| A
few black and white pictures in my family’s photograph album show a young
girl at Santa’s Village on Whiteface Mountain in Upstate New York’s Adirondack
Region. Among the photos taken at this Santa Claus theme park near Lake
Placid, one shows the 10-year-old sitting in Santa’s sleigh and another
captures her petting a reindeer. The girl was me and the photographs were
taken several decades ago when the seeds of a lifelong passion for the
Adirondacks were planted. |
The
Lakeside Cottage features suite style rooms with extraordinary views of
Mirror Lake and the Adirondaxk high peaks.
|
Almost every year since those long ago
visits to Santa’s Village (it still exists), I have returned to the Adirondack
Mountains, in particular the town of Lake Placid where I have watched it
blossom into a popular and full-blown vacation destination. I have also
watched the evolution of the Mirror Lake Inn, the grand dame of the town’s
hotels. Over the years, this all-seasons lakefront resort has attracted
high profile guests dating back to 1932 when Lake Placid hosted the Winter
Olympics and the Norwegian Team occupied the entire hotel. When the town
again hosted the Olympics in 1980, champion skaters Dick Button and Toller
Cranston made the Mirror Lake Inn their home away from home.
Perched on a hillside on the edge of town,
overlooking Mirror Lake and the Adirondack high peaks, this imposing white
wooden structure was originally built in 1883 as a private residence and
it wasn’t until 1924 that it became an inn. At that time it was taken over
by William Rufus Wikoff, who earned his wealth from pioneering and developing
the “Fuller Brush Man” concept.
Wikoff and his wife, a Lake Placid native,
were responsible for launching the splendid inn we see today. However,
in the late 1980s the building was ravaged by a tragic fire but was rebuilt
within the same year returning the structure to its original charm and
splendour. With two additional buildings that have since been added there
are 129 gracious rooms and suites---some of them offering wood burning
fireplaces and Jacuzzis.
| In spite
of its grace and rustic sophistication there isn’t a shred of stuffiness
about Mirror Lake Inn. In this regard, Conde Nast magazine referred to
the inn’s character as “polished, not snooty”. This is a family-owned establishment
that manages to blend elegant furnishings and luxurious décor with
the inimitable Adirondack style that is both casual and comfortable. |
The
Victorian-style living room is where afternoon tea is served and where
guests relax in the evening.
|
Mahogany-clad public rooms, gleaming walnut
floors, carved wooden staircases, great stone and marble fireplaces, antiques,
antler chandeliers, Adirondack-style furniture and stuffed animal heads
give the place a warm, woodsy feel. Moreover, guest rooms are equally as
pleasing as the inn’s public spaces each offering “designer rustic” furniture
and incomparable views of the mountains and lake.
The inn may be a century-old building
but its amenities are anything but vintage. This includes a modern, full-service
spa that has all the bells and whistles. It offers unique body treatments
like the signature Adirondack maple sugar body scrub and a seaweed body
mask. The full range of treatments includes specialized massages such as
custom stone therapy, deep tissue, Swedish and Thai massages, reflexology,
mud wraps and all the body beautiful stuff like facials and pedicures.
Just down the hall from the spa is an indoor lap pool complete with sauna,
whirlpool, a waterfall and panoramic views of Mirror Lake and the backdrop
of mountains.
The hallway just off the reception area
is lined with framed awards for everything from best ski resort in North
America to being named among the top 500 hotels in the world by Travel
& Leisure magazine. Several awards of distinction have recognized the
inn’s cuisine and wine cellar. I tested both and although I’m neither a
food nor wine critic, I give them both two thumbs up. The View is the resort‘s
main dining room and while it’s impossible to surpass the mountain vista
that lies beyond the room’s panoramic windows, the actual dining experience
places a close second. This is a restaurant that focuses heavily on locally
grown food products--meats, poultry, fish, berries, greens, vegetables
and herbs--which the inn’s chefs turn into tantalizing menu items. In addition,
the inn has built a particular reputation for its Adirondack flapjacks
drenched in hot, locally tapped maple syrup.
The Mirror Lake Inn would undoubtedly be
a renowned resort even if it was in the middle of nowhere but it has the
great advantage of being located in one of the most scenic areas in Upstate
New York on the edge of a town that has attracted hordes of visitors ever
since Lake Placid hosted its first Olympics. Within easy walking distance
from the inn, downtown streets are lined with a vast selection of name
brand outlet stores together with shops selling everything from bear rugs
to antler lamps, antiques, Adirondack furniture, fine art, jewellery, knitwear
and homemade chocolates.
Moreover, jam-packed streets aren’t a Lake
Placid occurrence that only happens during the sunny days of summer. This
is a year-round resort town whose winter attractions in the area are legendary---due
largely to the sports infrastructure that was put in place for the Olympic
Games. Former Olympic venues offer a speed skating oval for daily public
skating, bobsled and luge rocket rides and downhill skiing on Whiteface
Mountain (Nov. to mid-April) with close to 70 trails and the steepest vertical
drop in the East. The natural environment itself provides opportunities
for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, snowmobiling, ice
fishing, and dog sled rides on Mirror Lake.
For more information about Mirror Lake
Inn go online at www.mirrorlakeinn.com
or call 518-523-2544. For more information about Lake Placid see www.lakeplacid.com
or call 1-800-447-5224.
|
