I have always wanted to go to the Greenbrier as it was a resort my parents visited many times and loved. I can understand the reason as my husband and I felt like we were transported to the 1950s the minute we walked into the grand lobby. The first thing that hits you is the overly bright red and emerald green carpet at the front door. I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz who needed sunglasses upon entering Emerald City.
The entire hotel is full of Dorothy Draper's original colors, chintz flowers and color abounds. I love flowers and color but still thought it was too much. But, once you get used to it, this becomes part of the charm and experience of staying at the Greenbrier. The gorgeous Main Dining Room with its fabulous chandeliers (we were told there are 82 chandeliers in the hotel including one used in the movie "Gone With The Wind") and the large- scaled lobbies lull you back to a time of grand hotels and gracious living when women dressed for dinner and men wore jackets and tie. This is a lot of fun for a few days.
We stayed in a Paradise Row cottage and really enjoyed it. It was large and very colorful with bright red (seemed new) carpeting. The bathrooms were not new but kept up nicely. Most importantly, the housekeeping was wonderful, and the linens and towels were all top quality as used in the finest hotels.
We dined at Prime 44 and I had the best lamb chops ever but the food here is ridiculously expensive. We preferred the Main Dining Room where we ate dinner twice. They have a trio playing music on the weekends and a small dance floor and that adds to the lovely ambiance of the room. We had 2 wonderful dinners, still expensive, but not as high as Prime 44 and the food here was also delicious. Buffet breakfasts in the MDR are a treat and at $ 27 a person, real value, for the amount of choices and the fact that you can eat as much as you want. You can also order off the menu a la carte if you prefer.
We played golf twice, once on The Meadows and once on The Old White which is more challenging but both courses are beautiful.
There is such a sense of history and one evening after dinner we just walked through some of the lobby hallways and marveled at the pictures of guests ranging from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher on their honeymoon. There is a group that entertains in the evening in the lobby living room with Broadway show tunes (no cost) or you can go to the elegant casino and gamble with a very well-dressed crowd where all men are required to be in Jackets and many wore ties, and women are well-dressed. This is not your typical Las Vegas casino crowd.
The grounds are magnificent and overwhelmingly beautiful landscaping and 150 year old trees abound on 10,000 acres. Walking there is a joy.
We had a most relaxing 3 nights and although a long drive from New Jersey, we will return again some day.