The Balsams was a quintessential grand resort in beautiful Dixville Notch. We arrived on December 22 for a two night stay and as we crested the hill into the notch, it was as if we were entering a winter wonderland for Christmas, and it continued
more +to lightly snow for our entire trip which made it especially nice for a white Christmas. In the grand adventure plan, breakfast and dinner was included as well as downhill skiing, cross country skiing, ice skating, and snow shoeing.
The dining experience alone was fabulous. Elegant dining rooms with candles and white table cloths as well as a pianist rolling out beautiful tunes made this worth getting dressed up for. The service was impeccable and left nothing to be desired. Being that this housed a great culinary school, the food options were utterly fantastic; in fact, there was even a display of beautifully decorated ginger bread houses throughout the hotel for children to admire. There was a pub/restaurant that offered up some tasty treats for lunch with great draft beer options if you chose to stay at the hotel; however, if you ventured out to the ski lodge, there were great lunch options there too.
The ski mountain did have a bunny slope as well as more challenging runs for those more experienced. The hotel provides a shuttle back and forth which makes it very convenient. We went on a snow shoe hike through the woods and took the kids out for ice skating on the outdoor rink.
There was a special "office" in the lobby that happened to be Santa's hut and there always seemed to be coloring and arts and crafts offered to children with a mail box to send letters to the north pole. For the tweens and teens, there is a billiard room and a game room to entertain that even had popcorn. There is lots of history on the walls throughout the hotel in the form of pictures, antiques, and memorabilia that you can spend a lazy afternoon perusing.
All in all, this was a fantastic family vacation, it really got us in the Christmas spirit, and we plan to repeat this one for sure.
Date of Stay: 12/22/2010
Children in Party: 2
Kids (7-9) Tweens (10-12) Accommodations Dining Kids Play Area Money Value Staff
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The Balsams Grand Resort
