Vacation ideas needed

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Looking to book something for spring break in late March. We will be driving from NJ and would like to keep it under 8 hours We are basically looking for a resort and are considering

Smugglers Notch in VT
Greenbriar Resort in WV
Montreal / Mont Tremblanc (sp)
The Sagamore in Lake George


Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Am I invisible?

 

[ducklite]

I think I'd go to Montreal or the Greenbrier. We had a bad, bad stay at the Sagamore in 2006 and won't be back. Have you looked at Stowe Family Lodge in Stowe, VT? it's supposed to be a fabulous place for a family vacation.

Another neat thought might be to drive to Portland, ME and take the ferry to Nova Scotia. I did a lot of research and even planned out a Maritimes trip about five months ago, but for a bunch of reasons we decided to go elsewhere--nothing against Nova Scotia!

 

[Vivianne]

How about Cape Cod, MA

http://www.capecodtravelguide.com/

or Newport, RI

http://www.visitri.com/newport.html

 

[Jennifer S]

subscribing - we live in PA and I am at a loss where to take the kids this year. We are always looking for new ideas.

 

[java]

Why north? Our favorite is Kiawah Island in SC(It is about 12 hours away though from nj)

But I would be looking for warmth I think vs. heading north. Although I have heard Montreal and that particular hotel are great. (but how's the $ right now I don't think I would pick out of the country.)

Smuggler's has always seemed way too expensive to us. We have had friends that have gone but they only went once- to me that spells not worth it. They had fun but kept saying how expensive it was and they are not ones to complain about cost usually.

There is also
http://www.woodloch.com/ which we kind of liked.

But really I am saying KIAWAH!! It is within 30 minutes of Charleston and if you are outdoors kind of people they have a GREAT nature center. The beach is beautiful and by then it should be warm enough to go in. (we almost went in during Christmas week.)

 

[Vivianne]

Another nice place to visit is Acadia National Park.

Although, it's seasonal April 15 to Oct.

Maine is a beautiful state too.

http://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

One thing we did was visit the lighthouses along the coast.

 

[mommasita]

Well, I would do Tremblant I am biased but it is SOOOOO beautiful. I was there this past week, and it was gorgeous, especially at night all lit up.

St. Sauveur is an hour before that, and just as nice, and MUCH cheaper....It is option as well...

March is fabulous up north here, fabulous....

If you need more information go here.http://www.tremblant.ca/index.htm for Tremblant, or http://www.manoir-saint-sauveur.com/ENG/r_vallee.html for Sauveur..

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

We do not neccessarily want to go north, it's just some ideas we have. We are beach people and can wait until May for the NJ beaches. We also looked at Skytop Lodge in the Poconos but they require 2 hotel rooms. We are only going for 4-5 days so more then 8 hours is too much. Would ideally like to keep it under 5. Any good suggestions in the Catskills or similar?

Acadia we have been too and it's not good for March.

Ann, I am surprised to hear your problems at the Sagamore. We only were there once and loved it. The kids especailly.

 

[Briarmom]

Looking to book something for spring break in late March. We will be driving from NJ and would like to keep it under 8 hours We are basically looking for a resort and are considering

Crap.

 

[aprilgail2]

How about woodloch pines in the poconos?

 

[mjkacmom]

We're in NJ, and we had a great time here, and it was an hour drive http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/:thumbsup2

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

We're in NJ, and we had a great time here, and it was an hour drive http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/:thumbsup2

That looks great. Very kitschy and cheesy. Is 4 days or so too much?

 

[babieemelly]

That looks great. Very kitschy and cheesy. Is 4 days or so too much?

My mom, aunts and uncles grew up working and vacationing at Rocking Horse Ranch. It's a nice place if you're into the Dude Ranch feel. There's lots of horseback riding and all that. My personal vote would be for the Sagamore, I LOVE Lake George! It's my own personal preference though because I hate just being stuck at a resort. At least at the Sagamore you can relax and take advantage of their amenities and then still have all of the Lake George attractions to enjoy.

 

[ducklite]

Ann, I am surprised to hear your problems at the Sagamore. We only were there once and loved it. The kids especailly.

Well, the first room they put us in was in a basement and reeked of mold, and had two doubles even though we had a guaranteed king. They were sold out and we think had given our room to someone else, even though we had called to tell them we'd be checking in late.

It took my lungs three days to recover after that one.

The food was terrible, service was lousy--that's what happens when the gratuity of 18% is automatically added. We found the main dining room to be filthy once we took a good look at it. I ordered dinner and specifically gave the server a list of my allergies, and asked him to speak to the chef to make sure the food was allergen free. It came out covered in pine nuts, which I specifically had told him I was deathly allergic to. He said "he forgot." Just being near them causes me to get hives, which wasn't a nice way to spend the next 24 hours. Jerk.

The place was overrun by two large wedding parties, and they were terribly understaffed to handle it. Just to get a lousy drink at the pub we waited over 20 minutes standing at the bar.

The paint was peeling off the buildings, gardens were left untended.

I could go on and on, but suffice to say we won't be back. We literally couldn't wait to leave. We were terribly disappointed, because it's really gone downhill over the past ten years or so. It used to be a gem, and now, well...

 

[christiane]

Of the resorts you mentioned, I am most familiar with Mont Tremblant. It is very beautiful resort with a picturesque village. Many things to do there with your family.

Are you primarily skiing? If so, late March can go either way --great spring skiing...or bad skiing. Depends on how Mother Nature is feeling.

I do think, though that Tremblant may be outside your 8 hour window. But probably not by too much, an hour or so.

I was at Smuggler's Notch many years ago and don't remember it being family friendly, more of a party scene. But things may have changed.

I will try to think of some other ideas for you when I have a little time....

 

[aprilgail2]

We're in NJ, and we had a great time here, and it was an hour drive http://www.rockinghorseranch.com/:thumbsup2

We were goign to go there this year but I read some reviews of the place online and it really changed my mind about goign there. You didn't find the rooms dirty and outdated?

 

[KarenB]

oops-double post

 

[KarenB]

How about this?

http://www.mohonk.com/

DH and I spent the night in Fishkill NY and went in for the day. We had brunch reservations which allowed us full access for the grounds and the mountain house. The hiking trails were great and there were all kinds of other activities happening. New Paltz seemed like a fun artsy town. Would you want o spend part of your time here and then the remaining in New York City?

Karen

 

[KarenB]

I also thought about the White Mountains in NH. Isn't there a huge historical resort there? Too bad you can drive a little further because you can;t go wrong with Disney's Hilton Head Resort in South Carolina.