Destinations & Resorts Properties offer Secluded Estates, Sumptuous Spas, & Fine Dining Galore

Written by Christine Wei for NYCityMama on 26 January 2012

We might have romance on all of our minds thanks to the fast approaching Valentine’s Day, but the properties at Destination Hotels & Resorts group are great for some R&R any time of the year. Beautiful private estates and indulgent spa treatments aside, the huge foodie in me is especially drawn to this group’s James Beard chefs and proud attention to fine dining.

I recently had the chance to attend an event catered by two DHR chefs, Harper McClure from TheFederalist in DC and Christian Schmidt from Terranea Resort in LA. First up was a miniature recreation of The Federalist’s veal blanquette en croute, a creamy stew cradled in a palm-sized pastry cup with a burgundy truffle purée and glass potato chip. ”The Federalist is about re-establishing culinary tradition, dating all the way back to the colonial era using heirloom vegetables and locally sourced meats,” McClure said, likening his dish to a chicken pot pie. He explains that blanquette is a centuries-old French dish that became part of American tradition when it was brought over by the colonists. “Blanquette is a lunchtime favorite. We serve it in the restaurant in a cast iron dish with puff pastry and people go crazy for it.”

Similarly, the masterpieces from Terranea Resort’s kitchens are created with an equal consciousness of local resources. “All the ingredients are from a 500-mile radius of where we are,” Schmidt said, listing the ingredients in his sweet-and-savory bites of roasted veal and tuna sashimi paired with beet and pesto sauces. Best of all, recipes like these are put together with a discerning consideration of the diners’ palates.

“We sell a lot of tuna in our restaurants and we sell a lot of beets,” Schmidt said of his choices for the night. “I take popular ingredients that are very desirable to throw together.”

While I always spend hours poring over Yelp reviews before a trip and will have a string of restaurants all mapped out, I’d be delighted to have such prestigious and mindful chefs at work in the hotel. And if I ever splurged on staying at one of the DHR properties known for its culinary prowess, I just might set aside a night to enjoy dinner at the restaurant.

The Destinations and Resorts

I say “splurge” here because the DHR experience unfortunately is not an everyday one for most of us. With a serious nod toward privacy, many of the properties were once decadent private mansions, estates, and residences, some with a particular emphasis on golfing or skiing. That said, if you’re ever looking for a special occasion getaway — be it of the romantic or girlfriend variety — here are a few offerings of the group’s whopping 35-plus properties that stood out to me:

For families and larger groups of friends, I love the idea of booking a Maui condo or villa with DestinationResort Hawaii. While many islands and hotels can offer sparkling waters and white sand beaches, having an entire condo to yourself seems like a great way to feel right at home. Travelers who enjoy cooking like I do can take advantage of the grocery delivery service, or even watch how the personal chef performs his magic in the kitchen.

Celebrating a milestone? The Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix, which first coined the term “Romantication,” ranks high on the ooh-la-la scale with it’s very own director of romance. Couples can enjoy custom enchantments put together by the director in the 1930s private mansion tucked at the foot of Camelback Mountain. With a secluded ten-room indoor and outdoor spa, not to mention a director of shopping in the know of local boutiques, this property can also provide some serious R&R for girlfriends in need.

But serious spa connoisseur can check in at L ’Auberge Del Mar, whose spa offers its own custom line of products. Many treatments today border on gimmicky, but this luxury spa prides itself on tried and true traditions from all over the globe, offering techniques from the Amazon to Morocco to Polynesia. Candle- and fireplace-lit out door patios, warmed up with heat lamps during the winter, create a serene backdrop for unwinding.

A more kid-friendly escape lies in Paradise Point, a 44-acre island just across the street from Sea World. Unique to the dense hotel scene in this downtown San Diego area, this property is strewn with fun film memorabilia because the resort is the brainchild of movie producer Jack Skirball. Another plus is that many parents feel safe letting their kids explore the property, entirely contained on the island.

Finally, If you don’t want to travel too far, Tarrytown House’s Hudson Valley location is ideal for the busy New Yorker. Once the host of glamorous galas and gatherings of the area’s wealthiest industrial families, this country estate offers an unobstructed view of fall foliage and is reachable via public transportation.