April in Bedford lacks the romantic cachet of April in Paris, but it's just a two-hour drive from Pittsburgh and far cheaper than Europe. Book a spa service in advance, throw some casual clothes in a bag, and bypass all that airport aggravation.

Still, resorts are hardly inexpensive, and on a Thursday night, the AAA rate at the newly reopened Bedford Springs Resort was $215. Add taxes and a $20 resort fee, and one night costs $252 per double occupancy.

Starting the weekend early is a real luxury, so once you and your sweetie sip organic Darjeeling tea in the Colonial Building's grand lobby while sitting on a large leather ottoman by the gas fire, you may not give a beaujolais grape about Parisian cafes.

Shuttered for nearly two decades, Bedford Springs Resort opened last July after a four-year, $120 million restoration.

Early on, friends and a former colleague relayed tales of poorly trained staff. There was the waitress who failed to offer lemon or sugar for iced tea and the concierge who gave poor directions to a couple setting off on a bike ride. A member of my book group insisted she ate the worst Caesar salad of her life at the hotel.

A former colleague and his wife who stayed there to celebrate a wedding anniversary last August praised the food in the 1796, the fine dining restaurant, but complained that the menu at the Turtle Shell, the outdoor pool's restaurant, was severely limited. One of our editors received slow service in the Crystal Room, one of the main dining rooms; her husband loathed the New Age lute music that played incessantly. Fortunately, that has been replaced by a jazz soundtrack.

These not-ready-for-prime-time problems may have been due to a rushed opening. Slated for a Memorial Day 2007 opening, then delayed to July 1, the hotel didn't welcome guests until July 12. As I had written about the hotel's restoration and toured the grounds twice, we registered under the cover of my husband's name.

Overall, we found staff members courteous, gracious and accommodating. A waiter in the Frontier Tavern offered menus for two resort restaurants after my husband decided he wanted something more than pub fare. After our dinner in the Crystal Room, a waitress in the tavern offered to light the outdoor fire for us and reminisced about attending her junior prom at the hotel's ballroom in the late 1980s. She was delighted that the hotel had been restored and glad to be working there. We sat around the large fire pit under the stars, watched the flames and talked as the cool, velvety mountain air enveloped us.

So far, Bedford has attracted conference groups, couples who come for the spa, people celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and women on girlfriend getaways, said Karen A. Moraghan of Hunter Public Relations.

The resort, Ms. Moraghan added, is managed by Benchmark Hospitality, a privately held company outside Houston that emphasizes culinary programming at its properties. Mary Watson DeLauder, a well-known sommelier who does food and wine boot camps, hosted a Corks and Cooks event at Bedford on the last weekend in April.

People who crave a relaxed, elegant atmosphere and want to feel as if they have stepped back in time may like this resort. Bedford Springs, which opened in 1806, has always attracted tycoons, politicos and the affluent, who came to taste and bathe in waters from seven mineral springs. Its overall tone remains lush but restrained.

The restoration returned the 216-room hotel to its 1905 grandeur. Its long and varied history is showcased in nearly every room with gorgeously arranged photos, postcards and artifacts. There are hand-painted postcards of Bedford and glass cases with memorabilia, including photographic scrapbooks and a guest register with the presidential signature of James Buchanan, who used it as his summer White House from 1857 through 1861. Above the grand staircase is an attractive exhibit of different styles of men's and ladies' hats from the 19th and 20th centuries.

If Nemacolin Woodlands is about Joe Hardy's ostentatious display of new money, Bedford Springs is about old money that whispers a self-confidence born of clubby good manners, trust funds and tasteful, well-designed decor.

To be fair, Nemacolin's Lautrec restaurant and its Falling Rock boutique hotel and clubhouse have something Bedford covets -- five diamond ratings from AAA. Still, Nemacolin features a portrait gallery with every member of Joe Hardy's family attired in faux royal regalia and their purchased titles underneath the paintings.

Bedford's afternoon tea is available at 4 p.m. and is included in your rate. However, it is self-service, unlike tea at Nemacolin, which arrives in fine china with a tray of sweets while you lounge on a comfortable sofa.

Once you're fortified at Bedford with England's bracing brew and some chocolate cookies, it's time for a dip in the indoor pool.

A stroll down the long, marble-tiled hallway that leads to the spring-fed pool evokes a kind of sleek lushness. At your feet, bluish-green tiles glisten like an undulating carpet of polished jewels. And the water is truly refreshing without being shocking or cold. Jay Gatsby, that old sport, would have loved it here.

After our swim, we settled into our room in the Eternal Springs Spa building, the newest part of the property. Painted in Bedford blue, it featured a king-sized sleigh bed plumped with six pillows and very soft sheets. All of the lighting had dimmers, even in the bathroom.

The armoire contained a flat-screen TV with a clear picture of the hallowed Masters golf tournament, a coffee maker and an empty refrigerator. A light comes on automatically when you open the large clothes closet and there are two soft robes. Two walking sticks stand just inside the door, and if you want one of your own, you can buy it at the Bedford Market.

Our bathroom was beautifully appointed with silver fixtures, blue walls and a marble sink in a wooden vanity. It was a handicap-accessible bathroom with grab bars around the commode and in the shower. Soaps and shampoos are by Caswell Massey.

Our room lacked a private balcony but right next door was the Laurel Lounge, where we sat in rockers on a balcony overlooking the grounds.

After a stroll near the golf course, we drank a cold Yuengling in the Frontier Tavern, then moved to the Crystal Room for dinner. This is surely one of the loveliest dining rooms in Western Pennsylvania. Our meals, served in cast iron dishes, were quite good. A crab and spinach appetizer plus a seafood entree and a turkey breast dish totaled $69.

We breakfasted in the pink room, where the single cream roses, tinged with a splash of coral and standing in silver vases, matched the coral pink walls. Our breakfast omelets, danishes and coffee were excellent but rather pricey at $31.80. Of course, we could have ordered a bowl of cereal for $5.

As someone who appreciates artfully designed landscapes, I noticed that the trees, shrubs and flowers were all just planted. Pink and purple hyacinths, the welcome harbinger of spring, were plentiful. Once the trees and rhododendrons mature, the overall effect will be more natural and less forced.

For athletes and hikers, there's an 18-hole Donald Ross golf course where red-tailed hawks are often spotted, and walking trails that allow you to visit the seven mineral springs. At Red Oak Lake, which is stocked with bass and trout, parents can take children fishing. For adults, catch and release rules apply but children who are successful can ask the hotel chefs to cook their catch.

On TripAdvisor.com, some guests complained about the limited number of activities and the difficulty of learning about yoga, fitness classes and outdoor activities. So make sure you ask the concierge or the front desk staff what's available. (Bedford Springs could take a lesson from the famed Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., which has a separate category on its Web site home page for "activities" that lists more than 40 things to do.)

Adventures in the Alleghenies is the resort's outfitter for organized activities such as hikes, picnics and archaeological digs. The company also runs the resort's children's program. Terry Woodridge of Diamond Lane Farms offers horse-drawn carriage rides, Ms. Moraghan said.

Many guests on TripAdvisor.-com raved about the resort as a weekend retreat but reported that service continues to be spotty.

No doubt it will take time to educate and retain a polished staff. Other than swimming, fishing and cycling in nice weather, activities for children appear limited.

Keith Evans, a Texas real estate investor who oversaw the restoration project, said work on a Har-Tru tennis court behind the manager's cottage will start soon and should be finished by the end of June.

"We're going to start with one and see what the demand is. We just didn't get it done last year," Mr. Evans said.

In the meantime, you can throw horseshoes on the front lawn or relax in a bentwood rocker by the outdoor fire in the evening and admire the glowing lights that make this place, nestled in the Cumberland Valley, seem magically removed from daily cares.