Spanning 5,200 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains, with 2,800 acres dedicated to land conservation, Blackberry Mountain continues the legacy of sister property Blackberry Farm and the Beall family’s world-renowned hospitality. One of only four Relais & Châteaux resorts in the world to earn the designation before opening, Blackberry Mountain is an adventurous retreat for family, friends or business, offering modern-day luxuries in an unencumbered natural environment. Blackberry Mountain offers guests equal parts of Blackberry Farm’s renowned hospitality, with seasonal food and beverage menus designed to complement the property’s diverse offerings and panoramic views. From restorative treatments in the spa to outdoor exploration, Blackberry Mountain fosters wellness with its own adventurous spirit and style celebrating its home adjacent to one of America’s most beloved national parks, Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

ACCOMODATIONS

ROOMS: Six Watchman Cabins, 21 Stone Cottages and a variety of multi-bedroom ( 2-5 ) Azalea Gap and Mountain Homes that each feature a full-size kitchen, dining room, living room with stone wood-burning fireplace and an all season screened porch with a second stone wood-burning fireplace.

NOTES: we personally love the stone cottages for couples and the mountain homes for families or multi-generational trips, however the reality is the mountain is almost always sold out so we take what we can get.

DINING

THREE SISTERS: signature fine dining located within the Lodge at Blackberry Mountain. Think pan-seared fingerling trout with roasted carrots and toasted amaranth. The restaurant also features a curated list from VicePresident of Food & Beverage Andy Chabot personal favorites, which include small, family-run wineries that make world-class wine without undue manipulation.

FIRETOWER: casual, 72-seat dining room and intimate 13-seat bar with stunning 360-degree views of the Great Smoky Mountains. Chef Joel Werner, who has been at Blackberry Farm since 2015, oversees the menus which include breakfast, lunch and snacks, bowls, pizza and mussels and weekend dinner.

NOTES: Additional dining amenities include picnics and live fire and trail-side cooking excursions led by chefs Edwards, Feathers and Werner. Guests on the mountain can eat at their sister resort's The Barn Restaurant for dinner as well.

ACTIVITIES

OUTDOOR: Clay shooting, paint ball, wine and whisky tastings, adventure ropes course, sunrise yoga, creek side meditation, endurance climbs, trail running, rock climbing, bouldering, mountain biking, fly fishing, horseback riding, and lake opportunities such as water slides, kayaking and paddleboarding.

INDOORS: An art studio, half basketball court, an indoor rock climbing wall, yoga and fitness classes.

SPA: Nest features eight treatment rooms, a tranquility lounge, sauna, steam showers, salon and an outdoor, year-round heated pool with scenic infinity edge.

NOTES: guests can also participate in the nearby farm's adventure and activities programming such as guided shooting, water sports, cycling and mountain biking, paintball, hiking, geocaching, garden tours, culinary schools, and wine and spirit classes and tastings.

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

DATES AVAILABLE: September 30th-October 3rd, October 3rd-7th, October 13th - 17th and October 21st-24th

MAPPS X BLACKBERRY MOUNTAIN: 15 percent off daily nightly rate and spa credits.

LOCATION: 30 minutes from Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport by car.

IDEAL GUEST: families, multi-generational trips, couples and ladies looking for a long weekend getaway.

Photos courtesy of Blackberry Mountain

Alan Faena, a former fashion designer turned developer and hotelier, is the creative genius behind The Faena Hotel and the stylish “Faena District.” His dream to transform unappealing neighborhoods into luxury cultural landmarks became a reality back in 2004, when he purchased an abandoned stretch of docklands to open the Faena Buenos Aires. Once a notoriously dangerous city, Faena put Buenos Aires back on the map, and is credited for the most successful urban regeneration project in South America. Over the past few years, he has unveiled his latest labor of love in layers in Miami. First with the hotel, then with the launch The Faena Cabaret Show, next The Faena Art Forum and finally the Faena Bazaar. Each space is purposely designed to be a distinct experience, re-defining the concept of a hotel. For this specific project, he collaborated with Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann who drew inspiration from opera houses and L.A.'s Chateau Marmont, mixing Fitzgeraldian Art Deco with South American elegance plus he got Damian Hirst to construct and display a 25 karat gold wooly mammoth. A glimpse below into my stay at my Miami Vice, The Faena XX Elisa

ACCOMODATIONS

Faena Hotel_Rooms_Premier OF Jr Suite.jpg

ROOMS: 179 guestrooms including the most spacious Signature Suites on the South Florida coastline offering 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-bedroom suite accommodations.

WHAT TO BOOK: Majority of the guest rooms are Junior Suite driven so size is never a concern. Partial Ocean View Junior Suites and Ocean View Junior Suites at this level offer exceptional comfort with fully furnished outdoor balconies and all interconnecting options can be confirmed at time of reservation. My personal favorites were the 4 premier category rooms and suites.

WHAT TO SKIP: For me, Bay view room views left little to be desired once you saw ocean view rooms. If you are a couple or girlfriends traveling together, the only room I would shy away from are the Partial Ocean View King Rooms. These rooms are designed for solo travelers.

DINING

Our gorgeous Sunday Asado by Francis Mallman

DINING

LOS FUEGOS: Netflix’s Chef Table and Argentine grill master Francis Mallmann puts his gaucho touch on a contemporary asado experience with an open-fire kitchen and local ingredients, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

PAO: Paul Qui, a James Beard award winning chef and winner on the Food Network’s Top Chef take on modern Asian cuisine, dinner only.

NOTES: We loved the Huevos Rancheros on LF’s breakfast menu and the 3pm Sunday Asado experience is a must. The food is delishly fresh and beautifully presented. I have now been to the Faena three times and we book the 3 pm slot every time. At Pao, the chilled peanut gazpacho with charred eggplant puree and the short rib mushroom rice was insane.

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

The Faena has three areas to enjoy cocktails. Tree of Life is their outdoor patio lounge, The Living Room ( pictured below ) offers live music in the evenings and The Saxony Bar, only opened on weekends, not till 11pm and has a DJ. spinning tunes with a golden age glamour vibe.

The Faena Theater was inspired by Europe’s grand opera houses with an Old Hollywood vibe. The theater showcases ambitious artistic productions and Faena’s very own highly-acclaimed cabaret performances.

NOTES: The Living Room was my favorite spot. We loved coming back from dinner and having a glass of wine while listening to jazz music. The people watching was pretty great too. I unfortunately struggle to stay up late unless I am traveling abroad so I did not check out The Saxony Bar. The Faena Theater is a must and tickets sell out way in advance. Skip the dinner portion piece of the ticket and eat in one of the hotel restaurants instead.

WELLNESS

WELLNESS

The Tierra Santa Healing House. is an impressive 22,000-square-foot sanctuary that features one of the largest hammams available on the East Coast, along with shaman-developed body-healing rituals and treatments, and technologically advanced facial treatments using Naturopathic and Biologique Recherche skincare lines.

NOTES: The Hammam Rose Ritual will not disappoint.

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

MAPPS X FAENA: Special nightly rates, a complimentary upgrade subject to availability, daily breakfast and food and beverage credits.

LOCATION: 25 minutes from Miami International Airport and 35 minutes from Blade Lounge Miami by car.

BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT: November-May

IDEAL GUEST: One who values personalized service, art, design, theater and prefers hotels that have a private club atmosphere. While the hotel welcomes families, we prefer other hotels for children.

P.S. For a long weekend trip I would do Pao one night for dinner and the Sunday Asado for a late lunch leaving 2 nights to hit up our other favs: Kyu,Casa Tua, Planta and Mandolin.