A second act for a grand old lady

Ah, The Greenbrier.

The majestic mansion on the mountain that overlooks 6,500 acresof resort grounds has been hosting guests for more than 230 years.It has entertained presidents, dignitaries and celebrities with itssignature style, renowned service and genteel opulence.

It also houses an underground bunker that was once a top-secretU.S. government relocation facility for Congress. The bunker is nowopen for tours and meetings.

But the blush seemed to be off the rose in recent years, fallinglike the star the resort lost in the Forbes (formerly Mobil) TravelGuide rating at the beginning of the millennium.

With the resort and its traditional clientele aging, coupled witha sagging economy that took the corporate junket dollars down withit, the Greenbrier struggled and finally faltered; it declaredbankruptcy in 2008.

Enter new blood -- and stacks of new money -- in the form of anew owner, West Virginia entrepreneur Jim Justice, who bought theproperty from CSX Corp. in 2009.

Justice embarked on a mission to save the historic resort -- andreturn it to profitability -- with a fresh look, more contemporarydining and entertainment options, and a PGA tournament event.

The renovated resort had its splashy coming-out party in 2010with a star-studded red carpet opening for its new $80 millionunderground casino.

My husband and I visited The Greenbrier twice, once in 2005 andagain in 2006, on corporate retreats with his company. Ourimpression then was positive, but we both thought the place wasshowing its age, and the vibe was more formal than we'd prefer fora relaxing getaway. Despite the superior service and the resort'snatural beauty, it is not a place we would have chosen to go on ourown.

Have the recent renovations made it a more attractive vacation destination?

We think so.

Amenities and service

We stayed at The Greenbrier from Feb. 11-13, over Valentine's Dayweekend. The resort's level of service remains stellar. Guests arewelcomed promptly and warmly; every staff member is polite andprofessional and seems genuinely interested in keeping guestshappy.

The interior decor of The Greenbrier makes a bold statement. The legendary imprint of decorator Dorothy Draper, who drenched theplace in patterns and colors in the 1940s, stands in stark contrastto the austere white, Greek-revival exterior.

The place is clobbered in color. The enormous floral and foliagepatterns of scarlet, emerald and fuchsia are impossible to escape;they're on the carpets, the drapes, even the tiles inside thebathtubs.

On our first visit to the resort, I was not a fan of Draper's"high style."

But the arrival area and the lower lobby were transformed intomore open spaces in the renovation, making them more inviting andthe saturation of color and pattern less overwhelming.

We stayed in a junior suite -- which was much bigger than myfirst apartment -- featuring pastel pink striped wallpaper, aminibar, a sofa (as green as the golf course, with floral pillows,of course), a walk-in closet and two high-definition televisions.Wireless Internet access was instantly available with no cumbersomepasswords or firewalls.

Little touches, including a lighted, magnified makeup mirror, a comfortable work desk and complimentary salon-quality toiletries,made the room especially nice.

From our suite, we could see the new ice skating rink, flanked bya fire pit and firs decorated in brilliant strings of lights.

My only complaint was the bathroom. Because of the age of theresort, I understand that the bathrooms are small, but there wasvery little counter space at the vanity/sink, and the floralwallpaper that covers every inch, including the ceilings, made analready tiny room feel claustrophobic.

And for a place where the paper cocktail napkins feel like finelinen, the resort can't do better than single-ply, industrial-grade toilet tissue? Really?

Activities

It's hard to be bored or have a need go unserviced at TheGreenbrier. You can shoot clay targets or learn to hunt withfalcons in the morning and have a relaxing spa experience in theafternoon. Even the most offbeat services are offered: Want toupdate your will? There's a notary public available. Care to have afamily portrait taken? Call the staff photographer.

Visiting during the winter means we could have had our choice ofa horse-drawn carriage ride or a sleigh ride -- the sleigh was onwheels, so a lack of snow was not a problem.

On our previous visits, we enjoyed spa treatments, so we electednot to indulge this time.

Instead, we visited the indoor tennis club and fitness center,spending a few hours working off calories and practicing our tennisswings with the ball machine. (My sincere apologies to the couplein the adjacent court whom I traumatized with my errant slices andslams.)

The only fixed appointment on our agenda was a wine and chocolatepairing Saturday afternoon -- a special event hosted by theresort's wine director, Heath Porter, for the Valentine's Dayweekend guests.

Porter was charming, enthusiastic and informative. The wines and chocolates were decadently delicious. We stumbled back to our roomafterward with a delightful sugar buzz.

The casino

The main attraction for our visit was the casino, a venue onlyopen to resort guests.

The Greenbrier describes it as " 'Gone with the Wind' meets MonteCarlo" for its mix of antebellum charm and glamorous gaming.

Gamblers will find few bells and whistles in the new casino --and I mean that in the most complimentary way. The slot machines donot feature that incessant dinging noise that rattles inside youreardrums. Game choices include roulette, poker and blackjack tablesthat cater to a wide range of risk comfort levels (the cheapestblackjack table is $15).

This was by far the most enjoyable gaming experience I've everhad -- and that's not just because I won $16 at a penny slotmachine. The Greenbrier's club offers all of the fun without thathaze of desperation that hangs over most casinos.

The entertainment, which includes occasional song-and-dancenumbers on a gazebo stage in the center of the casino and anightly, champagne-toasted waltz performed on the staircase, iscruise-ship caliber. The lounge, Twelve Oaks, is comfortable,serves a tasty array of bar munchies, and the servers are attentiveand tastefully dressed.

Dining

We wanted to sample the new food options, so we skipped the jacket-and-tie-required main dining room and Draper's, where we havedined on prior visits.

Our Friday night dinner was at Prime 44 West, the steakhousenamed for West Virginia University basketball legend Jerry West anddecorated with a large collection of memorabilia from his days as aMountaineer and with the Los Angeles Lakers.

To my husband's delight, a jacket but no tie is required.

Dinner started with complimentary cornbread, made from CathyJustice's -- Jim Justice's wife -- recipe. A souvenir blue ribbon,commemorating Cathy's victory at the State Fair of West Virginia --with the recipe printed on the back -- accompanied the cast-ironDutch oven in which the bread was served.

My husband had a horseradish-crusted filet while I had gnocchiwith spinach. We shared an ample side dish of foraged mushrooms andonions.

My potato dumplings were fried and crispy -- not typically theway I prefer -- but the dish was tasty, and my husband enjoyed hissteak. The travel writer from The New York Times who lamented thelack of creamed spinach on the menu should be pleased to learn ithas since been added.

The next day, we had lunch at In-Fusion, the contemporary Asian restaurant located inside the casino. We shared sushi, a combotempura platter and the best fried dumplings with garlic dippingsauce that I've ever tasted. I regret that we chose a table insteadof sitting at the sushi bar where we could have watched the chefmake our Philadelphia roll.

Saturday night's dinner was at The Forum, an Italian eatery andwine bar that occupies the former space of Draper's. I had a wildmushroom and truffle oil pizza baked in a coal-fired oven -- thisis West Virginia -- and my husband had gnocchi (not fried thistime) swimming in a creamy, cheesy tomato sauce that begged to besopped up with my pizza crust.

We ended our weekend at Cafe Carleton for breakfast before wechecked out. The small eatery is located across from the Draper's,flanking the entrance of the casino, and offers pastries,sandwiches and salads during the day.

The bottom line

While I appreciate the value of The Greenbrier experience withits exceptional service and convenience to Roanoke -- we left workat noon and were on vacation before 2 p.m. -- the resort is not forthe traveler on a tight budget.

Rates for the 682 rooms -- bedrooms in the main building, suites,guest and estate houses -- range from $199 to $670 per night.

Our dinner at Prime 44 West, with two glasses of wine, twoentrees, one salad, coffee, cappuccino and gratuity, was almost$200, a bit pricier than the typical high-end steakhouse.

The other eateries were more in line with their peers: Lunch atIn-Fusion was $50 with tip; dinner at Forum was $60, includinggratuity.

The tennis court was $30 per hour with the ball machine.

A resort fee of $20 (plus tax) per day per guest covers the many "complimentary" options, including the indoor pool and the new iceskating rink -- skate rental, however, is an additional charge --the fitness center and aerobics room, and movies in the resort's300-seat theater.

In the summer, guests can lounge by the outdoor infinity pool,use the putting greens or wander the hiking trails.

Tea and crumpets are served at 4:15 p.m. in the lobby; cookiesand cocoa are provided at 11 p.m.

There are frequent package deals offered that include some meals -- and waive the resort fee -- that can make a weekend getaway atThe Greenbrier more affordable. Potential visitors can be keptapprised of promotional offers by signing up for e-mail alerts onthe website or through Facebook and Twitter.

Would I go again? Absolutely. Would I shop for a discounted rate?Certainly.

In January, the resort was awarded a five-diamond rating for the35th consecutive year from AAA, one of only a handful in thecountry. Forbes, however, is still stingy, sticking to its four-star rating for 2011.

The Forbes folks either haven't visited recently, or they musthave lost a lot of coins at the penny slots. No other explanationmakes sense.

300 W. Main St.

White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.

Phone: (800) 453-4858 or (304) 536-1110

www.greenbrier.com

682 rentals (single rooms to seven-bedroom suites to a four-bedroom estate house), $199 to $670 per night.

Three golf courses open to nonresidents: The Old White ($325 for18 holes), The Greenbrier ($185 for nine holes; $225 for 18 holes),The Meadows ($135 for nine holes; $175 for 18 holes). Additionalcharge for caddie and cart.

Spa services include massage, hydrotherapy, facials. Prices onwebsite.

Six year-round dining options: Main dining room, Prime 44 West, In-Fusion, The Forum, Draper's, Cafe Carleton, Twelve Oaks Lounge

Casino, featuring blackjack, poker, roulette and slots, open onlyto resort guests.