Gallagher's Travels: Letter From the Editor: January 2006

Letter from the Editor

January 2006

Dear Friends,

Travel is such an amazing education...making up for all those years I slept through class or cut out to hang around the nearby sleazy café. It's the same with all our contributors and we have quite a number of new destinations recently covered. Welcome Dominic Degrazier our latest writer from Southern California.

A few weeks ago we went to Florida, starting our visit in the metro Miami area. Four days of glorious perfect weather blue skies with just a puff of cloud here and there. Weather must be the main reason people continue to ignore more hurricanes than we have letters in the alphabet and keep rolling in lock stock and barrel. And those real estate prices really show it!

Florida's Condos

It's a sky full of construction cranes all over downtown Miami and the entire state is seeing a big rush. Kick me a few times for not buying on early visits.

Luckily the stunning and national historic landmark, The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables had room and we enjoyed the luxury not only of the entire property but a terrific junior suite nearly the size of some of those mega $$$ condo's.

Built in 1926 the hotel has had a checkered history running from its original fine high society position to years as a military hospital and then vacant in disrepair. Now after millions in restoration to its original or perhaps even better glamour you'll truly love staying here.

One thing I've always liked about Florida's big cities is the cars. Standing in front of the Biltmore waiting for our rental the valets pulled up in classic Rolls, Ferrari's, restored collector pieces of every kind. Sometimes the classics matched their driver's age! I even noticed that the high buck Harleys were driven by "older" gentlemen. Wheels are imperative here particularly if you need or want to travel into the city or South Beach and other areas. Although the fee for valet parking is a bit steep, a free self park lot is also available.

Service is everywhere at the Biltmore and no matter what your question they'll find the answer. The bellmen, concierge, valet staff and front desk couldn't have been kinder when we had a slight problem or two.

Courtyard Grill

We ate dinner outside one night in the 1200 Courtyard Grill and I was too hungry and tired to make up my mind aka grouchy! The waitress obligingly brought a lunch menu and eventually I found the perfect meal. You must try the bread in fact skip all other food and only eat the bread. Garlic, parmesan, black olive, country, raisin any kind in the baskets in any of the hotel restaurants or at the brunch is the best ever.

All the bread is made in house in a team effort between the head baker Richard Fuentes and Marcos Gonzalez. They use all natural ingredients and even do an infusion of tropical teas for the Walnut raisin bread -which I actually took back to my room for snacking. Richard is from Chile and Marcos Peru, where they learned to appreciate European artisan type breads at a early age. Starting their careers in California, Richard worked at the well recognized La Brea bakery and Marcos attended the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. They have been at the Biltmore for five years, one of the few hotels that make their own bread, perhaps the only one.

Sunday Brunch at the Biltmore

The days of bad hotel food are gone - at least at the Biltmore if it ever existed. I didn't have an opportunity to test the room service (not inexpensive) but perhaps the next time.

We couldn't leave without experiencing the famed Biltmore Sunday Brunch for which you must have reservations days in advance. Again perfect weather to sit outside in the courtyard, I would rather sit in 100 degree weather than air conditioning so 70's and 80's is about as perfect as it could be.

Live music, this time a three piece group with a wide repertoire covering spirited gypsy music, classics and the pops. Perhaps 20 food stations including a grill for meats, shrimp, pineapple and other treats, a crepe stand with various toppings and ice creams, lavish dessert tables, endless salads, appetizers, smoked salmon, trout, white fish, cold shrimp more than I could remember. Egg stations for Belgium waffles, eggs benedict, scrambled eggs.... Now the real question: how much can one eat? Even a tablespoon of every selection would be beyond the average person's consumption ability.

Biltmore Pool

After you totally stuff yourself go squeeze into your swim suit and hit the most glorious pool in its Moorish setting. Said to be the largest pool in the country, I'm not sure of that but it is really big and beautiful.

The Biltmore spa has undergone a major renovation and expansion to a most serene generous space. Probably the largest individual massage rooms I've ever experienced. Maria my masseuse, originally from Cuba, was well versed in working all those kinks of tension out. The spa is busy so making an appointment for any of their wide range of services at the time of your check in or reservation is a good idea.

I didn't get a chance to try all the features of the hotel perhaps on the next visit. In fact some things on their website like complimentary buggy rides through Coral Gables totally slid by me. The tennis courts and golf course are strong attractions.

Biltmore Hotel
1200 Anastasia Avenue
Coral Gables, FL 33134
Tel. 305-445-8066 Ext.2340
Fax. 305-913-3161
www.biltmorehotel.com

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Spa Treatments...

I probably average at least 2 spa treatments a month depending on the destinations and hotels we stay at. That makes at least 72 treatments at different establishments over a three year period and surprisingly the worst and the best still standout in my memory. On a positive note here are a few of the best.

What makes the spa experience? For me the building, the extravagant trappings, exotic fruit plates, teas or silk draperies although they certainly contribute to the mood aren't the leading feature. It's no surprise but the big factor is how I'm treated and cleanliness. As with so many businesses today and perhaps since the beginning of time the person out front is usually the lowest paid on the totem pole with the least amount of savvy, life experience and training. This is a serious hiring/training breach in every business especially the spa world. I can't tell you how many reception areas I've waited for long periods of time for some attention from the "girls" chatting with each other or unable to put the phone on hold for 15 seconds.

In one elite hotel in Paris there was no one at the reception area and when someone did show up they had no clue about our appointment or how to resolve the issue or where to even hang coats. Never a good start.

For better or worse I'm always cold; inside, outside, air conditioning, all seasons, in wind, shade and especially when I lie still for an hour or more. Most spas are cold and many have vents in the ceilings that blow air conditioned air directly on you. Occasionally one will have a heated massage table or heated blankets like hospitals or better yet have your treatment outside overlooking gardens or the Caribbean.

Round Hill Hotel and Villas, Montego Bay

Most if not all spas play the same style of repetitive "new age" electronic music designed to relax one. However after a two hour treatment I'm ready for heavy metal, R & B or anything but that wimpy stuff grating its way incessantly through every room. Hello decorator police, we may be a bit too heavy on rubber stamp styling from spa to spa.

It's always nice to have a sauna or steam room to relax before or after if one has the time. Indulge in the healthy snack treats or creams and other products laid out for your use.

Not having to wait more than a few minutes for your treatment or between a series is always a joy. Somehow I've never felt too comfortable sitting around in size 12 disposable slippers, hair askew, no makeup and a dumb robe with people I don't know. The Fairmont Turnberry Willow Stream Spa has massaging lounge chairs to wait in and after a few minutes no one cares about anything.

No matter what the spa does or how much money the owners spend if the masseuse or esthetician don't know what they are doing or refuses to throw themselves enthusiastically into the job, I just wasted a lot of my money and don't feel very good about the hour or more I spent there.

The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina spent more than 300 gazillion dollars on its grotto style spa covering thousands of square feet--actually 40,000--literally a spa city. My treatment a year or two ago, is remembered in great detail.

Grotto Pool

The décor was planned to integrate the elements of fire, rock, water and light. High stone walls, fireplaces and waterfalls accent the colorful and large pool area. None of the extra features did I have time for as the star of my entire visit was the Fire, Rock, Water and Light treatment featuring full body exfoliation, a buttermilk and honey whirlpool bath, body wrap, waterfall massage with the customized Vichy shower and so much more all carried out with total professionalism and the skills of my masseuse. Then they expected me, having now turned to jello, to be bright and entertaining at dinner 30 minutes later?

A nice young assistant guided me about getting my robe and slippers, offering tea or water and the usual pre treatment amenities.

My masseuse made sure I didn't fall or slip on the floor after that steamy buttermilk bath knocked me almost to unconsciousness. She described treatments without pushing products or getting into long conversations. I wasn't left alone for extensive periods of time and she asked how the temperature of treatments and the spacious room were. She stayed aware of my claustrophobia problem and never fully covered my face.

I was sure if heaven was a spa I had arrived. If you even stay one night at the Grove Park Inn it's worth it to spend a day using the spa facilities and having a treatment.

Grove Park Inn

Driving up to the hotel for the first time, you'll catch a glimpse and then the full view another memorable experience.

The Grove Park Inn
Asheville, NC
(800) 438-5800
www.groveparkinn.com

The Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club is in Aventura, Florida conveniently between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. A truly Mediterranean-style hotel secluded on 300 tropical acres with nearly 400 luxurious oversized rooms and suites featuring spectacular views and the resorts many upscale amenities including two 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed golf courses, 19 tennis courts lit for night-play, a private ocean club, marina, and superb dining choices.

You're actually staying on a "sea of nature" with flora, fauna--all sorts of animal life -- while just ahead are skyscrapers, a scene mimicking Central Park in New York.

My treatment at the Willow Stream Spa was one of their specialties the Marine Energy Facial. We started on the balcony of the private therapy room over hanging the lush landscape with tropical plants growing everywhere. The Marine experience begins with a foot bath using Thalasso Äkta Seaweed scrub and as I had not read the description of the treatment it totally surprised me to have this luxurious addition. We spent a fair amount of time on my legs and feet, soaking them in nice smelling solutions and massaging them with rich creams. Then it was time to move back in side and proceed with my facial but first a relaxing arm and hand massage topped with big warm mittens to help the creams absorption.

I'm feeling pretty mellow about now and it's on to the anti-aging facial that promises to firm, tone, refine and deeply hydrate the skin. They could have rubbed pancake mix on me I wouldn't have cared but as it was a marvelous series of smooth silky lotions, aromatic sprays and more. Once again the success of the treatments and what makes it worth almost $3 a minute is the person slaving over your body trying to reverse a lifetime of neglect.

Mineral Bath kit

This was a second career for Lea, my masseuse/esthetician, and she threw her heart into every aspect. Her knowledge of the products, anatomy, and your skins construction or in same cases destruction, and all over positive professional manner was a joy for this almost two hour treatment.

Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort & Club 
Aventura, Florida 
Tel: (+1-305) 932-6200
www.fairmont.com.

Now for the inspiration that spawned this tale. My daughter gave me a gift certificate for anything through SPAWISH a website that offers products and certificates for treatments at a large variety of spas and other venues throughout the US. I searched for one near my home and after looking over the websites settled on a franchise operation called the Natural Body Spa.

When I called for my appointment there were a few surprises.

They take your credit card information over the phone apparently to charge no shows.
The location was in an average large multilevel mall. After arriving I realized they also had an entrance on to a busy street which made sense for all the working people in the area.

As much as I've said trappings are not important, this Natural Body Spa is not remotely big budget in décor or amenities. In the open reception area there was a bathroom sink quite stained or at least dirty. The two receptionists were on the phone and didn't even acknowledge me with a glance or smile until sometime had gone by and they finally were off the line.

I filled in the medical forms and went back to a more private area to wait for my masseuse. This was a very plain room with a few magazines and small water cooler; I was also offered hot tea. No cookies, nuts or fruit kabobs here!

Soon a nice young blond came and introduced herself as Holly my massage person for the first part of my treatment. We went off to the room (I'm still wearing my winter coat) and she says I can take off my clothes and jewelry and put them in a drawer of a low cabinet right there. I threw everything into the drawer and jumped onto the table under the thin sheets. When she came back she turned on the table's heat.

The usual insipid music was playing and the vents in the ceiling were slightly obscured by what looked like part of a parachute but I'm sure it was something else. Now you're guessing that this is going to be the worst experience of my spa life right? Wrong! Holly is a massage instructor with a degree in social work and a million other talents. Because I had split my hour into thirty minutes for the facial and thirty with her, she worked mostly on my upper body where the tension is and also my arms and hands - always an issue from so much typing and mousing.

This was the best massage I've ever had. She worked the muscles and tissue thoroughly at any level of pressure I wanted. She incorporated all the techniques of Swedish, deep tissue, sports and other disciplines. If I were sick Holly could work a cure. I want to be her agent.

Back to the dreary waiting area in my gigantic disposable slippers and robe.

Now came the dreaded wait but just before I had decided to get dressed and go home, along came Savannah for my facial. Savannah was a product of her skills; a beautiful young blond with perfect skin.

Interestingly I don't believe there was one candle burning in any of the rooms or incense. But aromatic was the name of the game for my facial and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I haven't had as many facials as massages but enough to judge that Savannah paid attention in school. Her technique was firm but not painful and knowing she had a limited time she moved along giving me a wonderful full blown treatment with nothing neglected and just one session of waiting a short bit for a mask to absorb. Unfortunately her room was below zero and I drove home with my car heater on high and blasting.

Holly and Savannah are the type of skilled professional workers that all the five star properties should be courting. They scored at least in the top five of my estimated 72 treatments around the world. Meanwhile overlook the dreary décor and if you live or visit in the metro Washington area these are the two to see.

Natural Body Spa and Shoppe
Ballston Mall, Arlington, VA 
703 243 4015

We're always on the lookout for new contributing writers with experiences on more destinations for the best or not! And copy editors would be most welcome. Just drop me an e mail.

Happy Trails!

Mary E. Gallagher

mary@gallagherstravels.com

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