Long weekend – Loon Mountain, NH – August 7-10
I was really feeling the need to get away for a few days to decompress after weeks of caring for my terminally-ill Mom and her passing. The second Monday in August is a state holiday here in RI, so it was perfect timing. Jim wasn’t worried about finding a place to stay in NH, but I wanted to play it safe. Scoped out reviews on TripAdvisor (yes, I looked at TTOL first) then called The Mountain Club Resort & Spa at Loon on Friday a.m. and they had availability for 3 nights. We booked the Passport Package which was stay 2 nights, get the 3rd free and with AAA, we got an additional 10% off at check-in, so the total for 3 nights with taxes, etc. was $315.00 and that included 3 $10 breakfast buffet vouchers, a $20 voucher for dinner and unlimited gondola rides. Threw some stuff together, left feeding instructions for the dog and we were on the road at noon. Hit some traffic in NH on 93N due to construction, so we made the trip in about 3 hours 40 minutes. Check-in is at 5:00, but our room was ready for us. King Club Room No. 1336 slopeside. Spacious enough for the two of us for a few nights. King sized bed, pull-out sleep sofa and BONUS – whirlpool jetted tub! Very clean, bathroom had been recently renovated with granite counters and the whirlpool tub. Unpacked a bit and headed over to the Woodstock Station for drinks and something to eat. There is also a brewery on-site that offers tours. Menu has a wide selection of burgers, sandwiches, entrees, pizzas, pastas. Decent sized portions and drinks and reasonably priced. Walked around, went into a few of the nearby gift shops and bought some trinkets, then headed back to the resort to test out the tub before turning in for the night.
Saturday – Buffet breakfast in the Four Seasons restaurant. Autumn was our server and was very attentive and answered all our questions regarding activities and driving directions. $12.50 per person and we had the voucher for $10.00 off two breakfasts each morning. Decided to rent mountain bikes from the resort’s Adventure Center this morning. Perfect weather for biking and hiking – mid 70’s, sunny with a slight breeze. We did the Franconia Notch tour – the Adventure Center drops you and your bikes off at the base of Cannon Mountain and you ride through Franconia Notch State Park on the bike path. Lots of hiking trails along the way where you can leave your bikes and hike the trails to waterfalls, lakes and lookout points. Then you ride back down Rt. 3 through Lincoln, past Whale’s Tale water park and Clark’s Trading Post and back through Woodstock to the resort. Got back to the resort around 2:00 and decided to go swimming and lay by the outdoor pool for the rest of the afternoon. Took the gondola up to the Summit Peak and climbed up the observation tower. We were meeting some friends for drinks at 6:30 so we went in so I could tub again before going out. Woodstock Station again – but on a Saturday night there was a 40 minute wait for dinner. We got there first and found some seats in the bar. No complaints with the food or drinks, but once the band came on at 10:00 there was just no way to carry on a conversation any longer so we left. Much too loud for such a small place.
Sunday – Breakfast again in the Four Seasons restaurant with Autumn. We wanted to hit the driving range this morning, so she directed us to Sugar Hill in Campton. We found it easy enough and hit a couple buckets of balls. Drove down into Waterville Valley to look around before heading back. It started out sunny, but was quickly clouding over and getting windy, so we decided against the indoor pool thinking it would be full of kids and we went down to the gym to work out for awhile. The resort has a separate weight room and cardio room. Both have a very nice selection of equipment which was all in good working order. The woman’s locker room was good sized with individual private showers, a steam room, sauna and whirlpool and towels are provided. Again, all areas were very clean. Jim said the men’s was the same. 40 minutes in the cardio room before heading down to the Viaggo Spa for my 3:30 appointment for a Swedish massage followed by the citrus sea salt body scrub – heavenly. Jim had mixed up some cocktails in the room and had one waiting for me when I got back and we spent the afternoon relaxing and watching tv. It was pouring rain out so we stayed in and ate at the Black Diamond Bar & Grill right there in the resort. Jim had the scallop and shrimp risotto with bacon and I had the grilled flank steak. Both were excellent.
Monday – slept in until 9:00 and took our time packing up. Check-out was at 11:00 am, but we had reservations for horseback riding at 1:00. Drove down into town and got coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts and poked around in some of the shops. We were doing the intermediate ride and there was another couple joining us. We all got saddled up and started to head out, but the other guy just could not control his horse. The guide, Kevin, kept telling him to give the horse a kick with his heel, but he wasn’t doing it hard enough so the horse wouldn’t budge. After about 20 minutes of this, the other couple decided this wasn’t for them and asked to be taken back to the stables. Another guide met us and took them back and we ended up on a private ride – fine by us. We still got the full amount time that we had reserved and now with just the three of us, we were able to canter more than if we had been in the larger group, so it all worked out for the best. Decided we should have a late lunch before we got on the road, so we went to Gordi’s Steak and Seafood and had the fish and chips for $7.79. Good sized pieces of haddock and fries, a beer each and we started on our way at 3:15. We hit no traffic at all coming home – 93-South to the Everett Turnpike thorough Nashua to 495-South to 290-West through Worcester which turns into 395-South and drops us off in Danielson, CT about 6 miles from home – made the drive back in 3 hours 20 minutes – and that was with a quick stop for an iced coffee.
The Mountain Club Resort & Spa at Loon was very nice and I would definitely stay there again. The staff we met were friendly and helpful. During the summer months they have the bicycle rentals, horseback riding, bungee trampoline, rock-climbing wall for on-site activities, but there are many other attractions nearby to choose from as well to keep kids busy. They have studios with kitchenettes, suites with kitchenettes, perfect for a family or group and the king club rooms.
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