Bedford Springs Resort (my last walk with Chana)

(Chana)

Bedford Springs Inn, - Bedford, PA

©2009 Robert Burnham (words/photos)

In Memory of Our Friend, Chana

The legend of Bedford Springs began over 200 years ago.  Eight separate mineral springs were discovered among the greenery hardwood landscape and became famed as a mecca of rejuvenation.  Today the legacy of the area is manifested in the renewal of the original Bedford Springs Resort and Spa.  It was an unprecedented $120M renewal and expansion of an already existing property now known as a crown jewel of the world-renowned Omni resorts hoteliers.   Last week, my late friend Chana escorted me on a tour of this extraordinarily exquisite and extravagant resort.

Located in Pennsylvania’s picturesque Cumberland Valley, Bedford Springs beckons the affluent and the curious alike.  The 2200-acre resort sits a mere 90 minutes from Pittsburgh, 120 minutes from Washington DC, and only 180 minutes from Philadelphia.  The resort served as the summertime White House for the Buchanan Administration.

This glistening resort consists of 216 guestrooms and suites, a conference center, the 30,000 square-foot ‘Springs Eternal Spa’, a champion 18-hole Donald Ross golf course, an aquatic center with multiple mineral springs-fed pools and Jacuzzis, on property trophy trout fishing and over twenty-five miles of hiking and riding trails.

But if you wish to stay, be sure to bring your VISA card.  Guest rooms without porches are priced between $189 and $399 per night while the deluxe rooms with porches will set you back $239 thru $479 per night.  The modest suites exhibit a price tag of $425 thru $869 per night depending on location and season.  For that very special occasion or if you happen to have wads of money to burn (my friend Peter Swanson comes to mind), the premier suites can be had for $1249 thru $1599 per night.  Of course the preceding room fees are in addition to the mandatory $20 per night ‘services fee’ which covers valet parking, your copy of the USA Today newspaper, your complimentary afternoon tea and an evening bottle of spring water for each registered guest, and of course wireless internet.

As a registered guest you are also welcome to take advantage of ‘modestly’ priced amenities for which the resort and its staff is famous for providing.  Keeping within the resort’s primary business of people pampering, the hosts offers a mind-staggering array of spa and health services – for a price.  A sampling of which follows.  This list is not all inclusive, nor does it list the most expensive or the least expensive services:

Eternal Serenity Massage (80 min)                       $160

The Hydrossage (70 min)                                                $170

Hiker’s Delight Massage (20 min)                        $ 65  (worth every minute)

Relaxing Medicinal Ritual (100 min)                      $210

            - with Bath (120 min)                             $455

Celestial Toning Bath (20 min)                             $ 40

Thermal Mud Wrap (80 min)                               $100

Anti-Wrinkle Eye Treatment                                $ 60

Half-Leg Depilation                                             $ 60

Under Arm Depilation                                         $ 35

Eternal Glow Facial                                            $160

European Facial                                                  $100

Eternal Pedicure                                                 $ 85

Classic French Pedicure                                      $105  (what? do the French have more foot appendages)

Zen Manicure                                                     $ 60

Classic French Manicure                                     $ 85  (again, see the witty comment above)

Beard and Mustache Trim                                   $ 30  (I assume this is for the gentlemen)

Make-Up Application                                          $ 65

Make-Up Application, for Brides                          $100  (I’m not touching this one…)

Sunrise Yoga on the Front Lawn                          $ 20

It is my sincere wish, dear reader, that each and every one of you may take advantage of the resort or at least, like me, get to tour it as a pauper.  I will ask, however, if you have been a guest or at some point become a guest, that you will return to this article and leave a link to your fine review.

Living within a couple of miles from her home, our friend Chana would visit the resort frequently, simply to bask in its beauty – both made by man and by nature.  God bless.

Ciao,

- Robert

(photo of author by Chana)

~ ~ Thanks for Walking with Us ~ ~

:+)