Kingsmill Resort & Spa

Located in Williamsburg along the James River in Southeast Virginia, Kingsmill Resort & Spa is a AAA Four Diamond resort and a member of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide that offers 425 luxurious villa-style accommodations, six restaurants and 63 holes of golf, just for starters. An Anheuser-Busch property, Kingsmill is Virginia’s largest golf resort and sits on 2,900 acres. Kingsmill hosts the LPGA tour’s Michelob ULTRA Open (www.michelobultraopen.com) each May, which the LPGA players voted as Best Overall Event on Tour, and as having Best Caddie Hospitality, Best Family Hospitality and Best Party in 2007. Along with a professional tour event, the resort can handle everything ranging from one-day golf escapes to week-long family vacations.

The main building of the resort is the Resort Center which houses the Conference Center, two ballrooms and two restaurants, including The Bray Bistro for sophisticated Southern cuisine and Moody’s Tavern located on the top floor overlooking a par-3 course and the historic James River. The main golf club house is adjacent to the Resort Center and features Eagles, a steak and chophouse, full locker rooms and extensive pro shop. The fitness center, pools and marina are located on the other side of the Resort Center. Kingsmill’s accommodations are luxurious multi-unit villas in the surrounding areas. Each unit features views of the golf courses, James River, Warham’s Pond or the Kingsmill Tennis Center and all have balconies or patios.

Although everything is centrally located, the resort has a feeling of privacy, due in part to the villa-style accommodations. The resort layout provides the perfect opportunity to mingle and take part in many activities near the Resort Center but also allows for secluded relaxation back at the luxury villas. The one-, two- or three-bedroom villas are perfect for groups and single or extended family getaways.

Kingsmill features three championship courses as well as a par-3 course. The River, Plantation and par-3 Bray Links Courses are situated near the Resort Center while the Woods Course is located a short ride away in a corner of the resort. The River Course, home to the Michelob ULTRA Open, is a Pete Dye design with undulating terrain and many picturesque holes—although the finishing holes along the James River are particularly memorable. The Plantation Course, an Arnold Palmer design, is a shorter track topping out at 6,432 yards and offers generous fairways and challenging greens. Both the River and Plantation Courses wind through historical areas with remnants from the area’s original settlements. The Woods Course, a Curtis Strange and Tom Clark design, challenges players with tree-lined fairways and a mixture of distances to test every club in the bag. The par-3 Bray Links Course, which may be the best kept “secret” of the resort, is situated on prime real estate between the Resort Center and the James River. This 9-hole track offers holes up to 109 yards under pristine conditions. It’s truly a miniature version of a championship course. Use Bray Links to resolve any remaining issues with your playing partners from your first 18 holes, to touch up your short game or as your own family-golf adventure.

The year-round Golf Academy offers personalized lessons, clinics and one-, two- and three-day golf schools that can be designed to fit your vacation or business schedule. Golf schools tailored specifically for women and golf camps for juniors are available. Participants in the Golf Academy programs receive equipment evaluations and take-home video analysis of their swings. Want to really take your game to the next level and increase power and consistency? Kingsmill offers the Elite Sports Performance program where golf professionals analyze your swing and practice routine. Fitness trainers then use the analysis to develop stretching and exercise programs that strengthen your body physiology and ensure proper mechanics throughout your swing. Every golfer, from the budding tour player to the weekend amateur, can benefit from increased flexibility and strength in the proper areas of their swings.

The Spa at Kingsmill, Sports Club and pools are adjacent to the Resort Center. The full service spa features such treatments as the Kingsmill Sampler, which is a combination of the most popular massages. The 2,200 square-foot fitness center includes racquetball courts, indoor and outdoor pools and extensive weight machines and free weights. The health and sports complex also houses a game room and Regatta’s Café & Marketplace, which offers pizzas, Italian specialties and other casual fare for the whole family. Near the sports complex is the Kingsmill Tennis Center which includes a players’ lounge, locker rooms and 15 courts, including six Hydro CourtsTM and two lighted courts.

For business travelers, the Conference Center has a total of 16,000 square feet of meeting space in 16 conference rooms. Full service meetings planners and concierges are available. In addition to the conference rooms, there are two ballrooms with up to 6,050 feet to accommodate groups as large as 500.

Since Kingsmill offers easy access to the Intercoastal Waterway, Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, the resort has a full service marina with harbor shop, fuel service and 15 boat slips with water and power connections. The Marina Bar & Grille, set along the James River, features casual cuisine, live entertainment and an outdoor fireplace to enjoy cool evenings. Fresh Anheuser-Busch products are served here as well as throughout the resort’s other restaurants and bars.

What I liked about this resort – I like that there are plenty of activities at Kingsmill and the surrounding areas. Kingsmill offers plenty of championship golf in its three courses and par-3 course to satisfy even the most hard-core golfer but the resort does not have to rely on golf to attract visitors. I like that the Golf Academy offers lessons and can enhance golf skills through the Elite Sports Performance program to help golfers develop the specific muscle groups and muscle memory to develop powerful and consistent golf swings. The programs present a unique opportunity to play great courses and return from a trip as an improved golfer.

Away from the golf, the fitness center is top-notch and resembles something found more in a health club than a golf resort. The surrounding areas also provide many opportunities for group or family activities. Nearby the resort are Busch Gardens (www.buschgardens.com) and Water Country USA (www.watercountryusa.com), both also Worlds of Discovery® properties. Busch Gardens, voted the world’s “Most Beautiful Theme Park” for 18 years in a row, contains more than 50 thrill rides and attractions and treats visitors to several 17th-century European countries. Water Country USA, the mid-Atlantic’s largest water park, is set to a 1950s and ‘60s surf theme and contains more than 30 water slides and attractions. The Williamsburg area allows visitors to experience history as they explore 17th-century settlements and interact with representatives of the early colonial period at Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. Complimentary shuttle service is provided throughout the resort as well as to each Worlds of Discovery® and Colonial Williamsburg.

Kingsmill is only a one-hour drive from Richmond or Virginia Beach, a 2½ hour drive from the D.C. area and a 3½ hour drive from Raleigh. Amtrak provides service into Williamsburg and the resort is less than one hour from both Richmond International Airport (RIC) and Norfolk International Airport (ORF) which are both serviced by major airlines. These travel options make Kingsmill a convenient business or family vacation destination.

I would like to thank the staff at Kingsmill, particularly Wayne Nooe, Vice President Golf and Club Operations, and Chris George, Head of Instruction, for their time and hospitality during my visit. With its world-class golf and long list of amenities and nearby attractions, Kingsmill is a destination worthy of any golf outing, business event or family vacation.

Chris

Check out the Kingsmill Resort & Spa at www.kingsmill.com

Kingsmill Resort & Spa
1010 Kingsmill Road Williamsburg, VA 23185
1.800.832.5665 757.253.1703

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