The Greenbrier

The first day I arrived, I understood one thing: $489 is just the beginning.

Breakfast isn't included in the room rate. Breakfast at the Main Dining Room is $45 per person, $54 with tip. For lunch, I went to Draper's—$127 for two people. Dinner at Prime 44 West: the steak set menu is $89 per person, and with drinks and tip, it came to $280.

In one day, dining cost $461. Three days of dining totaled $1,247.

Parking is $30 per day. I parked for three days: $90. Bellhop tips, housekeeping tips, restaurant tips—various tips added up to about $180.

Many people go to The Greenbrier for the bunker. It was a secret shelter built for members of Congress during the Cold War, and after The Washington Post exposed it in 1992, it became a tourist attraction.

Bunker tour tickets are $39 per person. For my wife and me, that was $78. The tour lasts 90 minutes, with one guide leading about twenty people.

The guide's name was Mike, and he'd worked there for eleven years. Everything he talked about I'd already seen in YouTube documentaries. The bunker itself is indeed impressive—1,800 beds, generators, water purification systems. The corridors are narrow, the lighting is dim, and if you go in summer, it's nice and cool inside.

I think $39 is a reasonable price. This was the best money I spent at The Greenbrier.

The Greenbrier has five courses. The Old White is the most famous one, built in 1914 and designed by C.B. Macdonald.

Green fees are $375 per round for guests. Non-guests pay $475. Cart rental is $75. Caddie tip is extra, usually $50 to $100.

I played one round, total cost $495.

For the same money, I could play three rounds at Pete Dye Golf Club, also a West Virginia course, ranked second in the state by Digest in 2009. Or I could fly to Myrtle Beach and play five rounds at mid-range courses.

The Old White is indeed beautiful. I took seven or eight photos of the view at the 18th hole. The fairways are well-maintained, and in September, the turf conditions were near perfect. The caddie, Jerome, had been there eight years and knew the slope of every hole like the back of his hand.

My wife went to the spa. She booked a 50-minute massage for $195. With tip, $235.

She came back and said it was okay, about the same level as the Ritz-Carlton. A similar treatment at the Ritz runs about $180 to $220.

The spa building itself is old, 1910s style. The locker room cabinets are wooden and showing their age. My wife said the shower water pressure was a bit inconsistent.

Three days cost $3,458. I keep thinking about what that money bought.

The room itself: Average. About 400 square feet, bigger than a Hampton Inn, smaller than a Four Seasons. The furniture is that old-fashioned style, designed by Dorothy Draper, mostly pink and green. Some people love it, some find it dated. The mattress is a Sealy, average feel.

Service: Waited twelve minutes for check-in at the front desk. Waited twenty minutes for luggage to be delivered to the room. Restaurant service was quite good though—the waiter at the Main Dining Room, Robert, was very professional.

Facilities: The pool is indoor and not large. The gym equipment is decent, they have Peloton. I didn't use the tennis courts.

History: This can't be quantified. The building is from 1913, twenty-six presidents have stayed here, and the Cold War bunker is below. Walking through the corridors, there's definitely a certain feeling.

My sister asked me if it was worth going. I said it depends.