aving grown up in the travel business I have been told over the years how fortunate I am to work in such a "Glamorous Industry." It used to be that working in the industry meant access to all sorts of complimentary trips, events, restaurants and airline upgrades. Those of us who have worked in the industry over twenty years have noticed the difficulty in maintaining service and hotel standards as well as employees who reflect the spirit of hospitality. After all, we are supposed to serve the traveler by providing a retreat, an escape from the daily norm that facilitates a vacation experience rich with positive and renewed energy from which to draw upon on his/her return.

In the old days, complimentary trips to writers and editors promised reviews of the products and services experienced. Not so today and I for one am happy about it. I chose this industry to provide a service, spread goodwill, tourism and hopefully a deeper understanding of oneself in relationship to others on this planet. I will pick the destination without regard to solicitation and accept no compensation in order to present an unbiased review to you, our valued web traveler and welcome guest. It is in this spirit and with renewed enthusiasm for our industry that I present a review of my first Editor's Pick ....a vacation to the Red Mountain Spa near Saint George, Utah.

I have the type of family that sitcom's make famous. If I didn't know better, I would have thought Seinfeld was modeled after my family. Fat, skinny, young, pre, peri and/or menopausal, arthritic, neurotic, demanding, stressed and/or spoiled pretty much covers the group I took to Utah and before I forget, the six of us came from three different States. All of us suffer from two or more of the aforementioned challenges. Need I say more? This group is either every hotel management's worst nightmare or best test.

Two of us flew to the Las Vegas airport, rented a car and drove to the hotel. The rest of the group met in Salt Lake City for a short commuter flight to the St. George airport. A complimentary hotel shuttle delivered them

 


  

to the hotel within 15 minutes where almost immediately they were checked in, given an orientation and appetizers were served. Meanwhile, back on the road from Las Vegas, two geographically challenged folks following a Mapquest issued directional guide happily headed unknowingly in the wrong direction for an hour. Warning: if you choose to drive from the McCarren Airport in Las Vegas, get your easy to read and follow directions from the Red Mountain Spa web page. There were lots of wonderful folks on the road to Red Mountain who guided us in the correct direction. Finally, and after an hour and a half, ahead of us rose an amazing array of earth tones layered in a three dimensional, vertical lift of mountains. Upon arrival at the resort, jasmine perfumed puffs of air enveloped us as we traversed the grounds. A deep sense of relaxation slowly penetrated our souls... even after driving from Las Vegas and getting lost with my geographically challenged passenger. We could not resist the urge to stop bickering, breathe deeply and simply forget all sense of time.

The hotel and grounds are subdued, quiet and ecologically appropriate. The dining room and meeting areas are casually elegant and relaxed. The service is deliberately slow and thoughtful. Most employees work in several departments. The perfect, young and very attractive waiter serenaded us both before and after dinner with musical accompaniment. What a treat for my college age niece! The healthy gourmet meals served at the hotel are definitely different than any of us expected. After experimenting with the new combinations of vegan, vegetarian and healthy portioned cuts of fish, chicken and beef, we all found a balance of salads, veggies, fruits and proteins that we enjoyed at every meal. For those whose appetites and bodies required additional portions, the staff was more than amenable to extra servings and/or additional items to supplement the meal.

The classes, seminars and exercise programs are both structured and taught by real people with average sized bodies which helped to make those of us with middle aged

  

spread feel comfortable sharing the classes with "Yoga Nazis," hiking and/or die hard fitness freaks. All levels of fitness were addressed and competitive type A's were quietly cajoled into relaxing.

Until I had been to Red Mountain Spa, I had always expected to find a serene, relaxing experience accompanied by soothing music, aroma therapy and expensive body and facial treatments that were followed by indulgent desserts and decadent bubbly. The Red Mountain Spa focus' more on the areas of mind and body that cannot be improved through artificial stimulation and products. What a concept! We did partake of facials, massages and pedicures and we attended the healthy eating seminars offered but, throughout our three night stay what remains the most impressive memory is the beautiful serenity we all achieved from the combined location, simple accommodations, meals and genuine employees.

It is hard to leave Red Mountain Spa and even harder to forget the peaceful gentle nature of the staff, facility and environs. Forget the Botox, facelift and liposuction and indulge yourself one week or weekend there soon. What you take home is far more valuable than skin deep beauty, any trinket or material possession. Whenever I fall back into my pre-Red Mountain mania, I reach for my already well worn Red Mountain Spa T-shirt and jump on my treadmill. Yes, this resort passed it's best test! As George Costanza would say to Jerry, Elaine and Kramer with a shrug of his shoulders, "Who new?"

On behalf of all of us at Getaway Packages, we welcome you to our site and new Monthly Editor's Pick and look forward to providing you with ideas and places that will enrich your life.

For more information on the Red Mountain Spa, visit www.redmountainspa.com.

 


       
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      All photos courtesy of Red Mountain Spa