A visit to the Cave B Inn at SageCliffe in Eastern Washington mirrors the movie set from the film A Walk in the Clouds. Picture vineyards for acres upon acres, a breathtaking canyon where the Columbia River glistens below and 300 days of sunshine a year; this is SageCliffe. A perfect desert palette for growing grapes that become award winning wines, for raising an organic chef's garden and admiring orchard trees that line the property. The land welcomes the celebration of arts with the Gorge Amphitheater next door and the artistic landscape feeds the imagination.
At SageCliffe you can share wine with the winemaker, enjoy wine-paired meals at Tendrils Restaurant and play with, Cuvee, the resident black lab who will even stay the night in your room if you let her (rooms are dog-friendly). The resort takes pride in its green practices. When you arrive to the grand lobby check out the chandelier that a local ironsmith created from recycled farm machinery. And if you want a tour of the property, general manager and jack of all trades, John Mark, will engage you in a highly knowledgeable tour of the grounds. He understands the vision of the property and speaks highly of the owners.
The Bryan family has owned the land in this area since 1980 and they also built the Gorge Amphitheater. When popular concerts come to the Gorge the Cave B Inn sells out in less than 24 hours. Something to note if you are planning a wedding weekend there, however, the location is just right for intimate weddings where guests can stay in one of the 30 rooms and the bridal party can make use of several buildings on the property.
These reasons and more are why Evening Magazine chose SageCliffe as a 2009 winner for "Best of Western Washington."
About a two and a half hour drive east of Seattle located at the Columbia River Gorge off I-90 is the serenity known as SageCliffe. It sits 900 feet above the Columbia River and the cavern rooms are surrounded by estate vineyards. Get directions.
Before you enter Tendrils Restaurant you cross the salvaged railroad tie flooring in the grand lobby of the resort. Once seated at your table you will notice sweeping windows facing west. If you eat next to the window or out on the deck you will have a front row seat to jaw dropping sunsets.
The Cave B Estate Winery is the passion of winemaker, Alfredo "Freddy" Arredondo and his team. They produce award winning and high quality wines. The tasting room offers samplings of reds and whites including a Bordeaux blend, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Riesling and a Sémillon ice wine. There is also a wine cave within the tasting room with a living sod roof for insulation where classes and tastings are offered as well. For tasting room questions call: 509-785-3500.
Spa at SageCliffe:
The spa on the resort grounds offers vinotherapy, massage, facials, body treatments, men's treatments, mom-2-be and spa girls treatments, nails, waxing and wedding spa packages. For spa reservations call: 509-785-2036.
Things to Do:
The Cave B Inn at SageCliffe is situated perfectly for year-round activities. You can rent mountain bikes and tour the property grounds, you can hike down to the Columbia River (just watch out for rattle snakes) or head out to the Feathers for a day of rock climbing or play a round of golf at local courses. Find more activities.
The Future of SageCliffe:
There are a couple more phases of SageCliffe to come down the road. There is a proposed 700-acre hilltop village that will offer an additional lodge with a restaurant and guest accommodations, artists' studios, indoor and outdoor theaters, golf course and pro shop, equestrian center, exhibition halls and galleries. And this will all be built to complement the natural environment. The grand idea is for guests to take part in workshops with artists and musicians mingling together, attending lectures by prominent writers and scientists and experiencing theater, dance and music. There are also plots for real estate still available for your chance to own a piece of SageCliffe. Sixteen homes will be built along the edge of the basalt cliffs overlooking the Columbia River with an eye on building the private homes out of indigenous materials with open concept floor plans. For more information on homes at SageCliffe, contact Todd Deligan at 425-458-1573 or e-mail: realestate@sagecliffe.com.
As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accomodations for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.