Escape To Georgia’s Chateau Elan For A Luxurious Getaway

First impressions are everything: this posh, glass-topped atrium is what you’ll first see when you step inside ©Chateau Elan.

My experiences in Atlanta have always been pretty low brow, with vintage shopping and bar hopping in Five Points serving as my major touchstone to the city. I knew there was more to it than that, and thanks to the fabulous Basketball Wives on VH1, I knew there was a whole level that I was missing on my trips—namely, the level that was accessed through being rich and fabulous.

Cue my trip to Chateau Elan in North Atlanta (well, Braselton) to check out their new spa accommodations and award-winning amenities. And while I busted out some of my favorite outfits for the trip, I was woefully unprepared for the level of style, substance and poise I was confronted with when I arrived.

Chateau Elan is one of the premier leisure destinations in the Atlanta area. Which is obvious, because the name has the French word for “castle” in it. Fancy. It has a full-production winery and “blendery,” conference rooms, a European health spa and some championship golf offerings— which I’d heard about before because Justin Timberlake had just played there while filming something nearby. Braselton itself has a quaint little downtown and offers a free shuttle service to and from the resort if you’re feeling the need to leave campus, which I never did.

An aerial overview of Chateau Elan.

I took an Uber for the 40-minute commute from the airport, which was just a one-hour uneventful flight from Orlando. It was probably the most painless flying experience I’ve ever had, thanks to the folks at Delta. And having someone else drive me across Atlanta is something I can’t recommend enough. Those highways are wider than me after an all-you-can-eat buffet, and Georgia drivers tend you give you a little extra sass when they spot that Florida license plate.

When I arrived at the spa, I was immediately greeted with a glass of bubbly and whisked away to a Swedish massage while my bags were brought to my room. The massage was perfect and helped to shift me into vacation mode right away. I didn’t even want to change out of my big, floppy white robe, which was fine, because everywhere I looked, everyone was wearing a robe.

It was reminiscent of that Star Trek episode where the Enterprise goes to the idyllic planet Edo and everyone wears suggestive cut-offs with their nips showing and Wesley Crusher almost gets the death sentence for breaking a flower bed or something. Everyone was peacefully tiptoeing along paths and lounging in hammocks while sipping on green smoothies and gazing into the distance. I loved it immediately. There were eucalyptus steam rooms, hydro treatments and saunas. But I chose to stuff my face at the onsite cafe, Fleur de Lis—which overlooked a Willie Wonka-esque pond—to enjoy a pot of tea and to wax poetic about my weekend itinerary.

Lunch at the idyllic Fleur de Lis. ©Brendan O’connor

The evening was spent at Marc Restaurant, an upscale Southern-inspired steakhouse, for a massive cut of red meat and more than a few glasses of red wine. Their homemade fried green tomatoes were a big hit, as almost every table around me had an order they were working on. As I stumbled back to my room at the spa, hotel staff started lighting random campfires that were dotted around the property for guests to enjoy. You could even pick up a s’more kit from the cafe if you had any room to fill after dinner. Which I guess I did because I had three. I don’t want to talk about it.

I was late to rise the next morning and ordered some room service for breakfast to delay having to put on pants. Staff had left a massive glass-domed charcuterie board for me in the room upon arrival, so I had plenty of things to pick at.

When I was ready for the world, I hopped over to the gorgeous glass-topped atrium in the main hotel for an afternoon English-style tea service. I was placed in a secluded little book nook surrounded by gorgeous things to peruse while a platter of teas and finger foods was brought out by cart. As the sun was coming through the roof, I felt like a pretty little exotic plant in a private greenhouse and sipped away on a bourbon vanilla rooibos from the trend-setting Boston tea company, Jenwey Tea, that smelled like exotic travel and colonialism. Perched over my shoulder was a portrait of Mr. William Harrison Braselton, who is considered to be the founder of Braselton, Georgia (its history dates to 1876). He married into money when he got hitched to Susan Hosch, the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, so those scents of colonialism were definitely earned.

Enjoy Chateau Elan’s tea service in a cozy book nook with plenty of beautiful things to view—including the passersby. ©Brendan O’connor

I lost myself in a Gula Gula cookbook on display for a while, but it was hard to focus on the reading material because I had the best people-watching spot on the property, with waves of gorgeously dressed Black women, breezing by with their friends, enjoying a weekend with the ladies while flexing some of the best fashions I’d seen in years. My mouth was agape the entire time, which made it easier to shove it full of scones and macarons. The unspoken dress code for most women was either a little bit Nashville with boots and a broad-brimmed hat or Cinderella-meets-big-city-chic, whereas most men were rocking their up-brand golf gear and an aristocratic air of privilege.

Later that afternoon I made my way to the titular chateau at the top of the hill, where all the winery programming is housed. I’d been expecting a tour of the vineyard and property but thankfully, there was some sort of hiccup, and I got to skip the walking and go right to the drinking. Chateau Elan grows a couple of different grapes on site, though mostly muscadine and teroldego, and the rest is brought there via juices and slurries that they combine onsite to create their own proprietary blends. I tried a sampling of three blends and a reserve that ranged from saccharinely sweet lime spritzers to a dark and jammy port. The port reserve was the winner for me and had a smooth leather finish to match the interior decorating. Though special shout out to their Moscato, which was light and crisp with hints of pear and applesauce; super crushable if you’re into quantity versus quality.

Dinner was in Versailles Restaurant & Bar, an award-winning restaurant in the atrium where I’d had afternoon tea. Their deviled eggs appetizer was a bit of a showstopper and so delicious it kind of outshone the ribeye I ordered for supper. I know, red meat twice in one week, what am I, 20? Post-dinner I had to spend walking the onsite nature trails to help digest the day, drunkenly stumbling through grape vines and fountains and beautiful people everywhere I looked. I even tripped over some staff who were setting up a romantic proposal moment for some guests featuring a “will you marry me?” message in balloons. The breeze in the vineyard kept moving the words around like a Madlib, making the proposal more of a demand with a “marry me, will you?” I’m sure, though, the outcome was a success.

The next morning, I was on my way back to Orlando, dreaming of afternoon teas, back rubs and Justin Timberlake wearing tartan pants and moonwalking through vineyards. Chateau Elan is a playground for Atlanta’s upper crust to strut their stuff so if you’re going to go, make sure you pack like you’re going to be an extra on Sex in the City and you’ll be just fine. Don’t sleep on the spa packages either. chateauelan.com