It’s summer. Time to get up outta here! For me, all it took was a three-hour drive to trade building construction, road closings, bomb threats and annoying coworkers for the serenity of one of the 100 best golf resorts in the world (according to Conde Nast): Kingsmill Resort.
At Kingsmill there are restaurants to suit your every mood. The Bray Bistro is for the contemporary crowd, Moody’s Tavern for those who enjoy bar hopping in Clarendon, and for the power lunchers there’s Eagles, the authentic steak and chophouse which features beechwood-smoked cooking paired with locally brewed Anheuser-Busch beers.
Kingsmill’s celebrated golf courses are the featured attraction. The River Course is home to the LPGA’s Michelob ULTRA Open. The Plantation Course was designed by golf legend Arnold Palmer. And the Woods Course, Kingsmill’s newest, is named one of Golf magazine’s “Top Ten Courses Available for Public Play.” If you have time and a little extra cash, be sure to spend an hour with the head instructor, Chris George—he nearly doubled my driving distance!
Once you complete your 18 (or 36) holes, there is still plenty to do. There is a game room housing pool tables, pinball machines and flat screen TVs. There is also a high-tech fitness center that includes a lap pool, work out room replete with trainer, racquetball courts, indoor swimming pool, and 15-court Tennis Center. If you’re like me though, you’ll opt for more time in the spa. I indulged in a slob-inducing massage and spent a great deal of time in the whirlpool where tiny towels sat chilling on ice ready to cool me.
I had dinner at The Deck at the Marina looking out over the James River at the Mothball Fleet (a group of aging Navy boats) while a band played. The food there was uneven—the lobster special a tasty bargain, the chicken skewers too dry. The service by college-age waiters came at the laidback pace one would expect at a beach or riverside restaurant.
I arrived back at my room to find that my sheets had been turned back and chocolates left on my pillow. The rooms are condo style, but no worries, just press zero on your phone and a staff member will be scurrying over in a golf cart to cater to your slightest whim. My one-bedroom suite overlooked the Plantation Course and was larger than most DC apartments and perfect for a lovers’ retreat (room service offers a lovers’ breakfast of Veuve Cliquot champagne, strawberries, smoked salmon and pastries), a foursome (golf that is), or a before-you-tie-the-knot night of debauchery. My most difficult task of the weekend was pulling myself from out of the cocoon of my feather duvet, 360-count bed linens and the Serta mattress made exclusively for Kingsmill. The next morning I tried out most of the spa’s signature products. Then I hid them all, hoping that I’d get a new stash from the maid staff. No luck, only the soap and mouth wash were replenished.
If you want to get out of town and get a dose of history, the Kingsmill Discovery Package is fabulous (2 nights/3 days for $599 for a family of 4), and includes unlimited admission to Busch Gardens and Water Country USA for length of stay (up to 7 consecutive days), complimentary fees for the greens and tennis courts, and much more. And remember, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center are all a few miles away.
Kingsmill Resort & Spa is located at 1010 Kingsmill Rd. in Williamsburg, VA 23185. For more information call 800-832-5665 or visit www.kingsmill.com.