Highlights: The Greenbrier

•The Greenbrier is a National Historic Register resort with rooms, suites, cottages, extended home rentals, and private residential communities

•World-class golf on three 18-hole courses with a Golf Digest Academy on the premises

•Signature Greenbrier Spa treatments in the Mobil Four-Star state-of-the-art facility, staffed with healthcare and medical professionals

•Numerous indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment activities for all ages

•Exceptional casual and fine dining restaurants

Amenities: The Greenbrier

• 721 rooms, 6 story. Check-in 4 pm, check-out Noon. High-speed Internet access. Four restaurants, four bars. Children's activity center. Fitness room, fitness classes available, spa. Indoor pool, outdoor pool. Golf, 54 holes. Tennis. Airport transportation available. Business center. Credit cards accepted.

General Impressions: The Greenbrier

Listed on the National Historic Register, The Greenbrier resort has been welcoming guests, presidents, dignitaries and other celebrities for over 225 years. This Allegheny Mountains landmark sits majestically among the 6,500 acres in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The timeless resort estate features sculpted landscapes and beautiful, classic architecture. The main hotel is a stunning example of Greek revival architecture with its columns and grand porte corchere.

The interior is just as grand with gilded chandeliers, marble floors and expansive public areas. Famed interior designer Dorothy Draper’s signature style is evident throughout the resort’s main hotel building, from the black and white marble floors to the colorful floral window treatments. Guests will feel as though they stepped back in time as they wander through the elegant ballrooms, library and lobby.

The Greenbrier is an ideal destination for romantic getaways, offering luxurious accommodations, and special activities such as carriage and sleigh rides and picnic lunches. The resort is also a good choice for family vacations. Rather then staying in the main hotel, families may choose to request one of the many cottages found throughout the grounds. There are many activities for children, including pony rides, nightly movies, and the Adventure Zone, which offers a full day of programming for children age 3 to 12. There are also special programs for teenagers like hiking and kayaking trips.

The resort offers extended stays for business retreats, with an impressive assortment of business amenities. The Greenbrier has 35 different meeting rooms with over 85,000 square feet of function space. The resort also aids business travelers with a full-service business center.

The sports enthusiast would be thrilled with the wing-shooting preserve, mountain biking and hiking trails, equestrian instructions, and three 18-hole championship golf courses.

(+) Outstanding activities and entertainment in a historic, world-renowned resort

Guest Services: The Greenbrier

Overall, I was impressed with the level of service provided by the Greenbrier Resort, even before my stay. The reservation agent was polite and accurately described rates and facilities. When I arrived at the hotel, the gate guard transferred my name to the doorman who was expecting me upon arrival to the main entrance. The valet service and check-in was a bit slow, however.

The hotel orientation provided by the bellman was helpful, but throughout my arrival, some staff members were less attentive than others, but overall the level of service was on par with my expectations. The resort concierge in particular was excellent, warm, polite, and professional, and services included dining and activity reservations and travel planning. When wandering through the various shops throughout the resort, I was provided with the same warm and gracious service that was experienced with the other hotel departments.

The Greenbrier is designed for relaxation, and spa staff provides excellent signature services that are also open to non-registered guests. The clinic offers professional healthcare and medical counseling. In addition to spa services, certified golf instructors provide swing analysis at the Golf Digest Academy.

(+) Exceptional concierge services
(-) Some staff members weren’t as attentive as expected

Guest Rooms: The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier has a total of 721 bedrooms on the property. As this is an historic hotel, room sizes vary throughout the resort. In the main building are 514 bedrooms, with the Superior rooms featuring 400 square feet with king or two double beds and a couch, the Intermediate rooms have 300 square feet with king or double beds, and the Standard rooms have 260 square feet, all with king beds.

Nestled throughout the resort are a wide variety of cottages and suites with a range of bedrooms and amenities, starting with the standard room all the way up to the Presidential suite that features 7 bedrooms. Some of the suites are freestanding houses that have their own kitchens and porches and can accommodate up to 8 people. Each of the various rooms has different décor themes and color schemes, from classical European to laidback beach house.

My room, although on the smaller side, was decorated in a Victorian motif, with antique-style furniture and ornate, floral patterns on the bedspread and upholsteries. The bathroom, also on the small side, included luxurious bath amenities placed in a gold wire basket and even included a small nightlight.

(+) Historic setting with a wide range of accommodation choices
(-) Standard rooms are small and would be best for solo travelers or couples; families will be best-suited in guest houses or Superior rooms

Facilities & Activities: The Greenbrier

For over 90 years golf has been a tradition at The Greenbrier, and today guests receive preferred tee times at the resort’s three 18-hole championship golf courses: The Greenbrier, The Old White, or The Meadows Course. The Greenbrier Course was redesigned by golf legend Jack Nicklaus in 1977.

The resort has hosted the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup, and it is home to the annual Tom Watson Fall Golf Classic. Golf is free for guests from December through mid-March.

Guests can pre-book a Golf Digest Academy Package to receive five hours of daily instruction in a state-of-the-art learning center that includes two practice greens and a large lesson tee with target areas. High-tech video and computer equipment is used for swing analysis that includes a take home DVD or video.

For those with sport interests beyond golf, the Fitness Center provides strength training equipment and cardiovascular machines, treadmills, Stairmasters, bicycles, and NordicTrack machines. Professional trainers lead customized exercise, yoga, and aquatic classes, fitness assessment, and body fat analysis. The locker rooms had showers but no steam, sauna, or whirlpool facilities.

For centuries, guests have enjoyed the restorative properties of the sulphur springs on the Greenbrier grounds. Today the Mobil Four-Star Greenbrier Spa at the base of Greenbrier Mountain continues the tradition with modern technicians practicing their craft in a state-of-the-art, 38,000 square-foot facility. Guests can make appointments for a dazzling array of treatments, including signature holistic therapies and massages, detoxifying Kur mud wraps, reiki, reflexology, and special sports treatments.

The relaxing resort also offers afternoon board games in the lobby or family lawn games, such as croquet, horseshoes, shuffleboard, and putting greens. All eight bowling center lanes have automated scoring, and other games include billiards, table tennis, and electronic games.

The concierge can set up pony and horseback riding, biking, falconry, carriage rides, kayaking, whitewater rafting, fly fishing, and complimentary nightly movies in the 300-seat theater.

Guests can also take a picnic hike up to Kate’s Mountain, where since 1913 the Gun Club teaches skeet and trap shooting, with chukar, pheasant, and quail wing shooting in the nearby private hunting preserve that boasts an Orvis approved lodge.

Dorothy Draper designed the 1940s era Olympic indoor swimming pool near the spa and fitness center. Water aerobics classes are offered at the new infinity outdoor pool overlooking the Golf Club.

Guests play tennis year around on five Har-Tru outdoor courts or on five Dynaturf indoor courts. Attend professional junior or advanced tennis clinics seasonally. The pro shop provides demo racquets and apparel.

There are also over 30 shops located around the property for sporting goods, apparel, gourmet items, gifts, artwork, furniture, and athletic gear. Watch skilled artisans at the Art Colony work with leather, brass, wood, glass, and pottery. Don’t forget to stop in the historical train station that now serves as the hotel’s year round Christmas at the Depot store.

Advanced reservations are suggested for children and adults participating in the Culinary Arts Center gourmet cooking classes or the BBQ University. Tea with cookies has been an afternoon tradition served in the lobby since the 1930s. Box lunches can be arranged for hikes, golfing, and excursions.

(+) Extensive list of options for sports, shopping and entertainment activities

Dining & Lounge: The Greenbrier

Dining choices range from casual to formal in the resort’s four restaurants, with each featuring its own signature menu. The Greenbrier welcomes non-registered guests but dinner reservations are needed in the Main Dining Room, Draper's, and Sam Snead's at the Golf Club.

Since 1913 the elegant, charming, and incredibly beautiful Main Dining Room has been treating guests to fine dining for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Casual breakfasts are a la carte. American classics are served at the formal dinners, featuring live music.

Draper's is named after Dorothy Draper, who designed much of the resort’s interiors, and features buffet breakfasts, casual lunches, and afternoon snacks.

Snacks are available at the Gourmet Café inside the Gourmet Shoppe near the Cyber Café. The Rhododendron Spa Café at the indoor pool serves lunches and snacks during pool hours. The Tree Tops Café at the newer outdoor pool is perfect for leisurely lunches, sandwiches and ice cream.

Since the 1940s the Old White Lounge, named after the original hotel, has provided live music and cabaret acts. The classic Lobby Bar is an ideal alcove for specialty cocktails or pre-dinner drinks. The seasonal Slammin' Sammy's is the Golf Club’s sports lounge with flat screen TVs, billiard tables, shuffleboard, and games. Sam Snead’s at the Golf Club is open seasonally for fine dining.

Guests will enjoy 24-hour room serve, which has a specially designed menu, or during normal hours, guests can order from any of the restaurant menus. During my visit, my in-room dinner was delivered in the time frame promised, and the order taker anticipated my needs but was not knowledgeable about the wines. There were also some minor hiccups with tray set-up, and there was room for improvement in presentation.

(+) Excellent choices for casual and formal dining
(-) Room service was not a par with the hotels other dining options

Business Services: The Greenbrier

The Greenbrier is wonderful for meetings, a group conference, or a corporate retreat. The Greenbrier blends charm with period décor in its 85,000 square feet of flexible space in 40 meeting rooms. The staff designs events, specialty dinners, or movie parties. Several of the meeting spaces reside in what used to be a secret underground relocation bunker used by the US Government in the 1960s. Since that time, the space has been renovated and is now available for meetings and private parties.

During my stay, the business center staff helped me with my laptop and Internet access, and were ready to help me with whatever questions arose.

(+) Helpful business center staff