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Braselton, Georgia -- Chateau Elan Winery & Resort

Located in the North Georgia foothills, but just 40 minutes northeast of Atlanta, Chateau Elan Winery & Resort provides a unique getaway that we can highly recommend to all lovers of wine, food, and upscale amenities.

The centerpiece of the sprawling 3,500 acre resort is a 16th century-style French chateau surrounded by 200 acres of lush vineyards planted in Vinifera and French Hybrid grapes. The bustling building includes two restaurants (be sure to try Les Clos!), a wine- and cooking-oriented market, an art gallery, and a full-production winery--where 20,000-25,000 cases are produced annually--that’s earned more than 280 awards since 1984’s original vintages.

Nearby, the Inn offers 276 rooms and suites, which are all furnished in elegant French country decor. A stunning 45-foot glass atrium encloses Versailles, with excellent French/Mediterranean and southern cuisine on the creative menu. The Inn also has modern--and popular--conference facilities, but we found leisure guests aren’t at all overwhelmed by conference attendees.

Other offerings at the resort include 63 holes of championship golf on four courses, a Stan Smith Tennis Center, an equestrian center, and five other restaurants (making a total of eight unique dining choices). Most Chateau Elan guests pull up to the Inn and don’t see their car again until the valet brings it around after check-out.

Just down the hill from the Inn sits one of our favorite resort amenities--Chateau Elan Spa. Housed in an elegant 33,000-square-foot mansion, the peaceful European-style spa is situated in a forest and overlooks a small lake. More than 100 treatment possibilities are available, including several grape- and wine-oriented ones (we love the Winery Harvest Crush body exfoliation). The Fleur de Lis dining room serves seasonal spa cuisine (we love that many dine in their spa robes between treatments!).

For those looking for an unusual resort experience, we can highly recommend a stay in one of the spa’s 14 festive guest suites. Each themed suite is individually furnished, with our self-explanatory top picks including: Country French, Bacchus, Art Deco, Zimbabwe, and Gatsby. The spa also offers a popular four-day Lotusea Welllness Program on a regular basis, which is an all-inclusive opportunity for guests to develop and maintain a greater quality of personal health, fitness, weigh management, and more.

Just down the road from the resort, Chateau Elan’s Road Atlanta is the home of Panoz High Performance Driving School. This may be the only resort in the world with it’s own race track, where guests can take “Hot Laps” with a professional driver on the 2.54-mile Grand Prix circuit. Those in need of more speed can even take lessons that lead to driving a powerful Panoz GTRA racing car on their own or even place an order for a $90,000+ custom-made Panoz Esperante!

The resort if the flagship property of Chateau Elan Hotels & Resorts, a branded luxury group that also includes: Chateau Elan Hotel & Spa, an 81-room boutique property located on the legendary “Hairpin Turn” at Sebring International Speedway in Florida; St. Andrews Bay, a five-star golf, resort, spa, and conference center in St. Andrews, Scotland; and Diablo Grande, a 33,000-acre golf resort, winery, and spa in Patterson, California (90 miles southeast of San Francisco). 800-233-WINE (9463) or 678-425-0900; www.cheateauelan.com;