Trapp Family Lodge - One of Vermont’s Finest - TRIP REPORT - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Trapp Family Lodge - One of Vermont’s Finest - TRIP REPORT (Updated in Post #51)
Where: Trapp Family Lodge – Stowe, Vermont (2 BR 2 BA Guest House with small kitchen and no A/C)
When: August 20 – September 5, 2009
Who: DS 10, DD 12 DH 47, Me 43
Why: to try to escape summer heat and humidity of Virginia; traded DVC points through Interval International for a week’s stay
If you haven’t heard the back story of how we ended up with a one week’s stay at the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont and are interested in hearing how we traded DVC points for this trip, read my Pre-Trip Report here…
Before I start the actual trip report, you should know that 9 days before our trip was to begin my father passed away. While he had been very ill for the past 8 months, he had no life threatening illnesses at the time and was in a rehab facility trying to get strong enough to come home. So this was a complete shock. As you can imagine the 9 days before the trip were agonizing painful and busy with details, arrangements, family and friends. It was all overwhelming and I found myself very distracted and unable to focus on the smallest tasks. So trying to pull off final preparations for the vacation were a real challenge to say the least. Luckily I had done a lot of the planning in advance and mainly had to make sure I gathered all the important papers and reservations and packed the right things for everyone.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
We left home at about 1:15 p.m. stopping at Roy Rogers for a quick bite to eat before hitting the highway. We live in Virginia, but were flying out of Baltimore because I was able to get a great fare through Air Tran direct to Burlington, VT from BWI airport which is only about 70 miles from our home. Our flight departed at 3:55 p.m. and was prompt to board. The kids loved that they had in-flight Wi-Fi on the plane although it did cost $5-6 which we were surprised about. We landed at 5:05 p.m. after a pleasant flight and de-boarded the plane. The Burlington Airport is small, but very nice. What we all noticed right away was the cooler, drier air! We actually had to pull our jackets out of our suitcase and put them on. We all just love this fall-like weather and it sure was a nice change from the really hot and humid weather was suffer through in August in Virginia. While waiting for our bags at baggage claim, I noticed the rental car desks were right behind us and there was nobody in line. So I went ahead and checked in to pick up the car I had reserved. We were given a White Ford Edge which was in their intermediate SUV class. We walked right out to the parking garage with the key in hand, loaded our bags and drove away. No waiting, no second check in line, just quick and easy! The car was very nice, had leather seats and handled well. We plugged in our Garmin, entered the address and were soon on Interstate 89 heading to Stowe.
The weather, while cooler, was actually rainy that evening. But other than this night and a passing shower one other evening, it was dry. When we exited off the Interstate we came across a Shaw’s grocery store where we decided it would be a good idea to stop and buy some food supplies for the week. We didn’t buy much, mainly drinks, milk, fruit, snacks with a few breakfast items. My approach is to not do a lot of cooking while I’m on vacation.
We arrived at the Trapp Family Lodge at 7 p.m. and checked in. They gave us a map of the property and told us how to get to the house. We were in 20D which I had heard overlooked some cross country trails. The buildings are large and are actually quads containing four houses—A and B upper level, C and D lower level. I had told my family before we left home not to expect “Disney quality” accommodations. I explained that this house was more rustic and less luxury – it would feel more like a cabin. And this turned out to be the case. However, we were not disappointed as I had feared. In fact we quite liked the place. The family room was very large and had a wood stove in the fireplace. The bedrooms were decent sized and the bathrooms were clean. I had read that the kitchen was pretty small and was placed in a closet. This was accurate as well. It only had 1 television and it was in the family room inside a cabinet with closing doors. So if you never wanted to watch television, you could close the doors and forget it was even there.
Here are some pics of the Guest House - we were in 20D
We unloaded the car in the light rain and quickly settled in because we were all getting hungry. We decided rather and venture out on a dark, rainy night in an unfamiliar place, we would head back to the main lodge and see what they had to offer. Once there, we realized the dining room had a dress code of “business casual” and when I asked, they said no jeans or shorts. That left us out as we were all wearing jeans. Luckily however, there was a lounge that also served food and had not dress code. We headed down the hall to check out the menu. It was really warm and cozy feeling with only about 10 tables. A fire was burning in the fireplace, and a man was playing piano and singing songs. Ahhh, talk about relaxing. From the windows in the lounge you can see the lights of the other buildings on property and they seemed to twinkle in the breeze. Generally, the food was good, but not excellent. We started with an appetizer of Crispy Vegetable Potstickers which were really good. I shared an order of BBQ tenderloin tips/baked potato with DD, DS ordered the kids chicken fingers, and DH tried the Bratwurst/red potatoes/sauerkraut dinner. And for dessert we ordered apple strudel for me, black forest cake for DD and plain old bowls of ice cream for DH and DS.
Stuffed, we headed back to our Guest House (GH). We tried to watch the DVD that was on the mantle. It showed the more luxurious accommodations on property called the Villas. We wanted to see what they were all about, but the DVD just kept sputtering and we weren’t able to see much. So I pulled out all the travel brochures and magazines I had picked at the airport. There was an information booth right near baggage claim. And while we were waiting for our bags, I went over and loaded up on anything that looked interesting. After quietly looking all of these over, I was getting very sleepy. So we put the kids to bed and hit the sack around 10:30 p.m.
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sorry about the circumstances leading up to the change in plans, but the lodge looks great! it is something i have always been curious about having been a huge sound of music fan as a kid! can't wait to read more!
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I just read your PTR and this - great start. I'm glad you decided to try writing something up. I visited the Von Trapp logdge once years ago, but we didn't walk around the property nor did we stay there. I love the pictures - it looks quite homey and something I'd be very comfortable in. I can't wait to read and see more.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
I got up about 7:15 a.m. and checked the weather on my internet capable cell phone to see what was in store for us weather-wise. Current temp was 54 degrees and sunny. The forecast was for partly cloudy skies and temps to reach 68 or so with a chance of afternoon showers. Sounds like a perfect day to me.
I began looking through the list of daily activities that were being offered right here on property. I saw something that looked interesting and all of us could do together. So I called the extension listed and made a reservation for us to go on a guided walk at 1 p.m. DH decided to walk over to the bakery building which was at the end of the parking lot and down a small hill to see what they were offering for breakfast. I really didn’t feel like jumping up and racing in and out of the shower to head over and eat in the dining room each morning. So we just took a low-key approach and either ate something we had in the kitchen (cereal, mini muffins, or pancakes) or sent DH to the bakery. He actually didn’t mind this because they had fresh coffee there each morning as his reward for the short walk. They had muffins, cinnamon swirls, croissants (filled and plain). He brought us back some sweet treats to eat that morning. After breakfast we went out on the flagstone patio to enjoy the cool, crisp air and the view.
Our patio with 4 adirondack chairs
DD and DH with his coffee
the glorious morning view
the view from the patio looking right
After lounging around, we finally decided to shower and get moving. We left the house around 11 a.m. and since we had to meet for our walk at 1 p.m. we didn’t want to venture too far. So we went up to the main lodge to ask for a replacement DVD of the villas since something seemed to be wrong with the one in our room. Inside the lobby there was a separate information office for the villas. So we went in and looked around thinking that we could just see the pictures and site plan, etc. here. The agent was very nice and we asked all our questions. Almost every time we vacation anywhere, we dream of owning a vacation home. We often visit sales offices and collect information and prices. We told the agent (Bill Hunt) we had traded our DVC week to stay on property this week. He seemed familiar with DVC and explained how things differed here. The Villas are private residences, but you can opt to only buy a fractional share of the home (1/12 or 1/24). DH told him that he had always dreamed of owning a mountain home. So of course, Bill asks us if we would like to see an unoccupied villa. Are you kidding? Heck yeah! We spent the next hour and a half with Bill going through the villa and dreaming of how awesome it would be to own a home like this. He gave us a brochure with lots of information and we said goodbye--for now anyway.
By now we only had a half hour before our walk and we needed to eat some lunch quickly so we would have enough energy. So over to the bakery/deli we went to order some sandwiches, chips and drinks. I had a wonderful roasted turkey sandwich with grilled peppers on Cranberry and Brie Foccacia bread. We ate quickly and then raced over to the Outdoor Center to meet the guide for our Maple Sugar Walk. But first we took some pictures of the views from the main parking lot.
the main lodge
the fitness center
main lodge again
DH and the kids
The guide was going to take us into the Sugar Maple forest and explain to us the whole process of producing maple syrup—from tapping the trees to bottling. The walk took about 1 1/2 hours and was mostly on a shaded trail.
the trail
we came across this little fella in the middle of the trail
On the way back he took us down to the Sugar House where all the sap is funneled via pipeline. He took us inside and showed us all the actual buckets and equipment they use during the maple season. The season is only about 6 weeks long and they produce and bottle maple syrup (in small quantities) right here. They are for sale here in the gift shops and are used here in the restaurants as well.
the pipeline feeding into the sugar house
the Trapp Sugar House
the collection buckets
the tank where they boil the sap down
We received this little gift from our guide as we were leaving the Sugar House plus a small sample in a paper cup to eat (drink) right then.
After the walk, we browsed around in the Outdoor Center where they sell athletic clothing and accessories, books, nature guides, etc. There were a few things we liked, but decided to wait to see what the other shops offered before making any purchases. Here, the back porch offered a stunning view and a wonderful breeze to cool us off after the walk.
view straight out the back
view to the right - main lodge
view to the left
We then headed back to the guest house to relax some more. I took a cat nap while the others watched tv. The kids ventured out back and found a small mulch area with monkey bars and they played there for a while.
We then decided it was time for some dinner so I pulled out my Dining Guide magazine which had menus from many of the local restaurants. We decided on a place called The Shed Restaurant and Brewery for dinner. It was only a quick 5 minute drive from the resort and it had a bright and airy feel—Sunroom type décor with flowered tablecloths and wicker style furniture. The food was very good and everything tasted freshly made, not packaged. DS ordered steak and baked potato, DD chose a burger that was super thick, DH had a salad and baked potato, and I chose and appetizer sampler as my meal. It had mozzarella sticks, ribs, and potato skins. The kids also had dessert here—one hot fudge brownie sundae and one flourless chocolate cake with extra spoons of course!
We then headed back to the house but only after missing our turn and taking a little tour of the area. I know this day sounds pretty boring, but after such a crazy week prior to vacation DH and I really needed some down time first and foremost. But I promise the week gets better and better. We crammed a lot of activities into our 7 days at the lodge and we enjoyed every minute of our stay.
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The resort looks really scenic!! I've been to Stowe, but we didn't visit the Trapp Family Lodge, so I'm interested to hear about it! I think we went up an auto road up a mountain in Stowe. Can't wait to hear all about your trip.
This has always been on my bucket list. Some friends of mine grew up in the northeast and their family owns part of a villa at the Trapp Lodge. This is moving up the list. Looking forward to more.
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The resort looks beautiful. It has always been in the back of my mind as a place I wanted to go to. However, I had no idea that there was so much there. Pictures are great.
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