This past weekend, my family and I enjoyed two nights at the brand new Hope Lake Lodge at the Greek Peak Mountain Resort in Cortland, NY in the finger lakes region.
We drove up in a light snow and saw the lodge, warm and welcoming like a postcard! We walked into a gigantic three story lobby, saw a roaring fire in the stone fireplace surrounded by comfy couches and picked up a cup of the complimentary hot coffee that is waiting to be enjoyed all day. Let me tell you, after a drive in the snow with three kids, it was heaven on earth!
We went up to our room and gave a collective “Wow!” It was gorgeous: rustic without being tacky (hard to pull off!), more than enough room for our family of 5, and had all the comforts of home. I was very impressed with how well-stocked the room was. We’ve stayed at a ton of hotels, condos and timeshares over the years and generally the “kitchens” are ridiculous. Usually they have one small pot and a frying pan and they never have enough dishes. This kitchen had everything from steak knives to a can opener to cookie sheets to wine glasses to food storage containers. I’ve never seen one like this. There was everything we would have needed to cook a big meal for our family! There was even a dishwasher. We ate breakfast in our room both mornings, relaxing in our pajamas.
There are several room layouts that fit anywhere from 4 to 10 people. We had layout B and it was perfect for us – plenty of room for us and all our stuff. The rooms have tons of storage in the huge closets, so we weren’t constantly tripping over all our boots and suitcases and stuff. You probably know that my two non-negotiables of a hotel are 1) comfy beds and 2) a great shower. The beds here were very comfortable – even the Murphy bed I shared with Colin was nice! The shower was terrific – actually the whole bathroom was gorgeous, now that I think about it!
Cascades Indoor Waterpark (located right in the lodge) was super fun. The kids had such a blast. We could hardly tear them away to eat and sleep – it was all they wanted to do. It was torture when they woke up at seven and had to wait three whole hours for it to open. (“It is open yet?” “What about now?” “Is it open now?”) It was very fun – even for mom and dad. We spent most of our time there over the weekend, going there twice on Saturday and again on Sunday before we left. The waterpark has a great variety of attractions, so its perfect for families with little kids and big kids/grownups. My husband also went tubing with the girls on Saturday afternoon, which was a huge hit! The girls had never been before and they really enjoyed it. Meanwhile, I got pampered at the gorgeous Waterfall Spa. I was so impressed with how affordable, yet luxurious it was. My Apres Ski Massage was fabulous! I highly recommend scheduling some “me time” while you’re there!
There are two restaurants in Hope Lake Lodge: Acorn Grill and Edgewater Cafe. We hit the Edgewater Cafe for lunch on Saturday while we were at the waterpark. The burgers were very good and the kids devoured a pizza. That night we went to the Acorn Grill, which was excellent. My husband and I both had very yummy meals, going with the entrees our server recommended highest, while the kids happily devoured their chicken fingers. (We skipped dessert at the restaurant and got ice cream at the Edgewater Cafe instead! Yum!)
Greek Peak Resort is a terrific family destination. We had such a wonderful, relaxing, fun time – my kids were in tears when we left, saying they wanted to stay for a whole week next time! I’d love to come back with my extended family — this would be such a great place for a little family reunion! The small touches made a huge difference: hot coffee and muffins in the lobby, a hotel store that actually had reasonable prices, shuttles to the ski area every 10 minutes… Plus, every employee we interacted with was eager to help, very friendly and constantly asking if there was anything they could do to make our stay better.
Disclaimer: greek peak mountain resort provided our family with lodging and other benefits, such as tubing tickets, for the weekend, so my family and I could experience the resort. i was not compensated financially for this post.
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