Twenty-some years ago, while in college, Vermont was my go-to spot for skiing. In my other life, I was an (almost) pro skier. Since then, I’ve discovered the warmth of the tropics and can not even imagine myself on skis in the cold. Although, my kids bug me practically weekly to take them on a trip where there is snow and skiing/snowboarding and other fun snow activities. I keep promising we’ll do that, but for now, I was ready to return to Vermont for the summer fun, and we stayed at Stowe Mountain Resort and Lodge, here’s my full review.
Interestingly enough, Stowe Vermont was one of my absolute favorite ski resorts. I don’t remember a lot of the resorts in the area offering much for summer. Today that has fully changed and I couldn’t wait to see what they offer in my type of weather.
Stowe is about one hour from Burlington on a beautiful drive. There are many places to stay in the town, but only one that actually has all the activities you can imagine under one roof- Stowe Mountain Lodge.
Related Read: Fun Facts About Vermont
Visiting Stowe Mountain Resort
Due to a delay my family and I couldn’t arrive to the resort until late in the evening, so technically, we didn’t see the surroundings until the next morning. Since I’ve been there before (over twenty years ago), I kind of had an idea what to expect, but seeing my husband’s and kids’ expressions to the view right outside our balcony – priceless.
Side Note: We were really lucky to have my brother part of this trip, but since he lives in Boston, he’s seen this beauty before. So, I and he enjoyed the rest of the crew’s awe.
Our Room at Stowe Mountain Resort and Lodge
The majority of the rooms are located in the main building, and they have all sizes from regular guest rooms to one, two, and three-bedroom suites.
We had a one-bedroom suite with amazing views from the balcony.
A full kitchen that my husband (who NEVER cooks) was loving so much, he was moved enough to make breakfast for us. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave.
The master bedroom with a king sized bed and TV.
Dining room and living room. The living room has a pull out couch that is great for sleeping.
And even your own washer and dryer.
Related Post: Things to do in Stowe Vermont in Summer
What To Do at Stowe Mountain Lodge
What’s great about summer months is that there is actually more to do than during the winter. With beautiful weather you have the world at your fingertips.
Pool Time
The pool is enormous and heated year round. My kids had a blast playing here. I’m told that even during the winter months, the pool is heated, and you can hang out watching the snow fall while swimming. And, during winter, you can swim in an area where you exist inside the building rather than outside.
Spa and Wellness Center
This is without a doubt one of the largest spas I’d ever visited with one of the largest menus of treatments offered. Anything you can think of, you can get here and more. They even offer kids spa packages.
Hiking
Sitting right between two mountain peaks – Spruce Mountain and Mansfield Mountain (the tallest peak in Vermont), which are part of the Green Mountain Range, you can say that hiking is one of the priorities of things to do while staying at Stowe.
We did the Spruce Peak Trail with a guide. Yes, you can do the trail alone, but it’s really great doing it with someone who really knows this area.
Mercedes Benz Treat
Andre, our hiking guide, let us in on a little secret. Stowe Mountain Lodge has a partnership with Mercedes, and they literally have a whole fleet on hand for you to take out for free. You can use it for the day, or do what we did – check out the Mt. Mansfield Toll Road.
Historic Toll Road
Toll Road is only open during the summer and fall months, and it goes to the peak of Mt. Mansfield where you can see the entire Green Mountain Region and Lake Champlain.
This is the most breathtaking tour you can do, and I’m so grateful that our guide recommended it because we would never have known about it.
Entrance info: the toll road is about a five-minute drive from the resort. There is a fee to go up the road. However, if you tell them at the main gate that you are staying with the hotel, they give you a 20% discount.
More Stuff to do at Stowe Mountain Lodge
- Golf – They offer two courses. One at their Mountain Club which is right on the resort’s property and another one at the Country Club.
- Stowe Country Club – Anyone can visit and have a great day. It’s only a few minutes from the resort.
- Skiing and Mountain Biking – Skiing is almost a given when thinking of Vermont. However, during the summer the trails turn into mountain bike trails.
Recommended Read: Stowe Snowboarding and Ski Lessons
Restaurants at Stowe Mountain Resort
Did you know that one of the main restaurants on the property is a five star restaurant? We rarely get to eat at fine dining establishments with our kids, and when the restaurants are totally kid friendly, then that’s what I call a real fine dining experience.
Solstice Restaurant
Vermont is known to have some of the best farms in the North East and Solstice makes sure to utilize the best from the surrounding areas.
The menu is unique, but they also had a great kids menu so everyone was happy.
Before I dive into the yumminess of our dinner, Linda, our waitress, was one of the best servers we’ve ever had. She knew everything on the menu, it’s ingredients and even cooking techniques. However, it was her joy of being there and how much fun she was having that allowed us to have even more fun. It’s not often you can feel like that when eating out with young kids in a AAA Four Diamond Distinction restaurant.
Appetizers
Braised Pork Belly Romaine – living in Central America chicharones are almost a staple of their diet. The ones I’ve seen in Guatemala are soooo fried that the grease oozes out of them and almost makes you sick. So when I saw this on the menu of a gourmet restaurant, I wanted to see what good pork bellies look like. Everything was different – in a really good way.
Kale & Black Quinoa Salad – I love tasting different salads that are local to the area. Our waitress really recommended this one with grapefruit wedges and greens.
Cheese Platter – this was almost a must for several reasons:
1. My husband gets this every place we go – so we had to do a comparison
2. We’re in Vermont – the land of the cheese
One of the cheeses has been given several awards and is held in a cave for a few years before arriving to our plate.
Book your room at Stowe Mountain Lodge
Entrees
Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb – this is one of my brother’s favorites, so he had to have a taste.
Grilled Tofu – I haven’t had tofu in YEARS. And it was fun to relive my vegetarian days, only in good taste.
Stowe Mountain Lodge Burger – this was the best hamburger we’ve ever had. My oldest boy ordered this, but we all ended up eating some of it cause it was just way too good.
Roasted Misty Knoll Half Chicken – the best for last. This was without a doubt the best chicken we had ever had. The waitress warned us, but who would have thought chicken could be this scrumptious.
The secret is that they marinade, put creamy butter under the skin and then a brick (literally a brick) while baking it in the oven.
If we believed her from the start, I am sure all of us would have ordered this chicken.
Kid’s Cheese Pizza – the kid’s menu was also all local style food, and this pizza won the prize for my baby (and me).
Dessert – you can’t end a spectacular meal without some sweet goodness. My sons had ice cream while I treated myself to strawberry cheesecake.
Recommendation – during the high seasons, which are Winter months and Summer months, make a reservation. The restaurant opens at 5:30 and it can get really packed.
Other Food Options:
Stowe Mountain Lodge has a small village like promenade with a bunch of casual coffee shops and a few smaller restaurants.
Video Fun
Information for Visiting Stowe Mountain Lodge
There are over 300 rooms to choose from at the resort and ALL of them have views of the mountains and pool. So you really can’t go wrong.
Address: 7412 Mountain Road Stowe, Vermont
Phone: 802.253.3560
Price: $205 to $560
The post Stowe Mountain Resort Review: Things to Do and Where To Eat appeared first on Travel Experta - Travel, Lifestyle, Freedom.
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By: Marina 'Travel Experta'
Title: Stowe Mountain Resort Review: Things to Do and Where To Eat
Sourced From: travelexperta.com/stowe-mountain-lodge-vermont/
Published Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 11:42:31 +0000
