New York-based interior designer Victoria Hagan has refreshed the signature Asian decor of the 40 guest rooms, the dining room, reception lobby, bathhouse spa, guest lounges and yoga gyms.
ESCONDIDO, CALIF. – The globally renowned wellness resort Golden Door unveils the news that the destination spa is growing deeper where it was planted. The grounds have expanded from 377 to 600 acres, including twenty miles of hiking trails that span mountain to meadow. With this expansion comes refurbished interiors and a redesigned website, new programming infused with creativity and customization, a growing artisanal product line, an expanded and reformulated skin care collection, a revamped spa menu, hyper-local food sourcing, on-site chicken coops and biodynamic gardens, certified organic citrus orchards and a transplanted olive grove proving that Golden Door remains singular – the one and only – offering an experience that is exclusive and highly personalized, the quintessence of all the rest.
“The brand really spoke to me, and I wanted to delve even deeper into its authenticity,” says general manager and COO Kathy Van Ness. “People were always asking, ‘How can we bring the experience home?’ So, it was natural to extend our product lines. New programming and upgrades to the interiors and grounds are not changes, but rather enhancements that add to the soulful Zen essence of the Golden Door and its position as the most legendary destination spa in America.”
New York-based interior designer Victoria Hagan has refreshed the signature Asian decor of the 40 guest rooms, the dining room, reception lobby, bathhouse spa, guest lounges and yoga gyms. The outside comes inside through a mix of natural textures such as wood, bamboo, Japanese papers and grasses. Polished lacquered surfaces contrast with the humble matte finish of traditional Shoji screens.
“There’s a tranquility that defines the Golden Door experience; a guest room becomes a personal sanctuary,” says Hagan. “Subtle splashes of color and a sophisticated range of materials, evocative of the spa’s iconic past, have renewed the spirit of understated elegance for which the Golden Door is celebrated.”
Guests are greeted by the untrammeled vitality of nature and the stillness of water flowing through koi ponds; the soothing simplicity of a labyrinth, a Japanese honjin inn design, a yukata robe as uniform; the salubrious pleasures of bathhouse rituals, tea ceremonies, sunset hikes, moon-watching-a welcome throwback to quieter, unplugged times.
With this caliber of outdoor playing field, it is no surprise that Men’s Weeks (debuting in 1960 and once attended by the likes of author Aldous Huxley) are another unique draw for Golden Door; a fifth week was added this year, with plans for a total of seven Men’s Weeks in 2015.
Gleaming, bejeweled golden doors, hammered with an intricate “tree of life” design, significantly mark the passageway into the storied Golden Door destination spa that dates to 1958 – over a half century in the making. Luminaries such as Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Elizabeth Taylor, Nicole Kidman, Olivia Wilde and Barbra Streisand have passed through these doors to rekindle their glow, beyond the Hollywood spotlight. Grandes dames luxuriate in the riches of mother earth. Royalty re-gild their spirits. Chief executives and heads of states herald their inner warrior. Yet there are no status updates here. Relax, restore, refresh. The Golden Door is a way of life – the best individual balance of healthy mind, body and spirit.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
