Pocono Mountains Archives - Mom's Guide To Travel

Jan 13 2014

The Lodge at Woodloch: A Top 10 Destination Spa

Woodloch spa — The pool at the Spa at Woodloch

If you came across a spa whose literature read, “ranked #2 Destination Spa in the World by Travel and Leisure magazine”, wouldn’t you be intrigued to investigate for yourself?

Well, this spa-lover is no different. I’ve been to my fair share of getaways and I had to check out the spa at the Lodge at Woodloch to see for myself.

Atmosphere

Woodloch spa thermal pool — Outdoor thermal pool

You may want to move in to the Spa at the Lodge at Woodloch when you go. It’s that good. Three words for this top-rated spa: Gorgeous, Serene, Relaxing. I don’t think anything else needs to be said.

When you book your appointment, the reservation specialist will be kind enough to inform you that you have 2 hours before your service to enjoy the facilities at the spa. This courteous mention may only be applicable to visiting spa guests and not overnight guests. In other words, they know how dope their facilities are so they need to put a time limit on it, otherwise some people will book a 50-minute treatment but spend the whole day there.

It’s a relaxing atmosphere where one can easily get lost.

Trip Planning Advice

I’ve often found it challenging to travel to spa resorts with the entire family. I’m one of those spa junkies that wants to spend 5-6 hours at the spa, detoxifying, relaxing, thinking and just sitting in stillness.

When you travel with your husband and kids, that’s not a reality. It feels downright selfish, even if he tells me to stay and enjoy since I’m working. I feel guilty and I almost never completely relax. The best advice I can give for this mom-guilt is to either leave the family home or book your husband some spa time as well.

That’s exactly what I did.

My husband enjoyed his spa time as much as I did. We made sure that we allowed the kids to do what they wanted, even if it meant just playing around the room.

Highlights of the Spa

lodge at woodloch — Waterfall pool with waterfall off.

One of the most exciting surprises for me when I visited the spa was that it was pretty empty. Now, this won’t be the case every time but it was a fluke that I welcomed. It could’ve been the early appointment time, I’m not sure. However, an empty spa is a peaceful spa.

I’m not a big fan of co-ed spa facilities. I’ve ran into a couple of them before like the one at the Corinthia hotel london spa. I want men to have their own pools and waterfall facilities but because I was there at a quiet time, I only bumped into one man. And since there are so many areas to relax, if you feel uncomfortable (because you know you don’t have much on under your robe), you can always find another quiet, relaxing spot.

The waterfall and the outdoor thermal pool are tied for first place as far as the best part of this spa. Both take a little gutsiness before getting into. Both are beautiful amenities and what make this spa facility really stand out.

The waterfall pool is a romantic spot for couples, one that you wouldn’t want to share with too many other people. The outdoor pool you won’t mind so much. In December, as you look at the snow just before disrobing and getting in, you’re happy that there are other warm bodies around.

Overall, if I had to do anything differently, I would either go up to Woodloch with either my girlfriends or my husband. I would’ve liked to have enjoyed the spa with him instead of having to split up like we always do. The other alternative is to pay for a sitter to accompany us for the getaway so that we can get that much-needed alone time.

Having experienced the Spa at the Lodge at Woodloch, I can understand its rating.

Disclosure: The Lodge at Woodloch hosted my stay and a treatment at its spa facility. All opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated for this post.

May 21 2013

Travel in Pennsylvania: So Little Time, So Much To Do

Pennsylvania travel — Duquesne Incline (photo courtesy of pennsylvania.com)

Last month I attended a luncheon hosted by the Visit PA Tourism board with several other local journalists. We sat down for a delicious meal at B. Smith’s restaurant in Union Station discussing travel in Pennsylvania. If you don’t already know, this historic state has more than enough for travelers of all kind to do.

Pennsylvania First Lady Susan Corbett was the keynote speaker at the luncheon. She spoke briefly about Pennsylvania tourism, its’ residents, rich history, and her early days in the family travel arena, before the advent of social media. To my family travel strategist delight, she mentioned her own desire as a mom with young kids to travel and explore her state. Although her Pennsylvania travel with kids book never came to fruition, and her kids are now grown, she is a staunch supporter of family travel. Especially in PA.

I’ve already begun to discover the diversity of travel in Pennsylvania. When you live two states over, it’s hard not to.

DISCOVER PA

On our trip last year to the Penn State area, we visited the romantic and cozy Carnegie Inn and Spa, while wine hopping at nearby vineyards and exploring the inside of Penn’s Caves. Earlier this year, we fed our annual ski craving and hit the slopes as Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains. We also had the chance to experience dog sledding for the first time, a sport you won’t find at many resorts in the United States.

Early last year we took a family road trip to the Laurel Highlands area and visited the luxurious Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. It was our first time seeing a white buffalo and walking into a real teepee.

During the summer, we always take a spur of the moment day trip to Lancaster, PA. It’s only 90 minutes from our house and is a peacefully scenic ride through the land of the Amish. I love going to the area to slow down and eat well.

A couple of years ago we drove through the Gettysburg area in search of a wine cellar that I had heard about. This was before the Adams County Pour Tour was in existence.

We went up during Presidents’ Day weekend for my birthday to go skiing, and realized that there is no “stumbling upon” Gettysburg. This historic destination is the perfect weekend trip for military buffs like my husband.

Shrimp Grits — Shrimp n’ Grits at Emeril’s Chop House at the Sands Casino.

Last Fall, I stayed in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, in Lehigh Valley, for a media trip. It was my first time in Christmas City and an introduction to the area. I recently sent my sister that way to the Sands Casino when she was looking to go on a girlfriends’ gambling getaway. She wanted a change from Atlantic City, and boy did she get it.

Last but not least, during winter, for seven years straight I take my annual spa retreat to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Besides my incredible addiction to chocolate (I’ve been to the Wilbur chocolate factory as well), I’m attached to the Hershey Chocolate Spa. It is a well-deserved break from the hustle of motherhood, and now, has become a ritual. The Hotel Hershey has changed quite a bit over the years, adding an amazing outdoor pool area and cottages that are perfect for families. It’s now a place where I’d definitely consider sharing time (and space) with my own brood.

There’s so much more for me to discover in Pennsylvania, with and without the family. Whether I’m looking for a girlfriend getaway, a wine retreat, adventure travel, a history lesson, or, an all-around family trip filled with amusement parks, PA has it all.

Next Stop: Philly

I’m looking forward to returning to Philly this summer, after many years away. The kids are bound to enjoy the hands-on museums and all the early American history that they’ll learn about.

CONTEST

I hope to bring you along the journey. It promises to be one of many stops this summer in Pennsylvania, as we keep our travels a little closer to home. Are you ready? What’s your favorite city or area in Pennsylvania? Is there a place you’d like to see me visit and report about?

Leave me your pick in the comments below for your chance to win a copy of B. Smith’s “Cooking with B Smith and friends.” She’s also a Pennsylvania native. If these recipes or anything like the food I ate at the luncheon last month, or at her restaurant in New York some years ago, I guarantee you will be eating “good.”

Contest runs from 12:00 pm EST May 21 until 11:59 pm EST May 24th. Winner will be announced on Friday May 25, 2013.

UPDATE: CONGRATULATIONS LUCRECER B., YOU ARE THE WINNER OF THE B. SMITH COOKING VIDEO!

Mar 04 2013

Experiencing Tradition In The Pocono Mountains At Skytop Lodge

Last month, on our trip to the Pocono Mountains, we stayed at the Skytop Lodge, a family-friendly resort, about a four-hour drive from the Annapolis area. One of the first things that stood out for me about Skytop was that it was an all-inclusive resort. Made sense. With all the activities that the Lodge offers, in addition to meals and afternoon tea, who wants to itemize everything?

Before you frown your nose up at “all-inclusive”, take a breath. In this situation it works. Don’t think you’ll be driving off the resort to catch a burger or go exploring down the road.

Skytop Lodge_Pocono Mountains — The road in and out of the main entrance.

“Down the road” isn’t all that convenient in this non-commercialized mountain area, especially when it’s snowing. Unfortunately, I experienced this the hard way when I had to leave the resort to get some Tylenol for my youngest, something I try not to forget to pack when I’m traveling with the kids.

Skytop Lodge was built in 1929 and continues many of its family-focused traditions. There are no hats, sneakers, sweats, jeans, or tanks to be worn in the dining room for either lunch or dinner (LOVE this!). And definitely, no cell phones (a resort after my own heart). As for dinner, men have to wear a jacket; women and children are to be dressed appropriately as well.

It’s such a pleasure to visit a place that upholds traditions.

On Saturday evenings, Skytop offers live music and dancing followed by the Skytop traditional grand march for the whole family to enjoy. This is something that the resort has been doing for years.

Afternoon tea is served at 4pm, a perfect interlude between a cold day on the grounds and dinner. My boys enjoyed their hot chocolate while I elatedly sipped down my tea.

Glance around the dining room and you will see that all of the tables are reserved with each family’s name cards. This practice vaguely reminded me of my days in boarding school where we sat at dark brown wooden tables and chairs in our assigned seats.

Although assigned seating isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, I have an appreciation for this kind of tradition.

We had the pleasure of sitting next to a couple who’ve been vacationing at the Lodge for 30 years. They told us that they started coming when their kids were around our boys’ ages.

Now empty-nesters, the couple stills love coming up to Skytop for winter getaways and a piece of that tradition. My mind briefly wandered forward to our lives 30 years in the future.

I interrupted the daydream, not wanting to rush these precious moments with our boys. As Goethe notes, “All we have is today.” And today is what I wanted to enjoy with them – those smiles of being on a winter getaway with mommy and daddy.

Speaking of our day, we had a list of activities to enjoy on our weekend stay.

Soon enough I learned that two days was too short to fit in all that Skytop Lodge has to offer. First on our list was to unpack and make our selves at home in our private Streamside Cottage, complete with a fireplace.

Cottage_Pocono Mountains — Our comfy cottage was a sight for cold eyes.

The whole time we were there, I don’t think the temperature outside went above 16 degrees. It was C-O-L-D! Luckily, the fireplace heated our cottage within minutes.

The age of the lodge shows, especially if you prefer more modern amenities in your accommodations – I didn’t mind it. Our cottage was very cozy and private. It had a king size bed and sleeper couch but since my kiddos can never get comfortable on sleeper couches (I don’t blame them), we all crashed in the bed together. Our boys could make as much noise as they wanted, jump around and bounce off the walls, and I didn’t feel like I was disturbing anyone.

Lodge Fireplace — Guests relaxing by the fireplace in the main building.

In public spaces, like the dining areas, the main hall, and the card room, “nostalgic” comes more to mind than “old.”

Skytop Lodge — An old-fashioned card room with pictures on the wall from the 50’s.

When you see the beauty of the grounds on which Skytop resides, you’re less inclined to spend much time inside the room. I’m no photographer but I was in picture-taking heaven.

From a frozen lake where tobogganers glided, to a semi-frozen stream or a wooden bridge or the snow-covered golf course, there was so much to see and appreciate on the premises before actually signing up for an activity. It’s all so picturesque. Even during the winter, Skytop Lodge offers organized guide-led nature hikes.

Our agenda started bright and early with breakfast at 8am and dog sledding at 11. After doing some exploring once we finished breakfast, we knew it was time to layer up for our adventure. We were all very excited to check out dog sledding for the first time.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any snow to try it out the traditional way (the dogs need at least 4-5 inches to pull the sleigh safely), so we enjoyed it the way owner Kim Darst trains her Iditarod-hopeful team when there’s not much snow on the ground…via 4X4. Yes, you heard right – 4X4. Here’s a view from the back of them pulling us:

http://youtu.be/ZYzan4a183o

It was pretty fun, and we were amazed at their strength and speed, although the little one was just about frozen.

When we left, another family was on their way in to enjoy the activity. It doesn’t come cheap though. For a family of 4, the experience is around $200. The family that came in after us was two adults and three kids.

After warming up inside with some food and some heat, my oldest and I reported to the Adventure Center to brush up on our snowboarding with a lesson. Skytop has its own mountain, which was a big plus. Although Camelback Mountain Resort is only 20 minutes away from Skytop, with its 50 year history, snowmaking horsepower, and rep as the biggest snow tubing park in the country, we just couldn’t pull ourselves away from Skytop just yet.

Most of the people we saw on the mountain were skiing but we love our snowboarding. There was also a hill adjacent to the ski area for sledding. When it was time to go up the mountain, I understood why I think I saw so many skiiers. Instead of a chairlift, Skytop has one of those ski tow systems, easy enough for skiers but not so much for snowboarders. Let’s just say, my son and I had issues getting the hang of it! This was another one of those “nostalgic” characteristics of Skytop.

After a few hours on the mountain, we were zonked. I had all intentions of going tobogganing – Skytop is one of the few places were you’ll find this activity – but my little one just couldn’t bear the cold and he got sick so we had to cut our getaway short (although I did check out the Skyview Spa before we left).

The resort also offers ice skating, a treetop adventure course – complete with a zip line, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing.

Winter at Skytop Lodge, or any other resort in the Pocono Mountains, is all about the outdoors and having fun with the family.

My stay at Skytop Lodge and activities in the Pocono Mountains were courtesy of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

Mar 02 2013

Winter In The Pocono Mountains: Fun Things To Do With The Family

Although Spring is officially three weeks away, the weather is still in the 20’s and 30’s in the Pocono Mountains, and there’s still time to enjoy some quality winter travel with the family. With a beautiful mountain region like the Poconos, you won’t be short on fun winter family activities. If you’re a fan of skiing, snowboarding or snowtubing, that’s easy – there are seven major ski areas to choose from.

A month ago, the fam and I traveled up to the Pocono Mountains for a quick weekend getaway. We’ve gradually been creating a tradition, checking out mountain resorts that we can drive to for a few days of winter family fun. Although this is our fourth year traveling to the mountains with the kids, we’re still testing out snow activities with autism. Each year, it’s an adventure.

Growing up in New York, what I’ve known of the Pocono Mountains is very different from its image today. As a little girl, I remember the commercials of the heart-shaped beds, the humongous wine glass bathtubs, and the soothing music with the message that the Poconos was for lovers. It kinda had this cheezy image but if you had a significant other and you were old enough, it was the place to go for a romantic getaway. And everyone referred to it as, the Poconos.

Today, a lot of that has changed. The area was always family-friendly but the problem is that many of us didn’t know it because we only knew what was marketed on T.V. In fact, one of the four counties that makes up the 2400 square mile Pocono Mountains region, was seen as a popular vacation destination dating back to 1820. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau has been working hard to revamp the old image of the area. The area is still romantic, but it’s so much more than a honeymooners paradise.

There are so many fun things for families to do in the Pocono Mountains in the winter time, I think if more people knew, they wouldn’t limit themselves to just Spring or Summer vacations. The seven ski areas are:

Alpine Mountain
Big Boulder
Blue Mountain Ski Area
Camelback Mountain Resort
Jack Frost
Shawnee Mountain
Ski Big Bear

Here’s all the fun winter activities in the area:

Skiing and Snowboarding
Snow tubing
Ice Skating
Cross-County Skiing
Horse-drawn sleigh rides* (not offered at any of the ski areas)
Ice Fishing
Snowshoeing
Dog sledding (Skytop Lodge)
Snowmobiling
Luging (Blue Mountain Ski Area)

At select places, like Skytop Lodge, you can also go zip lining. All of the ski areas have family-friendly facilities and rails for beginners and experts. The trails in the Pocono Mountains are 35% Beginner/Novice, 32% Intermediate, and 33% Expert. And even when there’s no natural snow events to add to the trails, the ski areas have snow-making down to a science. They should – they’ve been doing it for 60 years.

The Pocono Mountains is indeed a romantic place to visit. Besides your significant other, there are so many other things about it to fall in love with.

About the Pocono Mountains

With 2,400 square miles encompassing Pennsylvania’s Carbon, Monroe, Pike, and Wayne counties, the Pocono Mountains region is home to rolling mountain terrain, breathtakingly beautiful waterfalls, thriving woodlands and 170 miles of winding rivers. Winter offer guests the opportunity to ski, snowboard, snow tube and even snowshoe their way through snowy wonderlands encompassing over 185 ski trails, while summers also cater to the active traveler allowing exploration of 261 miles of hiking and biking trails, over 30 gold courses, whitewater rafting, boating, fishing and open access to nine state and two national parks.

My stay at Skytop Lodge in the Pocono Mountains was courtesy of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

* Attribution: Photo courtesy of Boldly Go Solo -North America.

Feb 10 2013

Travel and Technology: Are Gadgets Taking Away From The Vacation?

A few weeks ago in one of the LinkedIn travel groups where I’m a member, one of the writer’s asked if people still use pen and paper when they travel or if they use some sort of tablet, raising an interesting sub-convo about travel and technology. It made several of us think about how we engage with technology when we’re traveling and supposed to be discovering more of the world.

There was a large census of us that opted for good ol’ fashioned pencil and paper for scribbling our thoughts. It seemed like the underlying theme was that travel and technology can be inharmonious for the travel writer. Except for a camera, anything else could prove to be not only unnecessary extra weight but a distraction from the travel experience and new discoveries. For the average traveler or traveling family, I’d argue it’s probably the same.

I’ll be the first to admit that I promote using gadgets as a great way to keep antsy, bored children entertained during long car rides, flight delays, and any other situation that would foster an unhappy camper. I think that gadgets have their uses when we travel and technology has served this industry well. However, I do believe we need to strike a balance and know where to draw the line when it comes to the vacation experience.

Nowadays we have our smart phones, our net books, our tablets, our cameras, our iWhatevers, and we call ourselves super connected to the world. But I often wonder how much connection has been lost when we travel, now that we’re wired into all these things? This topic is something that some in the tourism industry are also thinking about. One of the travel trends I learned about at World Travel Market, an international travel conference and expo in London, is fatherless travel and other initiatives to help people disconnect so that they can relax. It’s crazy to think that our wired lives are to the point where we don’t know how to let go of the matrix even when we’ve paid good money to enjoy the crystal blue ocean or some ancient ruin.

Those of us heavily entrenched in the world of social media have it the worst. We can’t help but update, tweet, micro blog our status, every step of the new adventure, partly driven by a need to (over)share and partly (for those of us who are working) to fulfill a duty to clients.

But how much are we missing with our thumbs on flat screens and our eyes off of life?

HTC OneX+ (Image) — The very thin and light HTC OneX+ helps rid me of that other gadget weight.

In my continuous quest to eliminate the extra “weight” and find that balance between travel and technology for myself, I’ve practiced leaving various gadgets home when I go on my trips. My gadgets include my cell phone(s), my digital recorder, my digital camera, my laptop, and my pocket camcorder. And although the family vacation is one experience and working on a trip is another, unfortunately I treat them the same. I don’t know how to turn “it” off – I’m always working. I always want to take extra pictures to show my readers or make mental notes of tips. It’s a habit that’s not easy to break.

So for the past few weeks I’ve been playing with a new phone, my HTC ONE X+, which I’ve written a review about, trying to figure out if this is it – the one gadget that will do it all for me and make the marriage between travel and technology more seamless. These smart phones just keep getting better and better, brandishing more capabilities and better technology with each release. And with a gazillion apps on the market to enhance them, the need for additional peripherals like a GPS or a digital recorder or pocket cam are slowly becoming unnecessary.

Last week I traveled to the Pocono Mountains with my family and used my One X + for all my camera needs. The majority of this post was typed on my One X and uploaded to the site directly from the phone. I also used it as my GPS, and although we had to take a detour (through cell tower-empty terrain) because of an accident on the highway, thankfully we didn’t get lost. Here’s how some of the pics turned out:

travel and technology — My son wanted me to take a picture of his hot chocolate. Yum!

Here’s a view of the surrounding area around Skytop Lodge, our accommodations while in the Pocono Mountains.

One of the treatment rooms at Skytop’s onsite spa. I like the fact that I can add effects to my photos right from the camera, without the help of a third-party program.

Skytop Lodge’s very traditional dining room where we enjoyed our meals. It hasn’t changed much over its 80+ years.

Here are some pictures of the dog sledding team that pulled us around.

Overall, I thought the 8mp camera did a good job. I also tried out the video function, which I didn’t bother editing but just uploaded straight to my YouTube channel and embedded here: