Sweat In Style Bellevue Club Has Enough Workout Stuff To Wear You Out

We had no more than checked in than my husband was suiting up in his workout gear. After all, we had come to the Bellevue Club to sweat.

At most hotels, even the swankiest ones, the fitness room usually consists of a couple of stationary bikes and a few weights. Maybe a lap pool, if you’re lucky.

At the Bellevue Club, a posh new hostelry in the Seattle suburb, the fitness facility is one of the main attractions. The hotel is actually a recent addition to a sprawling health club that’s been around since the late ‘70s.

Hotel guests have free run of the entire club, which includes two cardio rooms filled with treadmills, stair climbers, rowing machines and bikes. There’s also plenty of Nautilus equipment and free weights.

Or, join a scheduled aerobics or yoga classes, play racketball or squash. There are 11 tennis courts (five outside, six indoors), a gym with a running track and a huge, Olympic size pool, too. Lap swimmers never had it so good.

If all that activity sounds too exhausting, take advantage of the on-site massage therapist and a cafe that specializes in healthy cuisine.

Or, you could just bag it all and hang out in your comfortable, stylish hotel room. The gorgeous contemporary lighting fixtures, sumptuous armchairs and the skylights in some of the bathrooms on the upper floor are just a few of the features that make for a memorable stay. Some of the suites have gas-burning fireplaces, two bathrooms, in-room fax machine and whirlpool tubs.

And in our bathroom, we found a pair of 5-pound dumbbells and some suggested stretches tacked up on the closet door.

Breakfast isn’t included in the price of the room, but there is a 24-hour room service menu available. Other services that guests might be surprised to find at a small, 67-room hotel include a nightly turndown and a concierge who will help with dinner reservations or suggest local attractions.

The only drawback I could find with this plush place was the location. The 1,900-square-foot Rainier Suite enjoys a view of that magnificent mountain (on clear days), but many of the rooms look out on a parking lot and the busy Interstate 405 beyond. Still, with such an inviting interior, who needs to peer out the window?

The Bellevue Club Hotel is at 11200 S.E. Sixth, just minutes from the Bellevue Square mall. Rates range from $165 to $325 for a suite, but corporate rates and weekend packages are available. For reservations, call (800) 579-1110.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Do you have a favorite hideaway around the Inland Northwest, a secluded retreat that you would recommend to others? We’d like to hear about it. Write to: Travel Editor, The SpokesmanReview, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Or fax (509) 459-5098.