The Greenbrier: a Golf Resort with a Very Big Bunker
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telegraph.co.uk http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/articles/the-greenbrier-a-golf-resort-with-a-very-big-bunker/ The Greenbrier: a golf resort with a very big bunker Paul Wade "Danger High Voltage!" I do enjoy a guided tour with an added frisson. And I felt it in full measure as I was escorted around the cavernous underground areas of the swish Greenbrier resort deep in the West Virginia countryside. The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia You expect to see signs warning of high voltage dangers in the bowels of big buildings. But for 35 years, this was more than your usual health and safety warning. This "keep out" message diverted attention from a top-secret government installation. Some 40ft underground, I was touring a fall-out shelter; in the event of a nuclear attack, the entire United States Congress would have come here to live and work. What makes the story so intriguing is that “The Bunker” was hidden right under the noses of guests at one of America’s best-known and most opulent hotels. Just four hours west of Washington DC, The Greenbrier has retained its sense of old-style glamour and history. Horse-drawn carriages trot past holiday cottages and croquet lawns; rhododendrons and towering trees provide the backdrop. Does Donald Trump put you off visiting America? All of this makes the idea of a bomb shelter beneath the hotel implausible. But, as guide Linda Walls explained, "Sixty years ago, this made the perfect secret facility." Set in a valley, the hotel is surrounded by mountains which 1/5 would have provided protection from enemy aircraft. "This blast door weighs 18 tons," Walls said, as our group approached the bunker entrance. Like Alice going through the looking glass, we stepped into a different world. "n the event of war, it would have been business as usual for the legislative branch of the US government" Credit: 2006 Getty Images The scale of the concrete and steel shelter, now used for exhibitions, is jaw-dropping. On two levels, it could accommodate 1,100 people. The vast room labelled Governor’s Hall could be transformed into the 435-seat House of Representatives; the Mountaineer Room would hold the Senate. In the event of war, it would have been business as usual for the legislative branch of the US government. We walked through what looked like a giant car wash with power showers. "On arrival," Walls disclosed, "politicians, their aides and families would have stripped off before entering the decontamination unit." One of the 18 dormitories has been preserved, complete with lockers, bunk beds and Bakelite telephones: "The bunker had everything: its own power plant, hospital, water and fuel supply." 2/5 "One of the 18 dormitories has been preserved, complete with lockers, bunk beds and Bakelite telephones" Credit: 2006 Getty Images One essential that politicians rely on seemed to be missing: a watering hole. In the worst-case scenario, I wondered how frustrating it would have been for them to know that a few feet above their heads was the august Lobby Bar. Here, the obligatory snifter has long been the South’s signature cocktail: the mint julep. According to an old hotel account book, The Greenbrier was serving "julips" 200 years ago. The first colour photographs of America Delightful though it is, this cocktail was not the motive for building the bunker here. The real catalyst was golf, played by the great and the good at the resort’s three championship courses. At the end of the Second World War, General Eisenhower came for R&R; as US President, he became a regular. As well as being a decent golfer, Ike knew a thing or two about strategy. And, during a Cold War conference in 1956, he saw the camouflage potential of The Greenbrier; exactly 60 years ago on Monday the bunker was commissioned. 3/5 On two levels, it could accommodate 1,100 people Credit: 2006 Getty Images Golf is still The Greenbrier’s major draw. The locker room is like a museum of golf. When the Ryder Cup was played here in 1979, 22-year-old Nick Faldo won three of his four matches. Now Sir Nick has a coaching academy and a luxury home in the resort’s 10,000-acre grounds. Each July, leading professionals come to contest the PGA Tour Greenbrier Classic. America's grumpiest visitors The Greenbrier has long been a celebrity haunt. Almost as intriguing as the bunker is the Windsor Club. Taking up an entire wing, this "hotel within a hotel" includes a Presidential Suite and memorabilia including photos and letters from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Princess Grace of Monaco and President Eisenhower. In its heyday the bunker was stocked with Ivory soap and towels. During my visit, above ground in the hushed spa, my wife soaked in the sulphurous spring waters that first attracted travellers in 1778. Down below, Congress would have lived on tinned food; now visitors can eat in eight restaurants. One echo of the hotel’s past is the dress code: jackets and ties are required for dinner in the Main Dining Room; jackets are "suggested" in the Lobby Bar and Prime 44 West. This steak house specialises in properly aged rib-eyes and T-bones; the accompanying vegetables come from the hotel farm. 4/5 In 1992, as the Cold War thawed, The Washington Post blew the bunker’s cover Credit: 2006 Getty Images In 1992, as the Cold War thawed, The Washington Post blew the bunker’s cover. Greenbrier regulars were stunned. How could a government facility be under their noses – with no guards and no guns? "Sure, there were rumours about a bomb shelter," Walls says. But, having worked at the hotel since 1978, she is amused by the notion that everyone knew. "Very few people were in on the secret. And the ones who did the most talking knew the least!" Getting there America As You Like It (020 8742 8299; americaasyoulikeit.com) offers a six-night fly-drive holiday to Washington DC and West Virginia, from £1,235 per person (based on two sharing). The price includes return flight from London Heathrow to Washington DC, car hire, three nights in Washington, and three nights at The Greenbrier. Staying there The Greenbrier (greenbrier.com) has a range of offers, from b&b deals (£70 per person per night) to golf packages. Bunker tours last 90 minutes; no cameras or mobile phones permitted (£24; greenbrier.com/activitiesgroupon/The- Bunker). The natural hot springs that attracted Native Americans and early settlers now soothe the muscles and stimulate the circulation of guests. A 25-minute Sulphur Soak in the spa costs £42. 5/5.