As a life long New England skiier and snowboarder, I have conquered nearly every acclaimed mountain in NH VT MA and ME. Stowe, however, was one of the few areas I still hadn't visited. Known for the superb conditions and quaint villages, my boyfriend was surprised I had yet to ski one of the top rated mountains in NE, and after my weekend there -- I'm surprised too!
With a gondola that takes you straight from the lobby to the mountain, the best lodge is hands down the Stowe Mountain Resort and Spa. The resort is elegant but comforting with live piano music, local artisan cheeses and drinks in their den that's conveniently nestled at the base of the Mt Mansfield. The best rate we found was for a double occupancy room for a $300 and change.
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| Stowe Mt lodge: enjoying wine and cheese! |
We opted for Top Notch Resort and spa instead, at $220 a night. The hotel is very unassuming. The parking lot and front entrance seem uninviting and far from glamorous, but as the porter grabs your skiis and ushers you into the foyer, the charm of this hotel becomes apparent. Typical Vermont decor, with carved wood, moose heads mounted, fireplaces roaring, throws and nicknacks strewn about. Quintessential Vermont hotel from every aspect of the lobby and structure of the resort. If the entire hotel kept with this rugged comfort then I would have been more than pleased with my stay, but they added elements of luxury at every corner that took my stay from a 3 star up to a 4. The HD plasma tvs in the room were nearly 50", the bathroom was stocked with luxury grapefruit infused products, and the bed was enormous and plush. They seamlessly blended the modern luxuries with the bed and breakfast style decor. 
The rooms are lovely, but the real selling point for TopNotch is their spa. With worldwide recognition, they have created a true oasis nestled into the slopes of VT. Full service salon, spa, yoga studio, fitness center, indoor/outdoor tennis courts with instructors, suana indoor/outdoor pool and jacuzzis with a doting and extremely professional staff. A+ on amenities.
The only complaint I have is with the food - or lack there of. They could have seriously wooed me with a wine and cheese hour following the ski day, some apples and granolas with the complimentary coffee, or even some fruit for sale in the little gift store. Moreover, the restuarant Normas was very sub par. Tacky decor squished into an extremely cramped dining room with a menu struggling to deliver exotic and refined when they should have focused their attention on taste and comfort. The fondue cheese fries were just french fries with a very mild cheese dumped on top, reminding me of the orders I'd place at 4AM at the college diner. Startlet chicken salad comprised of a basic chopped salad with two dainty chickens atop. The dressing was fresh and zesty, but the little birds were overcooked and the presentation was poor. The rest of the meal bored me, but the real disappointment was the dessert. The apple tart was a glorified puff pastry filled with apple sauce and accompanied by the worst ice cream I have ever wasted calories on. This was the first time I've ever been disappointed by ice cream - but this truly was that bad. The texture of custard, but with the flavor of chalk.
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