Spa Magazine

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Photo by: Doreen Wynja

As I pull into the porte-cochere and out of the fine rain typical of late fall, the stone-clad pillars and attentive service belie the fact that I am at the gateway to some of Oregon’s most prodigious farmland.

I have arrived at The Allison Inn & Spa, a brand-new luxury wine-country destination, and the surrounding mists feed the imagination as much as the soil. Just a stone’s throw away, countless crops and a primordial forest spring from the earth as it stretches out and away from here in Newberg through the Willamette Valley toward the Pacific Coast some 60 miles away. This undulating tapestry of green, brown, and gold drapes the gentle foothills, gathering sunshine and rain in an endless cycle of abundance, with mind-boggling yields of luscious blackberries, hazelnuts, and—most of all—grapes.

In this fertile setting, The Allison marks a new beginning. As the century’s first decade slips into the past, one of its enduring legacies may well be our awareness of the connection between our actions and the environment, as well as a growing appreciation for the long view—a perspective that insists upon both quality and inclusiveness. These are the traits of sustainable businesses: holistic enterprises that regard the health of their community, environment, and economy as being of fundamental and equal importance. This particular property was designed with these ideals top of mind—right alongside the seamless comfort of its guests.

Green Credentials

Willamette Valley wine country, renowned for its highly rated pinot noirs, has had little in the way of luxurious hotels to accommodate oenophiles making pilgrimages or weekenders making the 45-minute drive from Portland.

Honoring the tastes of its guests in addition to its rich heritage, The Allison’s nature-preserving credo places it squarely on track to receive Gold-level certification by the most widely recognized green building system, known as LEED—short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It’s an accolade shared by only a handful of U.S. getaways.

Covering 35 acres, the property features lodge-style stone-and-wood buildings that rest discreetly in the hillside. Rather than remove plants in order to build, landscapers put thousands of them into the ground—70,000 to be exact. The buildings themselves appear to be clad in classic Northwest shingling but are in fact covered by a wood composite that requires no paint, preservative, or replacement anytime soon. Roof tiles are made of recycled materials that resemble slate, and a significant portion of the stone facades were sourced from within an environmentally responsible 500-mile radius. 

And the green goes on: The 85-room hotel also features energy- and water-conserving technology like photovoltaic panels that pour converted sunlight back into the electricity grid, low-flow fixtures that inhibit water waste, and high-efficiency irrigation systems that reduce water use. Guest room green efforts include an enormous bathtub that fills instantly with water heated by rooftop solar arrays and a pair of squat glass water bottles that are easily replenished from the wet bar’s filtered tap. 

Agritourism has its allure. Visitors from near and far pull on sturdy boots to hike winding trails that overlook neat rows of farmland and vineyards—many quite near to the hotel. But wine tasting is the holy grail in these parts: Willamette Valley is, after all, home to nearly 300 wineries. To help me experience a good assortment, I hooked up with Grape Escape, a local tour company that takes the guesswork out of visiting some of the area’s finest while eliminating the hazards of driving. 

Up Next: Wine Tasting and Spa-ing.