Primland

It's worth the drive to travel to Primland and enjoy the best of what the Blue Ridge Mountains offer, particularly in the fall season. We staying in one of the suites overlooking the peaks and valleys of the mountains and never tired of the view from our rooms. The service was very good and the rooms were cozy. We enjoyed and recommend the star gazing experience in the observatory, wine tasting in the wine cellar, horseback riding, the RTV tour, the clay shooting course, and also the services in the spa. We were never bored, we learned a lot, and we had a wonderful time. We are already planning our next stay.

A beautiful resort in every way. Room was incredible and loved the spiral staircase. Maids kept our room so spotless. It was quiet at night, which we liked. Restaurants were lovely, with the nicest staff.Enjoyed the beautiful spa, therapists were great. Everything was perfection. Can’t wait to experience your resort in the future. Thanks for making our stay quite memorable.

My stay was related to a business event. The Primland team was kind and accommodating, including for vegan meals. The grounds offered many activities, but my favorite was the observatory for stargazing and instruction from an amateur astronomer. It was a privilege to stay at the hotel and I hope I have the opportunity to visit another Auberge location in the future.

Our stay was great with excellent accommodations and food! The new restaurant (under construction) will make it easier for guests staying at the Pinnacle Cottages since a shuttle or walk up a steep hill is required now for meals at the lodge. All staff provided excellent customer service!

Overall, a very stunning property in the mountains. My thoughts were as follows. The gym didn't have any proper weights over the 50 lbs dumbbells, no plates or bars, and the Tonal machine had spotty functionality at best. A real bench press and squat rack are a minimum for an adequate fitness room at a 5-star resort. Both the Peloton and Tonal had errors or had to be turned off and reset multiple times, and even when I got them working, they didn't provide a good workout. The best staff I encountered was the Woman at the bar at the Laural Bar restaurant, who was there every day of our stay for lunch and after drinks, but I can't remember her name. She was terrific. The bartenders at the events were great, and the European young gentleman who was also at Breakfast the day we had the omelet station was pleasant and helpful. The rest of the staff seemed very young and very new. I'd asked for help, and they really didn't have good answers on how to assist me. They rarely offered assistance or took proactive measures, such as bringing blankets when it was cold outside to those standing by the fire or bar snacks for those gathered around the fire pit, who were already purchasing a large number of drinks. Most of the five-star resorts have provided snacks and access to water/soda. There's a need for a proper Bike path. The main road listed as one of the bike paths, with people traveling at 45 MPH next to you, has no lines to denote lanes or a designated area to ride, and therefore isn't a bike path and shouldn't be listed as such. It just wasn't safe, and more than once, I almost got hit by construction vehicles. I asked to use the Golf paths, but was told no, as they didn't work because there were golfers out there. Therefore, you should establish proper bike paths. The Bootleggers Loop, which I had hiked the day before, wasn't a proper bike path either and was probably too dangerous for biking on. The bikes provided could also use some adequate maintenance. The bike chain wasn't oiled and should have been replaced a while back. It was slipping multiple times while I was riding, and the brakes were grinding too, which means they should have been replaced as well. Thoughts on the activities The hiking I did first was great. We had a wonderful hike on the path, and the guide was super nice and very knowledgeable. The next activity we participated in was the Clay Shooting; overall, it was a reasonably good experience, but there should have been two guides for this. I had to leave early to take a business call, so I didn't get to experience the whole thing, but she was very knowledgeable about the shooting. The Kayaking (in the not-so-kayaks) wasn't impressive for a five-star resort level. First, they weren't real Kayaks; they were inflatables, shaped like Kayaks, and there was no way to stay dry, unlike in a standard kayak. They also didn't cut through the water; instead, they floated above and often spun or veered off course when paddling. They also had holes in the bottom, allowing water to rush in and freeze your butt. I think the folks on the inflatable paddleboards stayed drier and had a better time, except for the person who lost their watch when they fell in (be careful!). There is also no proper launch dock; instead, there is a steep gravel entrance to the water. This led to my waterproof hiking boots getting soaked as they were submerged while trying to get out of the inflatable (I won't call them Kayaks), which then led to me having to skip ATVing since my shoes were soaked and I only had my dress shoes as an alternative. Somehow, they don't have any shoe dryers on the property. There was only one guide for the whole group. The group split up, and we had no help getting out of the inflatables, which wasn't very helpful either. I did go on the Hayride later, and that was nice after my boots had dried. Again, no snacks were offered during any of the activities before or after. We did get a boxed lunch after the shooting. The only time a soda beverage was offered was before the shooting. One side of the bed was completely lower than the other side. I had to sleep on the side that wasn't completely sunken in.