Lake Placid Lodge (Adirondacks)

We love an outdoorsy getaway and have been considering the Adirondacks for a few years. It is the largest protected wildlife area in the US and home to numerous lakes and mountains. One of the prettiest of the lakes is Lake Placid. It is lightly populated, draws few tourists, is incredibly quiet (no jet skis), is surrounded by mountain peaks, and is very clear due to spring activity which refills the lake every three days with new water.

We were attracted to Lake Placid Lodge by the gorgeous views and striking photos on their website. It is a Relais & Chateaux property and a 2011 Andrew Harper Grand Award winner. The property is also known to be very welcoming to dogs (they are allowed everywhere but the restaurants) so we opted to bring our beagle. There is a real sense of place and the property embraces the local history of the “great camps” (mansions made of timber and stone dating from the Gilded Age). The original lodge dated from 1882 but was destroyed by fire in 2005 and completely rebuilt. The new design embraces the Adirondack style…with a tree trunk, branch, twig or bark incorporated into almost every surface or piece of furniture throughout the resort…all sourced by local artisans.

We should also note that Lake Placid Lodge was, until very recently, the more casual sister property to nearby all-inclusive The Point. The LPL includes breakfast and some boating activities in the rate, but other meals are paid for separately.

Lake Placid Lodge & View

Since ours was a last minute booking, DavidO was able to get us upgraded to a lakeview category cabin called Rondeau. As is the case with all “great camps”, covered walkways lead from the main lodge to the cabins. The (log) cabins, dating from the 1920s, are certainly not as new as the rooms and suites in the main lodge and probably not as polished, but the cabins are very pleasant. Each cabin has been decorated by a different Adirondack artisan…the central features being stone wood-burning fireplaces and huge picture windows framing the lake.

Rondeau is delightfully rustic with exposed log cabin interior walls, wide plank wood flooring, birch bark ceiling, fluffy down bed, a small sitting area and a partial view of Lake Placid. (Lakefront category cabins sit directly on the water’s edge with more full-frontal water views). The Rondeau bathroom has a beautiful free-standing deep soaking tub big enough for two, and a separate white-tiled walk in shower. The bathroom is lovely but is a bit dark. A kitchenette contains a French-press coffee maker and complimentary water and soda. There are two small outdoor sitting areas, one of which has Adirondack chairs facing the lake. Unfortunately at the time of our stay, these were in need of cleaning and cobwebs rendered them unusable. (Note: for those interested, there are many great photos of the Rondeau cabin on the LPL website)

Rondeau Bathroom (photo courtesy of Lake Placid Lodge)

Excellent Bedding

We attempted to do a little hiking when we first arrived, (the trails in this area are highly regarded) but we were put-off by the mosquitoes. It seems once you step off property in the summer months, you can easily become a meal, so spring and fall are better times of the year for serious hikers.

We (our beagle, too) enjoyed a guided lake tour aboard the resort’s awesome 35’ mahogany Hacker Craft, and the next morning took out a pedal/electric boat to listen to and photograph the loons. If you’ve never heard a loon call its mate, you should watch this.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ENNzjy8QjU Regrettably, both of the regular electric boats were broken during our stay with no indication when they might be fixed. Kayaks and canoes were available but didn’t seem as dog friendly no matter how calm the lake was.

The Hacker Craft is also available for private charter and bespoke experiences. Bright red Adirondack chairs and loungers are strategically placed for sunning, reading, relaxing and just enjoying the gorgeous views. There is a large lean-to for a bit of shade or hiding out from the rain. And anyone who wants to come during the winter will be promised excellent skiing since the Lake Placid Olympic facilities are only 15 minutes away. There is also a local company that provides bobsled rides, though this is probably not for the faint of heart.

Of course, with the surrounding Adirondack Park, we didn’t even scratch the surface of all there is to do. We watched the concierge send people off on many different types of outdoor adventures. And there is a teaching kitchen for the chef to give cooking classes when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Hacker Craft

Typical Home on Lake Placid

Loon on Lake Placid

During our stay, the staff were mostly young and friendly, and often going out of their way to help. We were given a tour of the property when we arrived, and the resident golden retriever, Maggie, gave our beagle her own version of “meet and greet”. The front desk staff was kind enough to babysit our dog while we ate dinner and they made sure there were locally made blankets available to ward off the evening chill…on the restaurant terraces and down by the lake.

Unfortunately on Memorial Day, everyone seemed to disappear. We had to locate staff members in a makeshift break room in order to take out a boat, and when we returned the boat, there was no one there to assist. Good thing we know how to tie a nautical knot.

Also, there was a resort fee instead of a service charge, and we realized we were a bit out of practice with tipping. It wasn’t like staff members were ever standing there waiting with their hand out, but we found ourselves struggling with when or what was appropriate.

Lake Placid Lodge embraces the farm to table concept in all their dining venues. Everything they can get locally, they do; from the eggs to the Lake Placid craft beer on tap. The restaurants are open to the public and are very popular due to the phenomenal views and the heated outdoor terraces (thanks to heat lamps and wood-burning fires). Artisan’s is the fine dining restaurant that is “French in tradition and Adirondack in spirit”. Maggie’s is their classic wood paneled pub. There is also a lovely wine cellar available for private dining.

When we arrived, there was a complimentary Memorial Day cookout with burgers and swordfish steaks. We also had a nice dinner at Artisan’s with the most memorable item being the Valrhona Carmelia Tart (chocolate, sea salt sables, honey roasted peanut, caramel). But the best meal overall was breakfast. Besides the locally sourced eggs, we enjoyed the house-smoked bacon and salmon, and the densest, richest raspberry muffins we have ever eaten. The stone smoker is located on the lakefront and was fired-up constantly while we were there. Next to the smoker is a bonfire pit designed for the enjoyment of nightly s’mores.

On our last day, we opted for a picnic with our dog by the lake. We found the LPL picnic setup to be designed more for a car or plane trip…it was basically a box lunch with very good sandwiches and chips. Any alcohol we wanted was considered a special request. If we were to do this next time, we would look into ordering something a little fancier from room service.

Our beagle was in a near-constant state of wiggle. Happy times, indeed. 

But perhaps a better way to summarize our trip for non-canines is to compare LPL to Twin Farms in VT. The cabins at Lake Placid Lodge were not as large, not as elegant, and not as immaculate as those at TF. Instead, they felt cozy and authentic to the area. Service at LPL was very friendly and accommodating, but not as faultless or invisible as TF. And LPL fell just a little short on the attention to detail…we still remember our delightful gourmet picnic setup at TF. It would be hard for a box lunch to compete with that.

But for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy a real boating lake, a casual atmosphere, luxurious Adirondack-themed accommodations and truly amazing scenery, Lake Placid Lodge can’t be beat. We’d like to come back over the winter to try the skiing and perhaps leave our dog at home and stay in one of the suites in the main lodge. More on that later.