Week In The Poconos

I'd recommend shopping at the Crossings Outlet Centre, which is off of 611. I found some really great deals while there. They had great shops like Polo, Nautica, and Coach, to name just a few.

I'd also recommend going horseback riding at the Fernwood Stables, which is part of the resort. We had friends come out and stay with us when we went and it was really nice. The horses were very well-taken care of and well-behaved. That was important to me because I had a terrible experience on a horse before. I am 100% a beginner when it comes to horses. There is a guide that takes you through the trail.

Also, try to visit one of the candle shops they have in the area. My favorites were Pocono Candle and the Country Kettle, which are both off 209. If you're a candle lover then you can't miss these shops. Be prepared for rows of different candles. It's almost impossible to walk out of there with only one scent. These shops are also very big on crafts, so if you're into anything crafty then this is perfect for you.

Because of the time of year we went we didn't get to use all that the resort had to offer. They have an outdoor pool we didn't use. They also have an indoor pool that was openj, but we didn't take the time to use. They have paddle and bumper boats on the resort grounds, which is perfect for kids. They also have a Game Zone, which is located in the Event Center on the hotel grounds. There's also canoeing, rafting, and kayaking you can go on weather permitting. So I guess you can say there's things in the area to keep kids busy. For the adults there's a trip to the Franklin Hill Winery you can take. That's something I'd like to do the next time we're in the area.

Quick Tips:

Be ready for a quiet week unless you decide to go into any of the big cities that are all pretty much close by. You can take a short drive to NY, Philly, Baltimore, etc. If you're up for the drive then make the trip. They are worth visiting.

Best Way To Get Around:

Best way to get around is by car. The roads are long country roads, so if you want to see anything in the surrounding area you'll definitely need a car.

Best Things Nearby:
I'd say one of the best things to do nearby would be shopping at the Crossings Outlet Center. They had some really great deals. They had shops like Polo, Coach, and Levis, to name just a few. Also, check out horseback riding at the Fernwood Riding Stables. They are located right on the resort grounds. We had fun going horseback riding with friends of ours. The scenery was great. Then there's always a short drive to NY. The first time we went we drove through one of the tunnels into Manhattan and that was a mess for us. You can forget trying to drive in the city and parking is a nightmare. So this second time we went we drove into Staten Island and took the ferry over into the city. Parking was $6 so make sure you come over with a roll of quarters if you want to park in the ferry parking lot. The ferry ride over is free if you can believe that. You'll ride right by the Statue of Liberty, so make sure you have your camera handy if you go this way. There's also a $6 one way when you come over the bridge into Staten Island. Don't forget the $1.15 fee each way on the turnpike either. So to say the least it may seem a little bit pricey going this way but it's still cheaper than going through the tunnel and then paying for parking in the city. Trust me on this.

Best Things About the Resort:
The location and the units.

Resort Experience:
The resort is very nice. This last time we went it looked like it could use some updating, but it's still a nice place. The carpeting looked like it needs to be replaced for sure.

Our three-bedroom unit was huge. It had three bedrooms and a loft, and the bedrooms were all a nice size. Our bedroom had a king size bed in it with its own gas fireplace, a corner Jacuzzi tub, and its own sauna. It's fantastic. The bedrooms upstairs had a double or queen bed in one room and the other room had two twin size beds in it. Each room had their own TV. The loft had two twins in it also. Then there's two full size pull out couches. This unit sleeps 12 people. The loft overlooks the living area so you wouldn't have much privacy sleeping there, so I'd say it sleeps eight privately.

The kitchen was fully equipped and spacious. It also had a deck off the back with deck furniture. Perfect for having your morning coffee and possibly catching a glimpse of a few deer. It's great, and I'm looking forward to going back.

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

The Trolley Stop Pub is located right on the grounds of the Fernwood Hotel. It's a local pub serving casual food like burgers and sandwiches. The food was average, as were the prices. They had different entertainment throughout the week. The weekends they'd have a live band playing with dancing if you were interested. They also had karaoke and if the season, Monday Night Football on their big screen TV. They had Happy Hour several times through the week also.

The Jukebox Diner was the place we'd come to for breakfast just about every morning. The place is okay in my book. The food was average and most of the time the service was slow. They really didn't give you much food on your plate, so if you're a big eater you may not get full with your meal. The atmosphere is set up like it was back in the 50s.

We didn't have lunch or dinner in this restaurant, but the menu was pretty basic--burgers and sandwiches. It's not a bad place to come if you want to eat a little on the cheaper side. It's good for big families because it's quick if the service is moving and it's local. It's located right on the grounds of the Fernwood Hotel.

Mama Bella's is located right on the grounds of the Fernwood Hotel. They serve Italian food, which I'd say was all right. Maybe it was just what I had ordered when I was there. The service was terrible, very slow. We had to keep asking for things during dinner. The atmosphere is casual and cozy. Tuesday night they have a live cabaret performance as you dine.

Maybe we went on an off night, I'm not sure. You might want to give it a try and see if it's any better for you than it was for us.

Our dining experience at Whispering Pines was not pleasant at all. The setting is beautiful. It's part of the Country Club of the Poconos, which takes you up the mountain. If weather permitted you could dine outside, but it wasn't that time of year for us.

Service was terribly slow and it wasn't even busy in there at the time we were there. After waiting what seemed like hours our food arrived to us cold. Where we were seated was right underneath the air-conditioning vent, so we froze while waiting for our food.

Considering the prices were a bit on the pricey side we expected much better food and service while we were there. Even after politely complaining to the manager about our dining experience she didn't accommodate us in anyway. It was a terrible night. Thank goodness the friends we were with had a good sense of humor and made light of the whole situation. This place came highly recommended to us so it was a surprise seeing what the outcome was. Good luck if you decide to go.

Alaska Pete's is a steakhouse and saloon. The atmosphere is very comfortable and cozy. They have fireplace seating if available. It's very rustic inside, sort of like a log cabin. They have a salad bar and serve steaks and fresh fish among other things like chicken, burgers, etc. It is a little bit pricey if I remember correctly, from $12 and up. They have two big screen TVs for sports. I had ordered their chicken when I was there, and it was a little bit on the dry side. Everything was pretty tasting though, and we had good service. One of the few places we went back too in the area. I'd go back if we were in the area again. Give it a try.

Barley Creek Brewing Co. had a little bit of everything in their menu, like burgers, seafood, pizza, and steaks. The food was average, nothing extra special. They did have good beer though. Barley Creek has freshly brewed beer that they make right there. They have free brewhouse tasting tours Monday through Friday at 12:30pm or by appointment if you were interested. They have live entertainment every Friday and Saturday night. We didn't check this out, just went there for dinner one time while we were there.

The atmosphere is casual and comfortable. The prices were middle of the road. If you're interested in giving it a try, take I-80 to exit 299. Make a right off the exit ramp. Make first left onto Sullivan Trail and go one mile. www.barleycreek.com

The riding stables were kept up, and the horses looked like they were well-taken care of. They were also well-behaved, which was a plus for me. I've had a bad experience with a stubborn horse before, which scared the hell out of me. There's a guide that takes you through the trails. We did what they called the 45-minute guided walk and trot tour. The fee for this is $20 per person. The scenery was beautiful and it was a lot of fun. I forgot the name of my horse (you're introduced to your horse), but I remember my husband's horse was named Hercules, which was perfect for him. You see, my husband is a big guy, and I guess they needed a Hercules to carry him around.

Bushkill Falls was very beautiful. The brochure we had read stated that it had miles of nature trails. It sounded like leisurely walking but it turned out not to be that way at all. It felt more like a hike than a relaxing walk to me. It sure showed me how out of shape I was that day. There is a lot of going up hill and that about killed me. I felt like I put in my workout for the day.

We didn't take advantage of any of the other activities they had to offer other than the nature trail, so I can't really comment on any of them. They did have an ice cream parlor, fudge kitchen, and a snack bar open right by the picnic area. They also had a souvenir shop that was pretty nice. Just because I had a difficult time with the walk shouldn't stop you from checking it out. It really was beautiful and we got some really great pictures.

If you like history then you'll enjoy listening to the history about the Native Americans who lived here and about the early settlers of the Gap. The tour guide will show you Resort Point Overlook, The Point of the Gap, and the Indian head in the mountain. I don't remember the length of the tour so I couldn't tell you. Parking is free, and I'm sorry I don't remember what they charged us for the tour. I thought it was all right, nothing to brag about.

The Country Kettle had a fantastic selection of candles. I couldn't decide what scent to buy for myself. The shop is huge and they have things like jams, jellies, coffees, teas, homemade fudge, tons and tons of candies, chocolates, candles, lots of crafts, and great gift items. They are open everyday from 9:30am to 6pm. They are located at Exit 309 off I-80 (old Exit 52) on the Business Route 209. 570/421-8970. They also have a website at country-kettle.com If you're in the area and like crafts and candles, you should check this store out.

If you like sweets it's like heaven. The apple pie is their specialty, but they also have lots of other flavors like apple crumb, blueberry, cherry, coconut, pumpkin, strawberry, sweet potato, and more!! It smelled so good in there. My husband and I walked out of there with a bag full of goodies that we snacked on for the whole week we were there. They have all different flavor cookies, brownies, apple dumplings, and all kinds of pastries. I'd definitely go back!! It's just 100 yards off Route 80 at Exit 310. They open everyday at 8am. 570/476-9440. Give them a try.

This was our second time staying at this resort. We love its location, and love that it's a short drive to any of the big cities. We also love the units themselves.

We stayed in a three-bedroom unit that was very spacious. The kitchen was open to the living room area. This unit sleeps 12 but eight privately. There were two and a half baths in this unit, a TV in each of the rooms, two gas fireplaces, your own washer and dryer, an iron and board in the room, and a deck patio off the back with deck furniture.

The setting is beautiful being in the Pocono mountains. One evening as we were coming back to the unit from dinner we seen two baby deer just wandering around outside of the complex. I loved seeing that.

For golfers there's an 18 hole golf course. The resort is really spread out so you'd pretty much need a car to get around. The resort has three restaurants that are all located in the Fernwood Hotel. That's where you check in and out at. It's not far from the resort, just down the road. They also have video rentals you can rent off the main lobby in the hotel. Just a warning: they aren't really up to date, so if you want to see something just released you can rent a movie from the local video store down Route 209.

They do have daily housekeeping available but there is a fee for that service. They also charge you everytime you pick up the phone to call anywhere other than the resort grounds. I think they even charge for calls made with your calling card.

Go horseback riding if you get the chance. I thought it was worth it. The stables are right on the resort grounds. We also went to go see Bushkill Falls, which was right off of Route 209. I'm not going to say it was the best thing to see, but it was very pretty. Don't think it's going to be a casual walk through the park because there was a lot of going uphill. It'll get even the physically in shape people's hearts pumping.

We also went to New York for the day. It's not a long drive, and I have the perfect way to go. Drive into Staten Island and take the ferry over into the city. If you need directions contact me. I kept the directions that we took to get over there. It'll definitely be the way we go next time we're in the area.

The week we stayed at the Villas at Fairway in the Poconos we decided to take a day and drive over to NYC. It's busy, crowded, and very expensive, so if you don't like the big city life than I wouldn't waste a day going out there. I happen to love the hustle and bustle of the city, so we took the trip.

The best way to go is driving over to Staten Island and then taking the bridge over into the city. The drive took us about an hour and 40 minutes. There's a one way fee per car of $6 going over the bridge into Staten Island. Then there's a $6 parking fee for the ferry parking. If you want to park right in the ferry parking lot it's a little bit cheaper, but you'll need quarters for the machine. Then there's also a $1.15 turnpike fee each way and a $1.25 toll fee once you come back into PA's Water Gap. So I'd say it was roughly $16 to get there and back, but it's still cheaper than taking the tunnel over to NYC. We did that once before and once we got through the terribly long traffic line we had to pay $16 to go through the tunnel. Needless to say once we got there we had to find parking. It was a mess.

Going through Staten Island was much better for us. There isn't a fee for the ferry over to the city if you can believe that. It takes about half an hour to get across. I liked the ride over actually. It goes right by the Statue of Liberty which was nice to see. It was also nice to see NYC's skyline, missing the WTC, of course, which was sad. So if you decide to go this way make sure you have your camera ready.

Once we got into the city the best way to get around is on the subway. To get to upper Manhattan take subway N or R. It'll take you all the way up to Central Park. Taking the subway there's a $2 per person fee each trip. It would probably be cheaper buying a metro card while there and using it everytime using the subway. We didn't do this but will the next time we go. I'm not sure what they charge for this.

Before we got on the subway we walked over to see the WTC site. It was very emotional, sad, and upsetting to see Ground Zero and the memorial. It's still hard to believe something like that happened to all those innocent people.

We then took the subway and got off and on several times to see places like Madison Square Gardens, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and the Empire State Building. We went up to the observatory of the Empire State Building. The whole experience wasn't as exciting as I thought it was going to be. Maybe it's been hyped up so much from all the movies I've seen but it was almost like a letdown once I got up there. Who knows? Maybe I was expecting to see Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks when I was there. You do get a great view of the city below, but that didn't thrill me. I don't think I'd ever go again. I think it's worth it to go into the city to see everything that we did though.

If you'd like to go, try these directions: 80E to 280E to 95S to 278E. This'll take you over the bridge. Continue on 278E to Van Duzer-turn left. Go all the way down to the ferry. Very simple. Have fun!!