Hotel: Ballantyne Resort, Charlotte, N.C.

Address: 10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, Charlotte

Website: www.luxurycollection.com/ballantyne

TraveLife Ranking: 4+ Stars

Rooms: 214

Room Rates: From $180 to $329 for deluxe

Awards: One of Executive Traveler magazine’s “best of” series winners. Its spa is recognized by Conde Nast Traveler magazine as one of the top three facilities in North America and its amazing golf course is rated as one of the world’s great resort course by PGA Magazine. Travelife gives both the spa and golf course 5-star honors.

Highlights: This is a resort you like from the moment you walk into its stately foyer which is lined with cappuccino marble, brightly covered furnishings, warm wood trim and some of the nicest staff in the industry, all of whom wear nametags with their country of origin. Very nice touch. If you turn right at the entrance, the long painting-lined hallway leads to the resort’s fine restaurant (more about that later) and its five-star golf course that rivals anything in the United States. If you turn left off the entrance, the path leads to the resort’s world-class spa which is getting rave reviews for its ambience and treatments. This is a resort where Gone with the Wind meets contemporary chic. Charlotte has become one of the main banking centers in America and this resort was built with the business community in mind. The resort appears to be their private domain of business types during the week. However, on weekends, the executives return with their family in tow and get a chance to test the spa, golf course and excellent dining facilities.

History: The Ballantyne complex was the vision of Smoky and Sara Harris Bissell and while still too young to have a distinct history, you can already see this hotel will only get better with age. It took five years of hard planning for the Bissells to finally realize their dream and their hard work has paid off in one of the best properties in the southern states.

Interior Highlights: If you can stop admiring the lobby area long enough to check in, you’ll have a chance to soak up the many public area pleasures this resort offers your eyes. That list includes thick carpeting, homey lighting fixtures, a 20,000 square foot conference facility, 23 meeting rooms and high speed Internet access. There’s also a lodge on site complete with a stone fireplace in the middle of a massive grand hall. The cottage is used for corporate functions and has 35 guest rooms. This is a resort favored by wedding parties and its fairytale good looks is why so many people fall in love with this resort.

In The Next Room: Will Ferrell who starred in Talladega Nights at nearby Lowe’s Motor Speedway has been seen roaming the halls at Ballantyne and director John Lasseter held a press event for the animated film “Cars” at the resort recently.

The Rooms: They don’t get much better than the ones at Ballantyne. Poster beds covered in grandma comfy duvets and crisp sheets lull you to sleep. But before retiring you might want to relax in the soaking tub that comes with all rooms. All the best in bath and beauty products are jammed into the bathrooms and every electronic gadget known to mankind is right at your finger tips.

Amenities: The spa and golf course are the main attractions at Ballantyne. The spa is so popular that the congenial Christina Argiers, the resort’s public relations manager, tells us that it takes about 6 weeks to get an appointment. The facilities are world class in every detail and the techniques employed by the well trained therapists are equal to anything this spa lover has found in Europe or Asia. The 18 treatment rooms are state of the art and the spa offers over 60 treatments, including a “game facial” for golfers. You’ll need your best game face to tackle this “resort” course that is so tough most professionals would have a hard time taming its narrow fairways, small greens and long, curly Bermuda rough. The backdrop at the No. 8 hole is one of the most unique in the world and our only concern here is that this course is too tough a test for most vacationing golfers. However, the challenge keeps people coming and each year 32,000 golfers tee off here. At $69 a round the Ballantyne course may also be the greatest value among high-end resort courses. There’s also a Dana Rader golf school on site and a world-class tennis facility.

Restaurants: The Grill Room offers a relaxed atmosphere and will soon undergo major additions to make it even more appealing. There’s a small eating area off the golf pro shop and a lounge off the main lobby. There’s also 24-hour room service.

Shopping: A number of area malls are within easy driving distance from the Ballantyne Resort and Charlotte and Rock Hill, two of the fastest growing cities in the south, and their vast collection of shopping districts are less than a half hour away.

Close By This is where North and South Carolina intersect and become the Carolinas. There’s many historical places from both the Revolutionary and Civil wars to explore and lots of Rockwellian towns to wander. This is the heart of golf country and some of the best courses on the continent are located here. Charlotte is also where stock car racing rules and the city recently won the right to build the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Tips: If you’re visiting Charlotte for business or pleasure, Ballantyne is the place to base yourself. It’s close to Charlotte’s excellent international airport and is far enough from the city’s hectic downtown core that you won’t have many traffic problems. Book early if you’d like a spa treatment – remember it takes 6 weeks to get an appointment. You might also like to take a lesson at the resort’s golf school before tackling the course, which many rate higher than the outstanding Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, near Charleston.