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Photo of Lafayette Park Hotel Lobby by Mike Czupryn - CMYK SF
To live in San Francisco is to have access to the best of Northern California. For most of us situated along the bay, this means less than two hours to wine country, three hours to coastal destinations, and four hours to skiing. Indeed, some of the country’s most celebrated resorts are found within these regions, and they are worth visiting. What is less worth doing is braving traffic, and crowds, and (for those of us whose leisure time is at a premium) sacrificing the time it takes to get there. Though we hope for long, scenic drives that gently separate us from our day-to-day and ease us into our vacation, we often get crowded interstates and road-raged motorists, elevating us to an even higher level of stress.
What if short getaways could be different? What if we could find ways to get out of the city or go out of town without relinquishing numerous hours and shreds of our sanity just to get there and back? What if we could find peace and tranquility, luxury in service as well as aesthetics, culinary excellence, and world class spas right here in our own backyards? The Claremont Resort and Spa in Berkeley and The Lafayette Park Hotel and Spa are the only two resorts in the East Bay that guarantee that we can.
Both maintaining AAA Four Diamond status in 2009, these properties mix full service with quality. Each offers large, comfortable guest rooms with distinctive choices for views and other in-room features; each houses two restaurants—one for casual dining, the other for fine dining; each maintains elegant common spaces that implore guests to sit and relax; and their spa facilities—in many ways, the jewel of both resorts—are among the best in the Bay Area. Their similarities end, however, with overall look and feel. Whereas The Claremont appeals to one’s sense of grandeur, The Lafayette Park satisfies a desire for intimacy.
The Claremont Resort & Spa
Once the private residence of the Thornburg family, The Claremont was lost in a checker match to Frank Havens, who converted the property to a hotel in 1915. Its dignified perch on a mountainside in the Berkeley Hills—with dining areas, patios, spa windows and some guest room windows overlooking city, hills, and bay—bespeaks a sense of vastness. This aura of plenty is also carried in the array of activities available to guests—from tennis amid the palms at the immaculate racquet club, to swimming and exercise (including classes) at its state of the art fitness facility, to public events that include a jazz concert series and a diverse set of monthly workshops, to hours spent in its spa, the Claremont offers something for everyone.
The philosophy of the wildly popular Spa Claremont is to focus as much on wellness as on relaxation and to develop treatments that are aligned with the emerging needs of its customers. Consequently, its menu is continuously innovating to reflect some of the most exotic (e.g., the Tibetan Sound Massage) and relevant (e.g., The Majestic Hydrafacial) treatments available. Borrowing gratuitously from other cultures, the spa offers signature Brazilian, Philippine, Mayan, and Hawai’i an “Journeys” that provide hours of relaxation in the form of herbed baths, scrubs, and massages made with genuine ingredients from each region. Spa management has a long track record of commitment to authenticity, and employs some of the only legitimately-qualified Lomi Lomi massage practitioners in the Bay Area. It has also favored the use of natural and organic products for over a decade, well before such distinctions were en vogue.
Guests who enjoy “getting lost” will love The Claremont—whether the intention is to find solitude in a quiet space, or to blend into the backdrop of one of its well-visited restaurants, a sense of flow is easily achieved within its walls. Enjoying light fare and infused-vodka cocktails at Paragon or taking in the view and the live piano music over Sunday Brunch at Jordan’s seems to visibly put guests at ease (though, this may have something to do with the three hours of complimentary childcare included as part of the resort charge…)
Recommended: The Sunburn (Paragon cocktail), the Paragon Chip-wich (my favorite dessert in the bay area), the Rebalancer (Ayurvedic spa treatment), and the (very large) lap pool at the health club
The Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa
For those seeking a more intimate getaway, the smaller and uniquely constructed Lafayette Park Hotel and Spa is a venerable retreat. Built in the style of a French chateau by the Alden family-owned Woodside Hotel Group, the Lafayette Park Hotel combines comforts that the modern traveler has come to expect while integrating the old world luxury of classic hotels. A towering strength—its success in maintaining a sense of openness throughout—is realized via especially large guest rooms and restaurants and common areas that overlook pleasing outdoor scenes, effectively bringing the outside, inside.
One need only set foot in the lobby to experience the themes that characterize the entire hotel—large spaces flooded with natural light, European artwork and furnishings, fresh flowers and live plants, and books, books, books. Inside each guest room, and in various nooks and crannies throughout the property, is a well-maintained and diverse supply of reading material to be enjoyed at guests’ pleasure. Those looking to make the most of the fresh air and east bay sunshine may be drawn to settle in with a good read in the fountain courtyard or pool patio. Those who like to curl up by the fire have several hearths to choose from, and may request a guest room that features a wood-burning fireplace.
If connecting with friends and loved ones is a top priority for your getaway, the configuration of The Spa at The Lafayette Park is ideal. Unlike many other top-notch spas that offer superb, but separate, facilities for men and women, this spa allows the pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, and relaxation room facilities to be enjoyed jointly. Also, the fact that many of these features are outdoor-accessible makes the dynamic different from that of other spas. The adjacent fire pit, as well as the poolside cocktail and bistro menu, only allow for a wider range of choices for your spa experience.
While visiting The Spa at The Lafayette Park, be sure to appreciate its fidelity to proven treatments. I was pleasantly surprised to find both cranio-sacral and lymphatic drainage massage on their menu—these are two treatments that have been effective for me, but that I have seen come and go at other spas. Also notable is its extraordinary value—the $185 Mini Spa Day offers a 50-minute massage and a 50-minute facial, and is the spa’s most popular package. And, from now through May 31, 2009, spa guests may enjoy 20% off of any unbundled treatment.
Recommended: Espresso Martini (Bistro cocktail), the Alaskan Halibut Saltimbocca and Cedar-Planked Duck Breast (Duck Club entrees), and the Lymphatic Drainage Massage (spa treatment)
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