This is a first-class, family-oriented resort with no shortage of things to do. The lodge was built in 1928 I believe, and it is quite literally something from a different era. We stayed there (for the 2nd time) in August 2020, during the Covid pandemic. I thought they generally did an excellent job of managing the need to keep the guests and staff safe, without going overboard. Pretty much all of the facilities and activities were open, with social distancing precautions of course.
For the room itself, we had a "Junior Suite" in the Lodge, which had a (shorter than standard) King bed and a pull-out sofa. It was about the size of a standard hotel room, but was plenty big enough for the 3 of us. The bathroom appeared as though it had recently been renovated, and everything in the room was very nice, with the exception of the lamps next to the bed, which were falling apart and had no electric outlets built into them. My only complaint with the room is that it was attached to both adjacent rooms on either side (with locking doors of course), and a lot of noise traveled through those doors. You could hear almost every word that your neighbors said if they were talking loudly. Fortunately, the people next to us quieted down at a reasonable hour so it didn't keep us up, but I imagine this could be a problem at times.
We ate at most of the dining areas in the resort (the Lakeside restaurant in the Inn was closed for renovations during our stay). The Windsor is the main dining room, and has a very old-school feel. In fact, the last time I stayed here several years ago, a jacket was required for men. I don't know if the policy has changed, or it was just because it was the summer, but it was not required this time. There is a dress code, however, though it is not strictly enforced. It was not uncommon to see people wearing tee shirts, sandals or hiking gear, for example. It was also not uncommon to see kids running around during dinner, and we had to ask the manager to tell people at a table near us to stop blasting their electronic devices. It was so loud that we could hear it 2 table away, and we clearly weren't the only ones who were annoyed. The staff should not wait until there is a complaint to ask their guests to not play an iPad that loudly (if at all). So, I think they need to decide if this is a formal restaurant or not, and make their guests comply with whatever decorum would be expected for that type of a restaurant.
The menu is extremely limited for dinner, with only 6 entrees. I had steak both nights we ate there and it was cooked exactly as I ordered and quite good. My wife had a pesto-style pasta dish one night, which she did not care for. But overall, dinner was fine. Our room rate included breakfast, which was a different story. It's mainly geared around a breakfast buffet which under normal circumstances may be fine. However, due to Covid, they have a server walk around the buffet and give you what you want, one person at a time. Because there was only one server most of the time, a line formed and it took forever. Also, virtually all the food in the buffet was cold, to the point where I had to send it back because I didn't feel like getting sick. They also have a breakfast a la cart menu, which i usually ordered off of and was good, however it only has egg dishes - omelettes or 2 eggs with sausage/bacon, etc. I think they would be better served to expand the a la cart menu and have more options that can be made to order.
We also ate at the Taproom for lunch one day. It has a limited menu - burgers, sandwiches, wings, pizza, etc. - but everything we had was good. Due to the lack of variety, for 3 of the nights we had dinner off the resort. There is a town (Mountainhome) nearby that has a handful of restaurants. The Pour House was quite good if you are looking for a bar & grill type of place with good food.
We participated in a lot of the recreational activities that they offered. I played the golf course, which was nice. We rented a canoe ($15 / hr) to go fishing on the lake a couple days. We did the Adventure Course (ropes/zip lines) - Cory, our guide, was fantastic. Played archery tag at the adventure center, ping pong in the game room. My daughter went to the beach on the swimming lake every afternoon and loved the inflatable obstacle course. The hiking is fantastic - quite literally some of the best I have seen in the state of PA. There are easy hikes and difficult hikes, multiple waterfalls, and hikes that are so steep that you need to use ropes to pull yourself up (Stable Trail leading up to an awesome overlook, the trails at the bottom of Leavitt Falls, and the trails at the top of the Indian Ladder falls).
Service across the entire resort was generally fantastic. Be aware that there is a significant service charge added on top of the room rate, and many activities are in addition to that, so pretty expensive. Overall, it was a great stay and I'm sure we will return. read more