A FAB-U-Lous Hotel.


Lois Paganini


The Coeur d'Alene Hotel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is celebrating its 20th year of welcoming guests to its five star resort. Overlooking shores of the lake from which it gets its name, and against a backdrop of the foothills of the Bitterroot Mountains, this resort opened in 1986. It's only about 30 miles from Spokane, WA., and, less than two hours from the Canadian border.

This hotel and resort was the realization of a dream of one of its founders, Duane Hagadone, who in partnership with Jerry Jaeger, built this resort. With six restaurants, a golf medal winning golf course and a European style spa, there is truly something for everyone at this vacation and business complex. It's also located in the center of downtown's thriving shops and eateries.

Awards - this resort has won a lot of awards - "America's Top Mainland Resort," "Conde Nast Traveler," "Zagat Survey 2005," and "One of America's Top Resorts," just to name a few. It's an annual recipient of the Mobil Four Star Award and the AAA Four Diamond Award as well as having been awarded Five Stars by Golf Digest. Beverley's Restaurant has been awarded the "Grand Award" from Wine Spectator and regularly wins the "DiRoNa Fine Dining Award."

There is a ¾ mile boardwalk to stroll on surrounding the 372-slip resort marina. Here you can rent 20 foot Runabouts or pontoon boats, enjoy refreshments - including beer and wine, and overnight moorage is available for your boat. You can order a picnic basket to take on board with you. There is also seasonal entertainment complete with drinks and appetizers on their Floating Stage.

Their fitness center includes an indoor pool 70 feet in length, two hot tubs, a children's wading pool, a steam room and sauna and locker rooms for men and women. The weight room includes treadmills, various machines and free weights. There is a childcare program with age appropriate activities for the youngsters. V.I.K. (Very Important Kids) Camp has great activities for the kids to have fun while you're off doing other things. Babysitting in your hotel room is also available.

Dining is excellent at the resort and you can enjoy selections from their very own wine cellar. Sushi, freshly prepared Idaho trout, and a family friendly eatery are all options at the resort itself. There are also many other restaurants in the area once you leave the property. The Wine Cellar in downtown is very good and reasonably priced. The Cedars Floating Restaurant is a fun restaurant to go to; this award winning restaurant offers 360 degree lake views and specializes in fresh seafood, steaks, prime rib and pasta dishes.

Their spa underwent a recent renovation and has over 30,000 feet of space. A few of their services include manicures and pedicures, exfoliations, wraps, facials and massages. The Lakewood Aesthetic Center offers a full line of cosmetic treatments with the supervision of medical specialists.

The award winning golf course was completed a few years after the hotel opened. It's been named "America's Greatest Golf Experience." It's been rated as the #2 destination golf course in the US, with Pebble Beach in California being #1. Every hole offers five tees, giving every skill of golfer a challenging game. You'll be transported from the hotel to the golf course on a hand-crafted mahogany shuttle. The par 71 course is designed to show off four spectacular features - a beautiful lakeshore, rolling woodlands, a forested ridge, and a revitalized trout stream, Fernan Creek. You'll golf on fairways of Bent Grass, landscaped with thousands of red geraniums and juniper trees.

With over 24,000 feet of meeting and exhibit space in 21 rooms, the resort is ideally suited for conventions and business meetings. They have the latest in equipment to handle all of your technological needs. And, their catering staff can serve a four course meal for 1,500 attendees.

They also have a wedding staff with specializes in planning weddings. They have several venues for both the ceremony and reception. The Beauty Bay Chapel can handle formal theatre style seating for 24 guests and the three ballrooms, the Bayview Rooms, all have the backdrop of the lake; these rooms can handle 150 people and other rooms have a capacity of up to 500 guests. The Penthouse Suite is another option. From June to October you can also get married at the golf course, overlooking the world famous "floating green." You must have a minimum of 75 guests for an event at the golf course.

There are a myriad of activities to keep you busy while you're staying at the resort. When you tire of the onsite amenities you can tour the Route of Hiawatha on a mountain bike - it's a 13 mile trail of historic railroad tunnels and trestles. At Silver Mountain, you can ride the gondola up and bike down trails ranging from 2 to 25 miles in length. There is also the Coeur d' Alene Trail with over 70 miles of trails to bicycle on.

Prefer water sports? You can rent jet skis at Island Rental, and kayaks, paddleboats, and canoes at the City Dock, just west of the resort. If you'd like to fish, there are numerous charter companies nearby; Blue Ribbon Charter and Hooked on Fish are two of them. Fly-fishing is available and Panhandle Outfitters can help you with equipment.

Lake cruises are available from Independence Point, just west of the resort and reservations are not needed. A buffet lunch is available on the mid day cruise. There is also a two hour sunset cruise with a buffet dinner and entertainment. You can also enjoy a longer river cruise (six hours) which sails the length of the St. Joe River, the world's highest navigable river. On this trip you might see osprey, eagles, deer and other wildlife. There are also special event cruises on specific holidays such as the 4th of July

A few stables are nearby for horseback riding, and Trail Ride offers breakfast and dinner rides at Riverside State Park, about half an hour from the hotel. Advance reservations are required. (Call 509-456-8249 for more details.).

You can rent all terrain vehicles or just reserve a tour on them. There are companies offering helicopter flights and there are walking, hiking and jogging trails nearby. Other diversions, such as casinos and amusement parks are within a 30 minute drive. There is also a summer theatre and a children's workshop. Of course, in the winter, many of the sports change to skiing, snow-boarding and similar winter activities.

Shopping is fantastic both inside the resort and in the town itself. A large collection of Brighton accessories, jewelry by northwest artist, Sue Hudson, a bridal boutique and "fancy" black tie dresses, and Marketplace Gifts, the place for souvenirs and gourmet foods from the local area are just a few of the shopping options. While in the quaint downtown area, stop by the Penny Candy store which has been there for three generations. The Downtown Street Fair is usually held the first weekend in August and the weekly Farmer's Market is held every Wednesday evening.

Have a great time!