As you may have seen from my
Instagram feed, I visited the Primland Resort in Meadows of Dan, Virginia last month with my family. When I tell people about the resort, I get a puzzled look from them. Even though the resort is highly ranked, many people have never heard of Primland. I'm going to give you the inside scoop because it's definitely a place worth visiting.
Location
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| Meadows of Dan, Virginia |
Honestly, you will feel as if you have transported yourself into the middle of nowhere. But, in reality, this Virginia resort is only a few hours away from Raleigh, N.C. and an about 90 minutes from both Greensboro, N.C. and Roanoke, Virginia. The resort is also only
30 minute's away from North Carolina's "Mayberry."
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| @HinesSightBlog on Instagram |
The surprising thing is when you enter the Primland gates, you are still 20 minutes away from the main lodge. The Primland sits on 12,000 undeveloped acres. It is truly nature's playground.
The Primland Lodge
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| @HinesSightBlog on Instagram |
The Lodge is a European-influenced mountain retreat with just 26 rooms and suites. The resort owners are Swiss, and they've gone to great measure to personally hand-pick the decor. The lobby area is modern, but yet warm and inviting. I would call it sophisticated chic.
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| Blue Ridge Suite. All rooms have its own individual flair |
My family of four stayed in a Blue Ridge Suite. These rooms consist of a living room with a sleeper sofa, full-dining room, and an office area. Adjacent to the common room is a spacious bedroom and enormous bathroom. I personally thought the guest room was stunning.
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| Blue Ridge Suites comes with two queen beds or a king bed |
There were little extras like Primland Apple Cake on the table, hot chocolate for the Keurig, robes, slippers, and luxurious European bath amenities.
I sometimes get hung up on bathrooms in my hotel stays, and I don't want to bore you with details, but the gigantic tub, and open shower were really top-notch.
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| @Hinessightblog on Instagram |
There's a lot to do at Primland in terms of resort activities, but honestly, the rooms are so gorgeous that it was fun to hang out in the room for a little while. My daughter and I did just that as we waited for her spa appointment in the afternoon and the boys went on a hike. She watched TV. I caught up on Instagram, and we were quite content in our luxurious surroundings. The resort also offers tree houses, Fairway cottages, and mountain homes as lodging options.
The Spa
The spa is located on the lower level of the lodge, and it was a convenient elevator ride down from our room. In fact, I went downstairs in the hotel slippers. I mean if you are not going outside the hotel in them then why not just use them for the spa. It was a lot better than putting on my sneakers.
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The relaxation room overlooks the golf course
@Hinessightblog on Instagram |
The spa is not as large as some other spas I've visited, but it's very luxurious and has a boutique feel about it. The spa's Native American influence and philosophy set the spa apart from others. The Primland Spa is also very family-friendly, and you can read more about the
Primland Resort Spa in a travel feature I wrote for Skimbaco Lifestyle.
The Culinary Scene
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| Primland's signature restaurant |
Elements is the main restaurant in the Lodge. It's French-inspired New American cuisine with a farm-to table approach. The restaurant is a culinary experience with a jacket-required type environment. I skipped the experience because I thought it might just be too formal with the kids,especially for the day we arrived when kids are normally tired and cranky from traveling. Elements does have a kid's menu and certainly welcomes children for all meals.
We chose to dine with the Primland's General Manager at the
19th Pub, which is a very small bar in the Lodge overlooking the 18th green, and is under the culinary leadership of the Elements Executive Chef, Gunnar Thompson. It was perfect for us, and the food was divine.
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| Cuisine at 19th Pub at Primland |
The 19th Pub menu takes a cue from its sister restaurant, Elements, with a farm-to-table menu. I enjoyed our meal a lot, and in my opinion, the cuisine there is a slight culinary step above the resort's other casual restaurant,
The Stables Saloon.
The Stables Saloon is very kid-friendly though, and it does give guests another casual option on property. It's located about 10 minutes from the lodge in the original horse stables. My food was good, but the 19th Pub cuisine was more memorable for me and really wowed me from a foodie perspective. And knowing about Chef Thompson's Relais-Chateaux background, I think
Elements is something not to miss if you think your kids are up for the experience, or if you are traveling as a couple.
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| @Hinessightblog on Instagram |
Elements serves breakfast until 11 a.m. My press agenda called for room service during out stay, and that was a delight. The full-dining room table in the suite made breakfast as a family very enjoyable each morning.
Resort Activities
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The view from Rainy Gap Trail, overlooking N.C. from Virginia
Only visible from an ATV ride or hiking |
Most people don't like to sit in a hotel room as much as I like to do. Primland definitely has you covered for things to do while visiting. There is golf, tennis, hiking, geo-caching, fishing, ATV rides, horseback riding, shooting, stargazing, and indoor swimming. It's pretty amazing.
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| @Hinessightblog on Instagram |
Adventure is the current trend in family travel, and Primland is on the cutting edge. The hotel will pack you a picnic lunch, and all 12,000 acres are yours to explore.
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She caught her first fish
@LeighPHines on Instagram |
I go into a little more detail about
Primland's adventure side on this travel feature for Skimbaco Lifestyle. I will say that my little Diva loved the spa and fishing while my son loved hiking, geo-caching, and the ATV ride.
Afternoon Tea and Nightly S'mores
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| Afternoon tea is served at 4 p.m. daily |
I, of course, love a hotel that serves afternoon tea. Primland's tea is simple,complimentary, and perfect for an afternoon pick me-up. Even the tea has a nature theme, and the gingerbread cookies were outstanding. Shh. I ate more than one.
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| @Hinessightblog on Instagram |
Every night, the hotel offers complimentary s'mores. While Will and my son were in an astronomy lesson, I chatted with guests over S'mores. It turns out that every guest around the fire that night were from Raleigh.
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| Guests can make s'mores nightly. And you can make as many as you like |
Stargazing
Lately, Will has developed an appreciation for astronomy. Unfortunately, the weather does not always cooperate for stargazing, and that was our case while visiting the resort. Primland also has an astronomer on staff, and houses telescopes that only can be found at major universities. When the weather cooperates, the astronomer takes the telescopes out onto the golf course for some of the best viewing in the resort's dark sky.
Costs
Well, you know I write about luxury properties and unfortunately, they usually come with a price tag. But, my husband and I believe there is value in experiences like none other. Of course, I can do the song and dance that I like the decor and the rooms are heavenly, but sometimes when you talk about costs, it's the overall experience that a property offers that wins out and becomes the driving factor in planning a vacation or choosing a resort.
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@LeighPHines on Instagram
Someone fell in love with Daisy |
In my opinion, the nature surrounding Primland really helps set this property apart from other destination resorts. It's perfect for the family who wants to get in touch with nature, but who may have a mom in the family say, "Hell no, I'm not camping!" And look at the view you can get from your suite.
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| @Hinessightblog on Instagram |
Suites like we stayed in start at a rate of $425. The hotel does offer packages that do include resort activities. Mountain rooms, which are larger than average, start at $285 during the low season to $409 during the high season. There are also housing options that would suit multiple families.
In HinesSight on our Stay
Sometimes, it's best to let the kids tell you what they think. We did this interview on our last morning at the Primland Resort. We do hope to return again. We will always have fond memories of this resort, and hope you will, too, if you decide to visit.
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| @Hinessightblog on Instagram |
Want to Go:
Primland Resort
2000 Busted Rock Road
Meadows of Dan, Va.
I was a media guest of the Primland Resort. My opinions and experiences are my own.
Join us for #IGTRAVELThursday this week.
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