CHATEAU ÉLAN AT THE VINTAGE - NEW SOUTH WALES
Chateau Élan at The Vintage - New South Wales - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Castle Of Indulgence |
| By: Hilary Doling, Issue 42 – Autumn 2010 |
| (Chateau Élan at The Vintage - Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia) |
| HILARY DOLING PREVIEWED CHATEAU ÉLAN, THE LATEST HUNTER VALLEY RESORT OPEN TO GUESTS IN APRIL THIS YEAR. |
| No jewellery, no watch, no makeup. “You’ve obviously done this before,” says Beverly the spa host as she hands me a fluffy white bathrobe as soft as ice-cream. Yes that’s me, the ultimate spa junkie. However even the most over-massaged spa aficionado couldn’t fail to be impressed by the extravagant spa at the newly opened Chateau Élan at The Vintage in the Hunter Valley, NSW. I walk down whisper-quiet carpeted corridors past 18 treatment rooms, making this one of Australia’s largest spas. There is also a relaxation lounge with elegant chaise lounges and leather recliners and a Hydrolounge with plunge pools and sauna. A nice touch is the Santé Room with its open fireplace where groups of friends can be pampered in unison. A range of Thalgo treatments will smooth you into submission. Especially the spa’s signature Terraké treatments designed around four elements; water, earth, air and plant life. With The Golden Door - Elysia just down the road the opening of Chateau Élan means the Hunter could soon be known as much for its spas as its Semillon. The new Chateau lifts the level of luxury in the region in one impressive swoop. Within toasting distance of some of the valley’s best vineyards, it also offers bona fide five-star service and gourmet fare dished up by executive chef Tony Maher at Legends Grill. Then of course there’s the other big drawn card. The Chateau is built on the edge of The Vintage, a championship golf course designed by Greg Norman. A challenging undulating course with bush or vineyard views at every turn generally considered the Hunter’s finest. Accommodation at Chateau Élan comes in the form of twenty spacious spa suites many with views across the 18th. Plush auberginecoloured sofas and open plan bathrooms with large spa baths keep up the indulgence level. The hotel’s name may already be familiar to travellers to the United States. The first Chateau Élan was created in the 1980s by US entrepreneur Don Panoz and his wife Nancy in the middle of a North Georgia vineyard. Atlanta’s wealthy soon began to flock there attracted by the extravagant spa facilities, the wine and the championship golf courses. Seven years ago after a round of golf at The Vintage and a shrewd appraisal of the business potential the Panoz’s, in partnership with The Stevens Group, decided the Hunter wine region, with many of the same ingredients, was the perfect place to build their second castle of indulgence. The first stage of the development is the impressive 18- room spa and the 20 spa suites that go with it. Later stages include a larger hotel and conference facilities. For those who manage to drag themselves off the course or out of the spa there are several luxurious activities on offer including boutique wine tours and early morning balloon rides. Slattery’s sleek black Helicopters will whirl you for a joy ride over the valley straight from the Chateau Élan lawns. For a little more indulgence you can ‘copter from Sydney straight to the Chateau in 45 minutes. That’s if you have a grand or so to spare. |
| Details: |
| Chateau Élan at The Vintage Hunter Valley |
| Hunter Valley Tours |
| Slattery Helicopters |
| Balloon Aloft |