Late Season Winter Adventure

The snowtubing was great. It's fun for kids and adults alike, and requires no special skills! Seeing my children ski for the first time was amazing. The coaches were fantastic!

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

You definitely need a car! There is no public transportation within the resort and the activities are spread over a huge area.

Mountain bikes are available for rent in the summer, but I would not like to rely on peddle power as my only means of transportation. The mountain roads are very long and steep.

Best Things Nearby:
There was so much to do that we hardley left the resort. However, when we did decide to explore we were spoiled for choice! There are caverns, civil war museums, and vineyards. Washington DC is only two hours drive away and the resort runs weekly tours!

Best Things About the Resort:
We loved our timeshare unit. We had a two bedroom townhouse which clung to the side of the mountain. It was spacious (there were four of us and the unit could comfortably sleep 8), comfortable, well-maintained, and was situated in the most beautiful countryside. We had our own private sauna, whirlpool, and hot tub. The staff were friendly and courteous, always ready to help.

Resort Experience:
The resort is enormous! Over 300,000 square acres of mountain! On one side of the mountain there are timeshares, hotels, ski runs, snow tubing, two spectacular golf courses, hiking trails, fishing ponds, mountain bike rental, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, fitness facilities, and much more. On the other side of mountain there are campgrounds and hunting facilities. The shrieks of delight from our children (ten and six-years-old)when they awoke to see a herd of deer on our front lawn would have made the trip worthwhile on its own. Truly this is a four season resort!

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Excellent
• Unit Satisfaction: Excellent
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

Each week, the Massanutten resort's executive chef collaborates with a local winery to prepare a five-course meal (preset menu, i.e., no choice) with a selection of five local wines (again, pre-selected, so no choice).

Depending on the number of reservations, this dinner may be held at any one of several venues at the resort. The dinner we attended was held at the conference centre and around 40 people attended. Guests were seated at tables of eight people, which added to the experience, as we got to know people we would otherwise not have met.

The conference centre was decorated as one would expect in a high-class restaurant with white tablecloths, appropriate place settings for five courses, and five wine glasses for the wines. Lighting was subdued.

Before each course, the executive chef introduced his creation and the winery representative described the wine and how it had been chosen to complement the food it was served with.

Our dinner was wonderful!

Our first course was shrimp cooked in cream and brandy served with linguini; this was followed by a yellow pepper bisque and a baby spinach salad. The entree consisted of chicken smothered in a wonderful aromatic cream sauce. Desert capped off everything with an apple tart. The wines were delicious and complemented the food well. There were two dry whites, two dry reds, and a sweet dessert wine to go with the apple tart.

Service was good, though when a menu is set, it is hard to get the orders wrong!

The price includes everything except tips and (to our dismay) a previously undisclosed compulsory 18% gratuity. This was the only downside to the experience.

Children's programs are available for parents whose children are too young for this style of dining. Excellent!

Thanks to the excellent coaching staff my 10-year-old daughter was skiing on the blue slopes in two lessons! She did one session of slope-sliders (the children's learn to ski program) and then we booked for group skills improvement classes. It turned out that she recieved a private lesson each time because there were no other registrants. She had a great time learning to ski!

I played the executive nine hole course (soon to be 18). Considering it was the second day open, the course was in excellent condition. Most of the holes were straight with few hazards or trees. The holes with water in play demanded accuracy, especially the par 3 at the ninth hole that has a raised green over a water carry. The course does not change elevation drastically, and can be walked. I believe this nine will be closed and renovated this spring, but the new back nine will be in play.

I did not play the 18 up the mountain but, with the number of trees, you will need to drive it straight or bring lots of balls! With the elevation changes a cart is a must.