Play Golf. Reserve Time at Equani Spa this Summer.

Spoiler alert! You’re about to be spoiled. Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa is an exceptional resort experience that will beckon you back year over year. Last time I visited the resort, I didn’t get to do everything available and that’s the point—keep returning! I had been hiking, horseback riding, tasting local wines from nearby vineyards and shopping in town. Follow along with my itinerary and let it become an inspiration for planning your next visit.

New to Golf, or You’re a Pro?
I am lining up a lesson in advance with the Blue Ridge Mountain golf resort’s Director of Golf and PGA Professional, Steve Phelps. Golf is a lifetime game, and if you’re like me, it’s intimidating but exciting. Even if you’re a pro this championship course will be a challenge.

Photo: Closeup of course terrain; perhaps lone golfer in distance

The Brasstown Valley Golf Course is one of the more environmentally sensitive courses in the United States – its links use only 13 of 210-acres of surrounding woodlands.

The 18-hole course is a Scottish links-style layout with gentle hills and bent grass greens. It is designed by Denis Griffiths of Atlanta, whose firm has designed or renovated golf courses around the world. Griffith’s courses are renowned for contouring the existing terrain and blending the routing in the landscape’s natural character. We loved winding through wildlife preserves, ponds and streams.

DO make sure you visit the pro shop. It’s more than golf – you can select mountain-style souvenirs, high-end trendy clothing, golf wear and artful home goods.

Lodging packages include unlimited golf to entry level play.

Did you know? Both Golf Digest and Leading Golf Courses of America rank Brasstown Valley Golf Course as one of the top golf courses in Georgia.

Spa Sanctuary

Just across the road from the resort’s main entrance is the renowned Equani Spa. I visited last time to check out local and Cherokee hand-made crafts and jewelry in the retail area. The spa embraces the Cherokee nation spirit. It feels like a natural move through time when you’re inside, with timber furnishings and scents of therapeutic natural oils in this serene destination.

Photo: spa services

All the Equani Spa rituals begin with the traditional cleansing of hands and feet. The spa provides a curated selection of rejuvenating facials, body masques, soothing massages, manicures and pedicures, hairstyle and bridal makeup services.

Did you know? Guests and staff have said that if you sit quietly, the space initiates a sense of solitude without loneliness and a sense of peace and tranquility that is the true essence of this valley.

Every season there is something new. It’s always refreshing here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. See you in the valley!

By LYDIA SEA, Traveler-at-Heart on a mission to spoil herself better