The Maple Wayfinder Trail from the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism in Lake Placid highlights producers around the region and where to find sugary treats (photo by Jane Hooper for Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism)
Vermont may be the largest producer of maple syrup in the nation, but New York is home to the largest resource of tapped maple trees in the country, where most of the maple syrup production takes place within the Adirondacks. As a result, there are hundreds of types of syrups, foods, beverages (including maple bourbon imperial stout and maple mules), candies, cocktails and experiences (like maple-based spa treatments at the Mirror Lake Inn) that showcase local Adirondacks maple. Tour local sugarhouses, sample syrups and join tapping demonstrations during New York State’s Maple Weekends (March 18-19 and March 25-26). The Maple Wayfinder Trail from the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism in Lake Placid highlights producers around the region and where to find sugary treats. WHERE TO STAY: High Peaks Resort’s Spring Sale including a $25 dining credit at Dancing Bears Restaurant, perfect for some maple pancakes!
During Vermont’s Spring Maple Open Houses the weekends of March 25-26 and April 1-2, visitors can tour sugar houses (such as Nebraska Knoll Sugar Farm, about 10 minutes from Topnotch Resort), sample various maple products and more. In addition to maple season, other great reasons to visit Stowe during the spring include late season spring skiing and antiquing – the goods haven’t been picked over yet by summer visitors! WHERE TO STAY: Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vt. is currently offering a “Sweet Suite Sale” for their suites and resort homes for travel through May 18. The bigger you go, the more you save: 15% off suites, and 20% off resort homes.
High Peaks Resort in the heart of Lake Placid is the perfect home base for exploring the Adirondacks of New York.
Looking for a resort escape this summer? Consider these three Spire Hospitality properties for your vacation: The Leta in Santa Barbara, CA, Topnotch Resort in Vermont and High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid New York.
The Leta
If your idea of the ultimate Southern California retreat is longboards, poolside cocktails and coastal cuisine, you’ve found your place in the sun at one of the best Santa Barbara hotels around. At The Leta, they have a Golden State of Mind attitude, surf-inspired décor, and eclectic accommodations, plus a passion for music shared through their VNYL record shop and live music scene. All of their eccentric, laid back touches will no doubt have guests enjoying the good life, one day at a time. The ideally located property with 158 rooms is prized for its cool, hip, carefree Californian personality and it’s artful, quirky, unexpected, open and soulful chemistry. Local art, music, food and wine are at home here and the hotel boasts 6,000 square feet of meeting space welcoming locals and out of town guests alike for one-of-a-kind meetings and events. Designed with an easygoing, California-cool aesthetic, The Leta’s artful guest rooms and suites channel the radiant spirit of SoCal featuring earthy, eccentric textures and fabrics with a nod to surf-culture nostalgia. This charming beach chic hotel in Goleta also welcomes pets.
High Peaks Resort
High Peaks Resort in the heart of Lake Placid is the perfect home base for exploring the Adirondacks. Guests can choose from three unique lodging experiences overlooking Mirror Lake and the Adirondack mountains: The Resort, a traditional hotel featuring 105 newly renovated guest rooms; the modern retro-vibe Lake House with 44 guest rooms; and the private and serene Waterfront Collection, featuring 28 guest rooms including 10 suites on the shores of Mirror Lake. Amenities available to all guests include two indoor and two outdoor heated pools, an indoor Jacuzzi, an on-site fully equipped fitness center, the Spa & Salon at High Peaks Resort, and Dancing Bears Restaurant, consistently ranked one of the top restaurants in Lake Placid. Guests also enjoy private access to Mirror Lake with complimentary use of kayaks, paddle boats and stand-up paddleboards, special activities such as yoga at the waterfront and birds of prey demonstrations, an outdoor barbecue, a fire pit (with complimentary s’mores), lawn games, sweeping views of the Adirondack mountains and close proximity to the region’s top attractions and activities such as the Lake Placid Olympic Sites, Whiteface Mountain, The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, High Falls Gorge, Ausable Chasm, and numerous hiking trails, kayaking, boating and more in the Adirondack Park. High Peaks Resort is also within walking distance to shopping, dining and entertainment in downtown Lake Placid. Dogs are welcome, with special canine-friendly treats and amenities.
Topnotch Resort
The AAA Four-Diamond Topnotch Resort, set on 120 acres of woodland at the foot of Mount Mansfield, is located between Stowe village and Stowe Mountain Resort (and within 35 miles of four other popular ski resorts: Smugglers’ Notch, Sugar Bush, Mad River Glen and Bolton Valley). The resort includes 68 guest rooms and 17 two- and three-bedroom resort homes that allow for a private and very socially distant experience. Guests enjoy Vermont fresh farm-to-table dining at The Roost, the Topnotch Tennis Academy (ranked one of the top 10 tennis resorts in the country offering more than 30 programs for all ages and levels of play on six seasons outdoor and four indoor hard courts), the 35,000 square foot award-winning Topnotch Spa, three indoor and outdoor heated pools, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis, the Equestrian Center at Topnotch (offering English and Western trail rides, private and group horseback riding, carriage rides and sleigh rides), Mountain Ops Outdoor Gear (an on-property outfitter which can arrange and outfit for any activity year-round, including mountain biking, hiking, kayaking and fishing in the summer), outdoor fire pits with s’mores kits, shuffleboard and other games, specialty cocktails, access to the Stowe Recreation Path and more. Dogs are also welcome at Topnotch, with dog beds, CBD treats and special canine-friendly turndown service and spa treatments. Topnotch is a short drive away from Stowe Village, featuring many locally owned shops and an array of restaurants, music and art galleries.
Spire Hospitality, led by CEO Chris Russell, is a third-party operator of 7,033 room keys and over 350,000 square feet of meeting space across 20 states. The Spire portfolio, with a focus on large, full-service hotels, includes unique independent properties and premier branded assets across Hilton Hotels & Resorts (HLT), Marriott International (MAR) and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), including 29 hotels and resorts (www.spirehotels.com).
The AAA Four-Diamond Topnotch Resort, Stowe, Vermont, is offering fall deals including an an Adult Sleepaway Camp Promotion and O’ Christmas Tree Package.
With the kids back at school and (hopefully) settled into a new school year routine, it’s your turn to go to sleepaway camp and get some rest and relaxation in before the busy holiday season kicks into high gear. Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vt. has an Adult Sleepaway Camp Promotion valid on travel Oct. 20 through Dec. 13: there are still s’mores (with a glass of wine), activities (tennis or beer/distillery tours, anyone?) and time to relax (soothing spa treatments) but the accommodations and company are upgraded from our youth. Stay one night, get one free 50 minute spa service, 22% gratuity included (offer valid per room and limited to one treatment per room night). Rates start at $212 per night. Book here.
And come December, picking out the family Christmas tree is a great way to kick off the holiday season, and Topnotch’s O’ Christmas Tree Package includes luxury overnight accommodations and a wagon ride through a tree farm to find the perfect tree (up to 9 feet tall) that you select and cut on-site. Once cut, the tree is professionally wrapped, packaged and loaded onto your car for a safe trip home. Rates start at $179 per night and the package is available Nov. 29 through Dec. 20. Book here.
The AAA Four-Diamond Topnotch Resort is located 10 minutes from Stowe with the best views in the area of Mount Mansfield. Relax in the award-winning spa, enjoy locally-sourced dining at two restaurants with sweeping views of the Green Mountains, take a tennis or pickleball lesson at the Topnotch Tennis Center, or marvel at the stunning mountain views from the heated outdoor pool and Jacuzzi while sipping hot chocolate or a specialty cocktail at the outdoor fire pits, or during a horseback or carriage ride arranged through the Equestrian Center at Topnotch. Mountain Ops Outdoor Gear located on property can arrange and outfit for any activity year-round, from skiing and boarding to mountain biking and fishing, or take the Topnotch Brewery and Distillery Tour which visits the region’s highly acclaimed breweries and distilleries. Dogs are welcome at Topnotch, with dog beds, CBD treats and special canine-friendly turndown service and spa treatments.
Stowe, VT (March 22, 2016) – Topnotch Resort welcomes New England’s fifth season with a muddy mix of activities and amenities, inviting guests to “Get Dirty” during a two night stay at the 68-room luxury boutique resort. With 120 acres to explore, visitors can hike along the recreation path, tear down the mud-laden roads on fat tire bikes or end up knee deep in infused clay at the Spa throughout Topnotch’s extended mud season, now through June 30.
The Get Dirty mud season package includes a two night stay in luxury accommodations with breakfast daily, one muddy mountain bike road tour and fat tire bike rental per adult from Mountain Ops (on-property), and a mud puddle cookie and mocha milk amenity delivered during turn down. In addition, guests who book the package can add-on an optional 50-minute combo Swedish massage at the special price of $100, per person. Offer is subject to availability. Rates start at $285 per night, based on double occupancy, now through June 30. The package can be booked online here.
Following the mud trail indoors, the Topnotch Spa, featuring more than 120 treatments in 30 rooms, has designed dedicated spring treatments including a Maple Sugar Body Scrub, priced at $75 plus 20 percent service charge, or an infused mud therapy session using rich jasmine clay to detoxify and nourish guests’ lower legs and feet, followed by a massage, priced at $125 plus 20 percent service charge. Before or after working up an appetite on the trails, Topnotch offers a menu of mud-inspired snacks, like Muddy Buddy Trail Mix, and desserts, such as the mud pie made with chocolate pudding, dirty Oreo crumb and gummy worms, served at the on-site restaurants The Roost and Flannel.
Set within 120 acres of woodland at the foot of Mount Mansfield in the village of Stowe, Vermont, Topnotch Resort blends the gracious charm of a ski lodge with the luxurious amenities of world-class resort. In 2013, a $15M renovation encompassed all 68 guest rooms, 9,000 square feet of meeting space and added a new concept restaurant, The Roost, to complement the locally sourced, full-service restaurant Flannel. Additional accommodations can be found in a variety of Resort Homes.
Amenities at the luxury boutique resort include the 35,000 square foot Topnotch Spa; the Tennis Center with four indoor and six outdoor courts; a state-of-the-art Fitness Center; and water features such as an indoor pool, a whirlpool/Jacuzzi, and two outdoor pools with mountain-views – one of which is heated year-round. Among the outdoor pursuits is cross-country and downhill skiing, mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding. One of members of the MetWest Terra Hospitality collection of boutique hotels, Topnotch Resort is a AAA Four-Diamond property.
For more information on Topnotch Resort and to book the “Get Dirty” mud season package, visit www.topnotchresort.com or call 800-451-8686.
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