When I first heard the news that The Umstead Hotel was being built, I was especially excited because that struck a chord with me. I had a previous grueling working life (that’s an oxymoron!) with a hotel catering sales career for several years after I graduated college. No I didn’t work in a 5 star hotel. I’d give that Doubletree Hotel at the time, a 3 star rating at best. I put in demanding 60 hour work weeks including weekends. I made very little money when I divided up all the hours…partly the admission price I paid for being ‘green’ in the business. But, I learned the ins and outs and the behind the scene details of how hotels operate.  Not sure how that helps me day to day today, but when I stay at hotels and my husband says something like ‘well why don’t they have our online reservation?’… I gently explain that hotel reservation systems are as sophisticated as the ticking clock on the wall and remind him of my hotel torture, I mean, good ‘ol hotel days…LOL.

So, have you been to the Umstead Hotel and Spa?  We did. We tried out the hotel, spa, and hotel restaurant.  It was definitely a great experience…I wouldn’t say the best ever…we’ve been to a lot of hotels… but at least a 4 star. They had just opened up for business so I can’t expect them to have everything worked out. Besides, I’m a little biased having been a hotel ‘insider’. I can truly say though that it’s the best hotel experience we’ve had without missing our sweet dog for more than 24 hours.

When we arrived, we weren’t all that impressed at the entrance…the bellman missed the mark on opening the door for us… but I never judge a book by its cover ‘cause in this case we weren’t gonna turn around. We checked in and got a room on the main floor.  The décor was very natural and beige. It was very fitting for the Raleigh woodsy surroundings. It appeared to be just another hotel room…well, until you get to the bathroom. That room is huge. It made the whole room seem gynormous.  There’s a large vanity area, a separate bath tub and glass enclosed shower with nice water pressure I might add…very important to my husband.  The bathroom was nothing less than first class.

Me, I like the details like the little chocolates and the his and her bathrobes. For us, the ‘his’ bathrobe almost always stays on the coat hanger. But I like the little things…like putting on a robe which is a great way to relax and get into the spa spirit!  It goes well with a coffee cup in hand too – see me all smiles.

Then I can step outside onto the balcony with my robe, and breathe the air. The views at the Umstead are primarily of the pool and trees.  Considering the hotel is in the middle of Raleigh, there’s not a whole lot of serene natural surroundings that can be used as backdrop. Although it would’ve been super cool if the hotel was built right in Umstead Park just down the street…but probably too many zoning issues and creepy crawlers.

We went downstairs for our spa appointments. I went and had a European facial at the spa and it was simply divine as expected.  The spa ‘waiting area’ was really really nice and quiet, plush and warm with several fireplaces, and your choice of chaise lounge or chair.  The tea and healthy snacks were just perfect.  They also add flavors to their water like lemon or cucumber which is a nice spa touch.   They’ve got all the niceties that most luxurious spas have like sauna, steam room, and Jacuzzi. And if you forget to bring your toiletries, they have most everything for you. I can’t think of reason why I wouldn’t give the spa a 5 star rating.

I’m sure my husband had a similar experience as he said it was awesome and he fell asleep…but you know, most men don’t have a lot to say as they don’t get all excited about the spa as us women do. That’s probably why they don’t put all the little nice details and decor in the men’s locker rooms, ‘cause they’d probably not notice. I guess it’d be like me taking the car in for new tires…not much for me to say either.

After you leave the spa… which believe me is hard to do… you can go to the lobby bar and relax for a cocktail.  That’s what we did anyway before we headed for dinner.

Herons is a great restaurant.  Definitely up there in my top 10 picks of favorite Raleigh restaurants.  Most hotels don’t make money off of their restaurants but this one I’m pretty sure does as it draws a reasonable crowd on any given night, including non-overnight guests.

There’s a Chef’s tasting menu option and a beverage pairing menu. By the way whenever you see the word ‘pairing’ on a menu, it means per course or meal.  There’s also a Sunday Brunch menu.   Everything on the menu is decadent, scrumptious, and perfect.  The Chef comes from working at the Blue Moon Restaurant in Vail, Colorado.  What’s significant about that? Well…if a Chef can cook perfectly prepared gourmet meals in Colorado high altitudes that changes cooking chemistry, then cooking in Raleigh should be a piece of cake!  Have you seen Bravo TV’s ‘Top Chef’ show? Colorado for the first season, if I recall correctly, is where the final competition show down happens to find the best of the best.

After dinner, I was totally worn from such a great meal. Eating well can be tiring you know. …Well that coupled with a spa treatment.

In the AM, we tried room service for breakfast. The Eggs Benedict is just what the doctor ordered…well, maybe not so much for a healthy, nutritious meal… but definitely for a pampered- lower-your-stress weekend anyway.

Packing up and leaving the Umstead for the weekend was hard.  It’s definitely my favorite hotel in Raleigh so far.  It’s going to be hard to beat such a top notch hotel in this area.