I just love this place! Isn’t that how you want to feel when you check into a romantic hotel in a romantic city and then treat yourself to a some fab spa time? Uh, yea.
What is so fun about the Mansion on Forsyth Park is that is is so unexpected. This hotel has a definite urban chic vibe which seems out of step with sultry, laid-back, down-home Savannah (a city I likewise adore).
Instead, when you step into the Mansion, you feel like you could be hanging out in South Beach, which is the fun of it. Yet, somehow, with its elegant furnishings and artwork and over-the-top Versace lobby furniture, Venetian chandeliers and backlit onyx reception desk, it all works in its Deep-South setting.
Don’t miss the marble cord columns lining the pool with its waterfall wall. To reach it from the lobby, you step into a marble courtyard usually topped with an Arabian-styled tent (reminded me of Dubai, where we just visited).
The yummy poolside mojitos took the edge off the drive.
The Mansion is part of The Kessler Collection, a group of fine hotels. In fact, a second Savannah property will be opening on the riverfront soon, and, I got it on good authority, there will soon be other Kessler offerings to choose from in both Asheville, NC, and Atlanta, GA. Can’t wait.
The Mansion on Forsyth Park is a boutique hotel, so its Poseidon Spa is likewise intimate (only four treatment rooms), which actually adds to the charm. It’s reached by steps or elevator one level below reception.
When you step into the elevator, by the way, check out the photography on the ceiling. It a close-up detail from the famed fountain in Forsyth Park, the hotel’s namesake, the largest of the beautiful Savannah parks (and featured at the close of the movie version of the popular “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”).
The spa staff are quick with a smile and some of that famed Southern hospitality. I was efficiently turned over to Amanda for a standard Swedish massage. She was, quite simply, outstanding, offering just the right amount of pressure and checking with me on that point early on. One of my favorite aspects was how dark she kept the treatment room. Perfect for drifting into la-la land if you prefer. And she didn’t utter a peep unless spoken to. Most of us long-time spa-goers adore a quiet masseuse.
Post spa, if you’re hungry, stroll over to the beautiful, adjacent 700 Drayton Restaurant for a light lunch. Poseidon Spa healthy choices are marked on the menu. The restaurant is also home to a popular cooking school upstairs. Incidentally, the restaurant building was a former funeral home, and next door was the chapel. The latter was torn down to create the hotel, but the designers did a fantastic job matching the new structure to the old.
At the highly rated restaurant, check out all the wild prints and orange furnishings everywhere — the owner’s favorite colors are orange and red. And if you can’t come back for a nighttime cocktail, then definitely take a peek into the upstairs Casimir’s Lounge for more funky decor. But do try to swing back by after sundown. Savannah is an eclectic city and you just never know who you’ll run into. Last time Fletcher and I were down, we met a ministry official from Bahamas Tourism, and insiders tell us a few Hollywood types have popped by.
Like me, they no doubt love this place.
