ATP Quiz: Where Is This?

Lakefront luxe ; Top-notch rooms and amenities keep Coeur d’Alene Resort at the top of travelers’ lists

The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA) April 23, 2000 | Chris Wille Staff writer After checking into The Coeur d’Alene Resort, my wife and I headed down to the spa to satisfy our curiosity. The moment we stepped through the door, the spa coordinator graciously offered us a tour.

We also chatted about the lake’s beauty and left impressed by the first-class attention.

Later that day, in the Whispers lounge, we bought a drink that came in a mammoth souvenir glass. Once we finished, our server offered to clean the glass and promptly put it in a dishwasher. More than just a quick rinse and dry.

We enjoyed the attentive, friendly help. That service is one of the reasons The Coeur d’Alene Resort has won a Four Diamond Award from the American Automobile Association for 14 consecutive years. Beverly’s, its signature restaurant, also recently received the award, for the 11th year in a row.

The resort’s streak looks like it will continue. Two weeks ago, workers finished a $5 million-plus upgrade of the seven-story Park Tower, which sits over the center of the hotel. The tower’s 109 rooms overlook either McEuen Field to the east or Lake Coeur d’Alene and City Park to the west. With new bay windows on the east side and floor-to-ceiling glass on the west, guests gain a more impressive view.

The Four Diamond Award puts the resort on a premier list — among the top 3 percent of lodgings in North America. Eastern Washington scored just one, Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop; Montana only had one, Mountain Sky Guest Ranch north of Yellowstone, and southern Idaho chalked up exactly one, the Grove Hotel in Boise.

So what merits a Four Diamond Award?

“Four Diamond facilities take quality, consistency and customer service to a higher level,” said Tom Devine, vice president of AAA’s Inland chapter.

Steve Wilson, The Coeur d’Alene Resort’s general manager, also noted that two key issues have become much more important with travelers over the last several years — safety and cleanliness — and both count in AAA ratings.

Along with the resort’s notable service and product, it all adds up to four diamonds.

Dragging my wife along, I had the tough job of checking out the resort last month after the two awards were presented. Susan and I had been there before for a wedding, but not for an overnight stay. We opted for one of the packages, which included an eighth-floor room in the Lake Tower looking south across Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Our comfortable room had separate sleeping, sitting and dressing areas along with a balcony with chaise longues and a table. The view down the lake on this sunny Saturday mesmerized both of us. Unfortunately, we had forgotten our camera.

The bathroom had both a tub and shower along with a phone. A pair of plush terrycloth robes hung in the dressing area. Those came in handy when we went down to the pool for a swim early Sunday morning. coeurdaleneresort.net coeur d alene resort

The gas fireplace added a romantic touch that Saturday night.

The decor, in beige and blue hues, created a cozy ambience. A stylish watercolor hung on the wall.

The furnishings included a recliner with foot stool and loveseat perfectly placed for lying down and watching TV, as Susan quickly discovered. A short wall behind the loveseat separated the sitting area from the king-size bed (some rooms have a pair of double beds).

Our $274 Night on the Lake special included $60 in coupons for dinner at Beverly’s and a $20 coupon for breakfast, which we put toward the famed Sunday brunch at Dockside.

Our package was a March special. Summer rates are higher, but a variety of packages are available year round. One of the May specials lists an economy room in the north wing for $159. With one round of golf, the price rises to $259. With two rounds, it’s $298 – the best deal considering the usual May greens fee is $175.

Like rooms in the 18-story Lake Tower, the refurbished Park Tower rooms now have larger sitting areas, oversized beds, 27-inch televisions, private minibars and granite and marble in the entry and bathroom. New custom, hand-made Italian amoires add an elegant touch.

The new rooms, Wilson said, have “a very rich, warm feel.” The bigger windows bring North Idaho into the rooms. “We brought an awful lot more light into all of those rooms – with much more exposure to the lake on the lakeside and to the park on the marina side,” Wilson said.

“The early reviews (from guests) have all been very, very strong.” The new rooms, like most of the others, come equipped with Nintendo 64, Web TV, CD player and radio as well as high-speed Internet access.

Park Tower rooms facing west were enlarged by 80 square feet by enclosing the old balcony. They’re now 350 square feet and cost $329 per night. The east-side rooms come in at 260 square feet and go for $275 a night.

Rates on the 480-square-foot Lake Tower rooms depend on the view, ranging from $279 to $429.

Naturally, the resort also offers some upscale suites. The 3,000- square-foot Duane Hagadone Suite features a glass-bottom pool over a private patio, for $2,500 a night.

The Lake Tower’s top floor holds two other attractions: the Jerry Jaeger Suite ($1,500) and the Middle Suite ($600). All three penthouse suites can connect into one, taking the entire 18th floor. (In case you’re wondering, the Hagadone and Jaeger suites are named after the resort’s co-owners.) There are also seven Honeymoon Suites, all with tremendous views on the southwest corner of the Lake Tower, and a Jacuzzi Suite. Each with 550 square feet, they cost from $499 in July down to $229 in November and December. Honeymooners can lounge in a two-person Jacuzzi bathtub, while the Jacuzzi Suite has a six-person hot tub on the balcony.

While the rooms rate high marks, the resort excels in its amenities.

Those start with the award-winning golf course, world famous for its floating green on the 14th hole. The immaculately groomed layout has won a long list of honors from, among others, Golf Digest and Golf magazine. The May issue of Golf Digest includes the par 71 lakefront course on its list of “The Sweet 16″ rankings of the best of the best.

“They are the elite,” the magazine states of all 16, “the ultimate experiences, the very best golf that our part of the world has to offer.” Greens fees are $175 in April, May and October, and $200 from June through September. That includes cart, range balls and forecaddie. The best value is a package that combines golf with a room, with off-season specials offering the greatest bargain.

For golfers, the best deal is a room across the street from the resort at the Coeur d’Alene Inn. May rates are $169 for a room and one round, and $262 for two rounds.

Another major resort attraction is the spa, entering its fourth summer season. The newest treatment features hot and cold rocks, which are placed on towels all over the body and are even used in a massage. The spa also offers an array of body wraps, exfoliations, hydrotherapies and massages, plus salon services. Prices go from $22 for a manicure to $320 for the Fountain of Youth package. in our site coeur d alene resort

The resort also sports a private beach, racquetball court, bowling lane, giant indoor lap pool and a life-size computer simulator called Full Swing Golf.

For shopping ease, there’s an art gallery, logo and sundries shop, women’s boutique and gift shop off the lobby. Being a sucker for souvenirs, I was compelled to buy a golf towel with the resort logo.

Guests can choose from three prime dining options. Beverly’s, which has a world-class wine cellar, looks out over the lake from the seventh floor of the Lake Tower. Dockside also shows off the lake from the ground floor. Tito Macaroni’s offers gourmet pizza and other Italian fare inside the nearby shopping plaza. A covered walkway leads to the plaza, which holds 25 gift shops and boutiques.

After a delectable, romantic dinner at Beverly’s and a hearty, three-plate Sunday brunch, we needed some exercise. Avoiding the more strenuous Tubbs Hill trail hike nearby, we took a stroll on the world’s longest floating boardwalk, which borders the resort’s marina, and admired the yachts before checking out.

You pay a price for luxury, and The Coeur d’Alene Resort is nothing if not luxurious. The resort attracts an international clientele for good reason, and is a great special treat for local folk as well.

This sidebar appeared with the story:

IF YOU GO The Coeur d’Alene Resort For more information about The Coeur d’Alene Resort, call reservations at (800) 688-5253 or special promotions at (800) 684- 0513, or look on the Web at www.cdaresort.com. For information about The Coeur d’Alene Inn, call (800) 251-7829.

Chris Wille Staff writer