My spouse and I stayed at
Smuggler’s Notch Resort for two nights over a weekend in late September 2018 in
order to attend a wedding nearby. We booked our stay online using the resort
website; however, we were required to book it as part of a fall package rather
than a la carte, even though our stay didn’t seem to include any extras.
The Smuggler’s Notch Ski
Resort first opened in 1956 on Sterling Mountain in Jeffersonville/Cambridge
Vermont, close to Stowe Mountain and an hour’s drive from the Burlington
Airport. In the early 1960s, an additional owner began developing a
European-style village by incorporating Madonna and Morse Mountains. Besides
skiing and snowboarding in the winter, “Smuggs” (as it is affectionately
nicknamed), offers year-round adventures including indoor and outdoor swimming,
zip-lining, hiking, volleyball, miniature golf, disc golf, canoeing and
kayaking, and more. The name “Smuggler’s Notch” dates back to Prohibition days,
when smugglers used the forest, caverns, and caves along the narrow mountain
pass (or “notch”) to transport goods across borders.
Because we had a large group
of family and friends staying at the resort, we were able to see several
different accommodation types and locations, and we were stunned by the
variability of the lodging. Although our Liftside unit had a great location
near the guests services building (including its two shops), several
restaurants (like the Hearth and Candle and the Morse Mountain Grill), and one
of the chairlifts, it was older. We did benefit from a corner unit, so our
dining room area had an additional side window that middle units would not
have. Although our unit was on the first floor, we still needed to climb a short
flight of stairs to reach that level. In Liftside, several units are semi-below
ground, which we learned was the most preferable floor because their occupants can
walk and ski in and out) from their patios. The Liftside condos also have units
on the second floor (some with an additional loft space above); the upper units
require occupants to climb even more steps, and there is no elevator when
loading in/out with lots of bags and equipment.
Although we booked a standard 1-bedroom
condo (no upgraded units were available when we booked), upon check-in, we were
assigned a 2-bedroom unit (#5). We think that we were “upgraded” because it was
the only unit available at the early-ish hour that we needed to check in
(standard check-in time at the resort is 5:00 pm, but because we were attending
a wedding that started at that same time, guests for our event were permitted
an earlier check-in time). Our unit’s main combination living/dining area was
in an acceptable updated state. It had a door that led to a balcony (filthy
with spider webs and other natural dirt), a corner gas fireplace, a comfy sofa
and loveseat (with a coffee table and a side table to use for drinks/snacks), and
a large dining table (with six chairs); the adjacent kitchen was connected via
an open counter area (but without any bar stools) and contained a fully
outfitted cooking space. Although the countertop was only Formica and the
appliances weren’t top-notch, the kitchen was clean and functional and
reasonably modern. The quality of doors in the unit (two bathroom doors, two
bedroom doors, all three closet doors, kitchen pantry door, entry door, and the
door to the connecting unit) really cheapened its overall look; in our opinion,
if the owners replaced the inexpensive flat plywood doors with some newer
fiberglass panel doors, the general appearance of the unit would improve
greatly. Having never stayed at a condo-type hotel before, we were surprised
that every closet we opened was so filled with extra blankets, fans,
clothes-drying racks, and other items that we had difficulty finding a place to
hang our clothes. (We were attending a wedding, so we had many longer garments
that we didn’t want to get wrinkled.) Although there were several pegboard
hooks/shelves positioned around the unit, the hangers from the closets could
not be removed, so there was no way to provide structure for our hanging items.
One bedroom contained a king-size bed flanked by two nightstands, a dresser,
and a sofa (presumably pull-out) and side table. We won’t “ding” the owners for
their quality and choice of bedding, but we will say that the curtains in the
entire unit were the old-style pulley type, which we haven’t seen in years. The
second bedroom had two twin/single beds and a daybed, along with a dresser and
one nightstand. The bathrooms were really where the unit showed its age, and
the feature that we most strongly disliked. The smaller bathroom outside the
second bedroom was an old-fashioned blue color, very cramped and unappealing,
but with the only bathtub in the condo. The bathroom outside of the master
bedroom was a little larger overall, but it had room for only a narrow stand-up
shower. The vanities in both bathrooms needed a refresh as well.
As a contrast, one group of
guests in our party were assigned a 3-bedroom unit in the Eagles section, which
offered stellar accommodations: their building even had a large outdoor hot tub
on a covered porch that guests could share! Their unit had two fireplaces, a
balcony, a large enclosed sunroom, upgraded appliances, an open kitchen with
Corian countertops, and a master bathroom with a steam shower and separate
soaking Jacuzzi tub! Both bathrooms were huge, with upgraded countertops and
fixtures. It made our Liftside unit seem even shabbier than it had before we
saw the Eagles, and we hated having to return to Liftside to sleep and shower
after seeing where our friends were staying.
As previously mentioned, we
have not stayed in this type of condo-hotel accommodation before, so having to
supply our own shampoo, take out our own trash, make our own beds, and wash our
own sheets and towels just isn’t what we look for when we vacation. Neighboring
higher-end Stowe Resort seemed much more our style!
