STOWE, VERMONT: The Perfect Winter Getaway
Written: Feb 14 '03 (Updated Apr 01 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wide variety of excellent lodging, great restaurants, tons of winter sports and other activities
Cons: Can be expensive depending on where you stay, eat, etc.
The Bottom Line: Stowe features great sports, skiing, food, lodging and entertainment. Highly recommended!
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| jodynu3's Full Review: Stowe |
My boyfriend and I returned from a weekend (1/31-2/2) in Stowe to celebrate out One Year Anniversary together. We were worried about expensive activities and not having enough time to do anything, but it turned out to be a PERFECT WEEKEND!
We left Boston around 5PM on Friday in horrible rush hour traffic. We stopped for dinner along the way at an Outback and when we got back on the road, the traffic had sped up considerably. Stowe is about a 3-4 hour drive from Boston depending, of course, on traffic.
LODGING
There are a TON of choices for lodging in Stowe. The best thing is that there are NO chain hotels, motels or resorts. These are all locally owned B&B's, inns, lodges and resorts. Therefore, they are all very home-y and family owned. During the winter rates range from about $150 to over $300 a night depending on what type of lodging you choose.
Luckily, most of the lodging options are right in the village on the main drags of Route 100 or Route 108 (Mountain Road and Main Street). There are also other options nearby Stowe (in Waterbury) and off the main roads with more privacy.
We chose the Grey Fox Inn & Resort on Mountain Road. It was wonderful! We chose this inn because it was the cheapest place we found where we could get a Jacuzzi tub and fireplace in our room. The rate was a little over $200 a night and included breakfast daily in the Dutch Pancake House. Our room was huge with a closet, separate sink/toilet, Jacuzzi tub, king sized bed, fridge, sofa bed, chair, fireplace, 27" TV w/VCR & HBO and back porch with mountain view!
The staff was excellent and the inn also features and large indoor pool w/ hot tub, basketball court, outdoor pool and game room. The breakfast included was great..you have to try the Dutch pancakes (cross between pancake and crepe) - they have over 60 varieties! Breakfast included meal, one hot beverage and one small juice.
FOOD
Speaking of food, there is no lack of dining options in Stowe! Stowe has more 4 star restaurants than any other location in New England, except Boston. Choose from cheap and casual...I recommend the Sunset Grille and Depot Shop and some more elegant places such as the Foxfire or The Whip.
There are so many places to eat here and the prices are reasonable at most. We had $10-15 lunches at the Depot Shop (50's themed) and the Sunset Grille (sports bar). For dinner, we went Italian at the Foxfire which was $35 for the two of use (entrees and non-alcoholic drinks.
Almost every inn has its own restaurant so it’s a great place to start. There are lots of dining options and they are all very close by. Ask for a dining guide at your hotel, it contains most of the menus to all of the main restaurants.
WINTER SPORTS
Skiing
Unfortunately, because of our short trip and it being a "romantic getaway" we opted not to ski. I have also not been in 8 years so I would have been hurting...I'm a Maryland native and skiing is not as big down there. However, Mount Mansfield is Vermont's highest peak and Stowe was once named the "Ski Capital of the East". There are trials for every level from beginner to advanced. There are also dining options - you can even ride the gondola up to the peak and eat at a restaurant. The lift tickets are pretty steep, I think they start around $60. Then rentals, of course. Try Stowe.com for more info on rentals, lessons and lift tickets. They had a great deal while we were up..pizza, soda, a movie and night lift ticket for $25, $20 for kids. I wish we could have done it!
Snowmobiling
We opted for snowmobiling, which was awesome!!! We took a 2 hour tour from Stowe Snowmobiling Tours for $140 for two people on one snowmobile. The price was $99 for your own. We printed out a $5 off coupon from the web, but you also had to pay an $18 insurance charge. This price includes everything, even the helmet and boot rentals.
I have been snowmobiling once before, but this trip was by far the best! We arrived an hour early and first got our equipment and then watched a safety video. Afterwards, we drove to the site, received more lessons and then were off for the next two hours. We went up into the mountains down and up sharp curves and hills. It was scary and a bit daring for me, but the view was incredible! We fell once, but it was no big deal. We stopped at the top for a break and chatted with the guides before continuing back down again. I would absolutely recommend this company for everyone...there were ages from 8-50 in our group of 10 and we had three guides for the group.
Other Sports
Other sports at Stowe include snowshoeing, cross country skiing and even dog sledding! Check out www.gostowe.com
NIGHTLIFE
Don’t expect much! Most shops are closed by 7, even on a Saturday night. However, many of the pubs feature live bands and other entertainment. There is also a movie theatre on the main road which features 3 movies to choose from. Other than that, book a sleigh ride, go night skiing, or go swimming if your inn has an indoor pool or hottub!
ROUTE 100 “Enticement Alley”
As you arrive or depart Stowe (from the South), you will travel along Route 100. On Route 100 south of Stowe and in Waterbury are many attractions. The Cabot Annex store is located along this route where you can have free samples of all of their cheeses and spreads. (The actual Cabot Creamery isn’t far either – on Route 2 in Cabot, VT!) In this same shopping center you will find The Teddy Bear Company where you can browse and even create your own bear from scratch…for a steep price beware! Also, there is a Lake Champlain chocolate store, which unfortunately does not give out free samples and also seems to be extremely overpriced!
Further down Route 100 you will find the Ben and Jerry’s Factory. It is definitely worth a visit! For $2 per person (I think kids are free) you can watch a video about how Ben and Jerry started their company, look at memorabilia, see the actual production floor and get 2 free ice cream samples. The tour lasts about a half hour. The factory is neat and their story is very interesting. Afterwards, check out the gift shop and buy some more ice cream at the Scoop Shop!
GETTING AROUND
Getting to Stowe is pretty easy if you’re driving. There is also an Amtrak stop in nearby Waterbury if you’d like to take that route. The closest airport is the Burlington Airport, which is about 45 minutes from Stowe. I also saw buses making stops at various inns and restaurants so I’m assuming that Stowe has some sort of small-scale public transportation (check out gostowe.com for more info). Personally, I prefer having my own wheels, but if you’re flying in at least you do have some other transportation options!
Overall, Stowe was wonderful. The mountain views were gorgeous…everywhere we went there was a unique and amazing view…bring your camera. I was constantly forcing my boyfriend to pull over the car so I could take panoramic pictures of the view. This was my first time in Vermont and my first New England ski town experience and it literally looked like something from a painting or book…..beautiful snowcovered inns and pubs..very picturesque. I highly recommend Stowe for families, friends and couples!
My Other Travel Review:
Quality Inn Boardwalk - Ocean City, MD
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: All
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Epinions.com ID:
jodynu3
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Member: Jody
Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 21 members
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