PRIMLAND RESORT: A Deluxe Hideaway in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains
- Brad King
- Jun 1, 2016
- 5 min read
Getting lost in the moment is not a difficult task as you pass through the entry gate to Primland – a breathtakingly beautiful, eco-friendly resort snuggled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Meadows of Dan, Va. Making the winding, 20-minute trek up the the Didier Primat Parkway – named for the visionary French billionaire who built this luxurious mountain getaway, and whose children continue to build on his legacy – a visitor’s mind is free to wander in a place where civilization and the wilderness co-exist in harmony.
Traversing the mountain road, every turn reveals a new vista. With each altitude increase, the views broaden as the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina extend out to the horizon in cascading tiers. Primland’s sheer size – 12,000 acres, about the size of Bermuda – reinforces the idea that your passport is stamped for adventure.
During the past decade, Primland has taken luxury to new heights, boldly stepping into the upper echelon of the world’s great getaways by virtue of the enormous menu of activities. These include a championship-caliber golf course; world-class hunting, fishing and outdoor activities; a stunning LEED-certified lodge and other equally impressive accommodations; and a spa that combines American Indian treatments with the best in European technology.
Primat passed away in 2008, having created his vision for the Lodge on the property – a Swiss chalet with a silo at one end designed to serve as an Observatory. His descendants, who inherited his passion for the great outdoors and his love of Virginia, now own the resort.
GOLF Primland Resort’s piece de resistance is the Highland Course, a spectacular brute that crowns the top of a mountain at 3,000 feet. An eastern course with western scale, many of the Highland Course’s rolling, tree-lined holes are pushed to the brink of a deep gorge studded with towering rock pinnacles. The contoured greens – which resemble blistered potato chips – are exceedingly quick.
Designed by famed European architect Donald Steel – considered by many to be the preeminent links course architect in the world – the Highland Course presents mountain golf at its absolute finest, standing out in Steel’s vast and impressive portfolio of courses for its variety of mountaintop challenges. Setting aside the beautiful environment, Steel designed no vast carries. There is not a single body of water on the course. Primland’s Highland Course was built on the traditional value that golf course architecture is an art rather than a formula.
“There is a remoteness about Primland, a sense of escape, that is special,” says Steel. “Golf courses have been built in every landscape imaginable butonly rarely on mountain peaks. Primland sits on top of the world, enjoying scenic views that stretch the vocabulary and with a design of the course that is very different.”
ACCOMMODATIONS Primland’s accommodation choices are many, from the rustic one-to-seven bedroom mountain homes to the Fairways and Pinnacles Cottages, the three clifftop tree-houses for romantic getaways and the fusion of Swiss and Virginia architecture that make up the chalet-and-silo inspired Lodge.
The magnificent 72,000-square-foot Lodge at Primland sits astride the crossroads of the golf course, with the Pinnacles of Dan as a majestic backdrop. The ultimate accommodation is the Pinnacles Suite, which has which has 1,800 square feet of space and is located directly below the silo-designed Observatory, providing stunning views of the stars. Lodge amenities include a spa, an indoor pool, fitness center, recreation area, a ballroom, golf shop, locker rooms, and a fully outfitted boardroom, meeting facilities, theater and indoor parking.
In 2015, Primland introduced 16 new accommodations in four Pinnacles Cottages overlooking the Pinnacles of Dan and the Dan River Gorge. These new two-story chalet-like structures, constructed in a cluster adjacent to the first tee on the Highland Course, were designed for families and friends who wish to lodge together in their own environment.
Each cottage – Hummingbird, Robin, Oriole and Bluebird, named for birds that inhabit the region and painted in their respective colors – contains two large suites and two suite rooms. All have modern furnishings as well as rustic accent pieces like stump and root side tables. Spacious balconies are perched 2,800 feet above the Dan River Gorge.
DINING During high season, Primland offers four different dining options. Elements is the formal room where the executive chef and his team proffer delectable dishes created from the mingling of forest-to-table and farm-to-table edible delights. The elegant 72-seat dining room is located at an altitude of 2,800 feet overlooking the golf course and the Dan River Gorge. On the more casual side, The 19th Pub has options to please all palates – from juicy burgers to the whimsical pig candy or cheddar fried cheese ball starters. The 19th Pub is perfectly situated overlooking the 18th green and 10th tee. It’s an ideal stop for meals and beverages either mid-round or afterwards. The Great Room also provides distant views, matching fireplaces and is in close proximity to the two-story glass-walled wine room.
From Thursday through Saturday, Stables Saloon caters to families, many of them transported to the venue in horse-drawn buggies, with barbecues and a band on Saturday nights. And, down at the Activity Center, the Woodland Grill is the place for a quick soup, sandwich or burger after a morning of off-road adventures, horseback riding, fishing, hunting, archery or shooting clays.
AMENITIES Wildlife is everywhere at Primland, with deer dashing up and down the rock faces, wild turkey trotting across the byways and the occasional bear sighting. Orvis-endorsed since 1990, Primland appeals to hunters seeking extraordinary experiences in equally amazing surroundings. The resort, which has been seen on several hunting shows, has packages catering to both individuals and groups.
For parents who want to introduce their children to the thrill of the chase, Primland offers a parent-child experience in addition to the three-hour hunt. Primland’s staff of experienced guides and instructors makes this an excellent venue for introducing first-time hunters to the sport of upland wing shooting. Primland’s scenic sporting clays course has been featured in Sporting Clays Magazine. Sometimes referred to as “golf with a gun,” sporting clays are becoming a preferred form of corporate entertainment. Two other challenges available are Primland’s bow and air rifle ranges, where shooters can aim at a variety of bull’s-eye targets and 3-D animal targets, from whitetail deer to woodchuck. Among the other activities available at Primland are ATV and horseback riding, fly-fishing and pond fishing. Fishermen can cast for rainbow, brown or brook trout in the tail waters of the Pinnacles Reservoirs, in a gorge referred to as “The Grand Canyon of Virginia.”
For those who relish time outdoors, there is also GEO-caching on two nature trails; mountain biking; hiking on a restored six-mile section of the Old Appalachian Trail; tennis; fly fishing; Funyaks (rubber kayaks) which use the Talbott Reservoir; disc golf (played with a Frisbee instead of a golf club); and tree-climbing.
The ultimate Primland experience takes place nightly, when the resident Starmaster and other members of the astronomy staff guide guests to the Observatory at the top of the Silo in the Lodge. Using the Celestron CGE, viewers can see into deep space and observe galaxies 27 million light years away.
SPA The Spa at Primland brings the great outdoors indoors in a calm, tranquil and uplifting space where guests can relax, recharge and rejuvenate enjoying native treatments in harmony with nature surrounded by sounds that soothe the senses. Many of the materials used in the wellness process – wood, stone, marble – are also reflective of the locally sourced natural building materials that were selected to provide an ambience in keeping with the design of the Lodge. “We wanted to take the spa experience to new heights,” says Garance Primat, one of the Primat family owners, “and give our guests a feeling that will linger as long their memories of this very special mountain getaway.”
