagne.  Our appetizers and salads while tasty were clearly pre-made and kept in a cooler.  Our entrees were very nice and prepared fresh, we both had a beef duo of filet and short rib but nothing was mind blowing.  We ordered two desserts, the souffle because we can't resist and the exclusive and traditional Greenbrier Peaches.  Both were very good and we actually learned that the peaches are grown exclusively for the resort somewhere in California.  We would definitely recommend ordering the peach dessert along with another dessert that appeals to you, it's all about tradition!

Our spa experience at The Greenbrier was truly memorable.  Elegance abounds within the spa with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling in the waiting room.  We started our spa day with The Greenbrier Treatment and a Greenbrier Sulphur Soak.  The Greenbrier Treatment starts with a sulphur soak in their famous and exclusive waters, then a Swiss shower, scotch spray and concludes with a Swedish massage.  Next up was a mineral Body Wrap and a Lava Stone Massage, both of us loved our second treatments.  The Mineral Body Wrap starts off with a dry-brushing to stimulate circulation, followed by an application of self-heating mineral mud and mineral-rich body lotion to soothe and rejuvenate your skin.  The Lava Stone massage uses two hot lava stones to warm up your muscles and relieve stress.  Our last treatments of the day were  Pinnacle Facials and we both agree that this was one of the best facials we have ever had, and trust us,  we've had a lot of facials. Three different masks were applied including a pumpkin mask, collagen mask and a firming mask.  Lucrece serums and products were used in this treatment and we are both a big fan of that particular skin care line. 

We both much preferred the next evenings dinner at Prime 44 West.  This is the steakhouse which honors NBA legend and West Virginia native Jerry West and features an incredible menu of meats and seafood.  Our entire meal was fantastic along with the service and we have put this restaurant on our must return to list for our next visit.

We don't want to forget afternoon cocktails in the Lobby Bar, which proudly displays a 600 pound crystal chandelier used on the movie set Gone with the Wind and era appropriate cocktails mixed perfectly!!  Our favorite were the tuna tartare tacos, they were to die for and we actually ordered them multiple times.

The Greenbrier also has an elegant indoor pool, a bowling alley, tennis courts, plenty of shops and a casino for nighttime fun.  

Some things the resort could tweak to make the experience even better:

1. Let people know that valet parking is $20/day.  Nothing is worse than getting that charge unexpectedly on your bill at check-out, especially when parking space is not at a premium there.

2. Add some counter space in the bathrooms...maybe girls use more products these days?!  There wasn't enough shelf space for one of us let alone two.

3. Offer a traditional paid afternoon tea in the part of the dining room not being used for the complimentary afternoon tea.  We would have been more than happy to pay $35/pp for a traditional afternoon tea with mini sandwiches, pastries and our tea of choice.

4. Separate the main dining room into two different experiences, one family friendly and the other for adults exclusively.  We weren't thrilled to have a screaming child 2 tables away while sipping on our $135 bottle of champagne and eating our $300 worth of food (yes, total bill including their mandatory 20% gratuity was over $435).  For those prices we should not want to talk because the food is so amazing and we should only be able to hear our own personal conversation and or some fabulous live music. 

5. Let people know in advance that 20% gratuity is added on to everything automatically and give them the ability to adjust that if they would like to...even the breakfast buffet has a 20% gratuity when we were obviously getting our own food.
6. Please update the gym and expand it.  The gym is grossly undersized and dated for such a huge and upscale resort.

This was our first visit to The Greenbrier and clearly long overdue.  We highly recommend the spa, it is truly one of the best spas we've been to, if it isn't on your must visit list, it should be. Overall we had an amazing time and will definitely return when we need a little dose of southern charm.