Visitors find rustic elegance at annual Sundance festival

SUNDANCE, Utah -- Sundance Village, Robert Redford's own resort at the base of the Wasatch Range's highest peak in Utah, is known worldwide for its annual film festival. But it also offers a low-key, no-hassle escape just about any time of year in what the actor calls rustic elegance.

While less than an hour from Salt Lake City, here the natural scenery is unmatched and activities overlap into the seasons. In addition to the Sundance Film Festival, next coming up Jan. 11-20, 2003, the area is a perfect destination for winter skiing and in autumn nature's natural colors come together to ignite the hills, producing a kaleidoscopic view of the area.

"Sundance is a mixture of old and new, lush and spare, sophisticated and primitive," Redford says. "Like art itself."

"I needed a sense of history and I wanted to keep the culture," he says. "This place had very specific things attached to it and I wanted to honor it. It should be respected which is why the property is rustic."

Place for pampering

Despite the star-sightings, Sundance is not a place for fancy laptops or designer handbags. It's a place where travelers sink into woven leather chairs, enjoy a glass of wine, pamper themselves with a stone massage or listen to a story-turned-legend about the area.

"There is a story to be told in every single detail of our property," Redford says. "And many times, it is a success story. This is all growing out of stories. It's in the ground here."

Then there's Sundance Village itself, with 95 guest cottages, attractive mountain homes, shops, restaurants and an artisan center that is cradled by the plush surrounding forest.

One of the outstanding aspects of Sundance is its ability to open itself up to all forms of expression. The creative mind is nurtured here, guests say.

There are many ways to unwind at Sundance. Among the favorites are relaxing and the rejuvenating treatments at the spa.

The spa at Sundance features walls made from sunflower seed shells and gives guests a complimentary 15-minute organic foot bath. Signature treatments include a stone massage and men's facial.

Following an afternoon of pampering and self-indulgence, some guests grab a book and sit by the fireplace. Others take a walk on the twisting trails or even hop on the year-round ski lift for a view of the area. Some tap into their own creativity at the Art Shack.

Workshops here are designed to encourage individual growth and personal expression. Sundance provides classes in photography, glass blowing, paper making, pottery and jewelry design. Other activities include hikes, stargazing parties and open-air cinemas.