Some places are easy to get to. Then, there’s Primland Resort, Auberge Resorts Collection. While driving has become my favorite mode of travel in the past couple years, getting to the secluded, 12,000-acre resort nestled in Southwest Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains founded by late French billionaire Didier Primat in 2009 required a bit more time (nearly six hours from the DC Metro area) than my usual roadtrip.
But once I reached the resort’s North Gate – where a kind woman instructed me to drive about 4 and 1/2 miles before turning right, and to slow down for the views – I knew I’d come to the right place. Twenty minutes later, made blissfully easy by sweeping vistas and wildlife sightings, I pulled up to The Lodge. The hub and heart of the luxurious mountain retreat that became part of the Auberge family last spring, it’s home to just 26 rooms and suites, two restaurants (fine dining Elements and the casual 19th Pub), a spa, and most notably, a state-of-the-art observatory with powerful Celestron CGE Pro 1400 and CPC 800 telescopes.
While The Lodge’s accommodations are a natural choice for those who want to be a stone's throw away from certain amenities, I hunkered down in a cottage suite instead. (There’s also family-friendly houses and dreamy treehouses.) Beyond spacious and kitted out with touches you’d find in a well-appointed residence – imagine having a separate living room with a stone fireplace and wet bar, private deck overlooking the Dan River Gorge, and spa-like bathroom with deep soaking tub – my suite immediately felt like my luxe home away from home.
Given Primland’s spectacular and expansive natural setting, summer and fall are the resort’s busiest times, with the legendary Highland Course, fly fishing, and hunting being the most popular activities. But here’s a secret: winter is also a sublime time to visit. The rates are more affordable, and the landscape looks even grander, yet feels more intimate. “After all the leaves fall off the trees, the property dramatically opens up,” comments General Manager Stefan Carstens. “You’ll start discovering things you never saw before, like streams and mountain ridges, and really get to immerse yourself in nature.” With less pressure to have a packed itinerary, it’s easier to enjoy a more leisurely pace. “You can have an activity-filled day, or a day of complete solitude to disconnect,” says Carstens. “You can find a nice balance in the winter, that’s what makes Primland so special.”
I followed Cartens’ advice to a T. Since I was burned out from the holidays and Omicron surge back home in New York, I happily did nothing the first day. The second day I engaged in a few activites, but spaced them apart: a late-morning, two-hour horseback trail ride, an afternoon deep tissue massage at the Native American-inspired spa, and an evening stargazing session at the observatory. Though my first visit to Primland was brief, I left feeling so relaxed that the drive back – which felt excurciatingly long on the way up – flew by in the blink of an eye.
