Restaurants

Best Things About the Resort:
Tennis court on site
Large indoor pool
Large balcony


Resort Experience:
The Mountainside Resort is a very comfortable resort that is close to the golf course, which is a big plus for me. I have stayed at this resort several times in the past but this is the first time that I had a three-bedroom. This is also the first time that I stayed at the resort in May which was a much more enjoyable experience than when I stayed in the hot summer! The rooms are quite adequate and there are only about 10 condo units per building. The approximately 10 buildings are spread out over a considerable area so you do not feel on top of your neighbors. In addition, the building that housed the indoor pool was close by. Between all the buildings the property was nicely landscaped.

I believe that the basic rooms of the units are quite similar whether you have a two or three bedroom unit. I will describe the three-bedroom unit I had this time. The galley kitchen was very small but my wife and I go out for each dinner so it was plenty big for us. The kitchen consisted of a full-sized stove with oven; refrigerator; dishwasher; small appliances such as blender, coffeemaker, and toaster; and of course a sink and enough cabinets. There was enough counter space that I was able to store the food items that I brought for the week. Pretty basic but no complaints certainly!

The dining room area (open areas between kitchen area and living room and "hallways") had a large table but I think there were only six chairs even though the condo was rated for eight people. There wasn’t an official breakfast counter but there was a counter that was absolutely great for putting stuff. That’s where the camera, keys, etc landed! The living room had a couch, a loveseat, cocktail table, and TV. The furniture was comfortable and large enough to hold the four of us that stayed in the condo. If more than five people, you would be able to use the dining room chairs for additional seating. There was also a DVD player and a gas stove fireplace. One interesting note about the living room furniture is that the management asked us if it was ok to deliver new living room furniture. We said ok and the existing couch, which seemed ok, was replaced with a larger brand new couch but my wife insisted that it "clashed" with the colors of the rug. The loveseat was replaced with two swivel chairs, which were very comfortable (and matched the rug!). Of course losing the loveseat meant losing the bed inside the loveseat. Off the dining room area was the deck area (covered so I didn’t have to worry about too much sun) with plenty of chairs and lounges.

The three bedrooms were very small but adequate. The master bedroom had a queen-sized bed, plenty of closet space, and plenty of drawer space. Even the end tables had drawers for clothing. One bathroom was accessible from this room. The bathroom was very cramped and that is my only negative comment about the condo. The second bedroom was off the hallway, which provided some privacy. Again the room itself was small but no complaints about closet space. There were 2 twin beds and a small TV. Down a narrow spiral staircase was the third bedroom with a bathroom and sauna. Again, the room was small but adequate. A third TV was also in the room. An interesting note about this room was you could exit the condo via a door that opened to ground floor of the building (rather than going up and down the spiral stairs!). This layout provided maximum privacy for guests staying in this bedroom.

There were several other things I liked about this condo such as being close to the pool building. That building housed the large indoor pool, which had very warm water. I very seldom swim in hotel pools since the water is usually too cold but this time I was in the pool lots of evenings. In addition the hot tub has the greatest jets! I also liked having tennis courts on-site. Most of the time we were the only ones using the courts though we did have to wait once while the high school team finished a match.

On final note about the condo: the golf course is close by so my wife could walk to parking lot to get our car if she needed. The condo is also close to the village.

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

The resort was average, and the staff very friendly and helpful. I did have an issue with the lack of outdoor lighting - at night it would be hazardous to walkers - and they did not seem to know how to go about getting the light fixture fixed.

We had a two-bedroom unit that had everything we needed. I did find that I would have liked a few of my kitchen "things" that would have made cooking easier - I cooked in every night. On the whole, the unit needed some maintenance/updates - it looked as if it had a several very heavy winters of use. But the unit was clean, and that counts for a lot!

As far as activities, since it is mostly an owner occupied/rented, there are not any activities except for a full-day, all-week camp run by a third party for the kids. I did not enroll my children, since I wanted to vacation with them.

Would I go back? Yes, since I now know what to expect. Also, one owner I spoke to indicated there are maintenance plans projected for the next several years.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Good

The Mountainside Resort at Stowe is built on a steep hillside. Luckily, we were very close to the building housing the indoor pool (which we used quite a bit). Each visit to the pool, we had it mostly to ourselves. It was mid-sized and in good condition. In the same building is a sauna, very large eight-person hot tub, and game room overlooking the pool area (very nice for teens).

Outside our unit was a small playground and tennis court, which my husband and five-year-old utilized. It was in good condition.

A short flight of outdoors stairs leads to the front door. Up another short flight to the kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and bath. The living room had a wood stove, which would have been nice during the winter. Off the living room is a large balcony with picnic table and chairs with a pretty view of the Green Mountains. Down a spiral staircase to a second bedroom, and bath with sauna (which also would have been very welcome during the winter).

The layout of this unit was such that my husband and I had a bedroom and master bath (the only bath upstairs) at one end of the upstairs with the one-year-old at the opposite end in a room with two twin beds, and our five-year-old was expressing her independent little self by blissfully sleeping downstairs (in a room with one double bed and, oh joy, a TV!). Yes, there were three televisions in this unit, as well as and several large stand fans, which were very necessary during the summer.

The kitchen was full size (fridge, oven, dishwasher, many cupboards) and very easy to negotiate. The dining area contained a large table and many chairs.

Overall, the furnishings were nothing special, but the size, layout, and view made up for it.

We were very pleased with the unit, resort, and area.

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Not Available

When we did stay in the rooms, we loved the place. The rooms were very large and homey. The TV included a VCR, which was great for watching movies. There was a huge deck (we were on the third floor) with many chairs and a table, which was nice for eating or to unwind. There was also a gas fireplace, which for wintertime would be great. The living room was set up to comfortably seat over six adults. The kitchen was well stocked and wasn't lacking in anything.

The on-site tennis courts were used by us exclusively. I also liked the fact that the condos were in the woods so you had a feeling of being away from it all. Finally, I liked the indoor pool and the hot tub. I believe there was some arcade like games for kids also. I would have preferred some sort of exercise room to complete the recreation building.

We would return to this condo but not when the temperatures are going to be in the nineties!

See Mountainside's web page: For more information .

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Poor
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Fair
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Good

We had two televisions that were handy so we could watch shows later while the kids slept on the comfy pullout couch in the living room. The office has variety of videos for rent, which worked well for a quiet evening for our boys.

The living room had a wonderful Vermont Castings gas fireplace that worked great for taking the fall chill out of the air as well as providing warm colorful focus for the unit.

The bedroom was small, but had a wonderful vista over the field, playground, and tennis court. We enjoyed watching the moonrise over the Green Mountains one evening out these picture windows.

We really loved the warm pool for practicing swimming. On a rainy day, it was terrific for an extended pool party between the 8-person hot tub, pool, and sauna. The variety of the whirlpool jets was wonderful for relaxing all those knotted muscles.

All in all, it’s a fine place to stay.

The units, however, were fine inside, with well-stocked kitchens, good appliances and linens, two TVs, and a fireplace. They're not luxurious or new looking, but they were truly ok. There's a nice indoor pool area. We paid $10/wk extra and rented a highchair. Laundry facilities were very limited (bad when everyone has wet, dirty ski clothes at the same time). There's not a lot to do at the resort itself, but the area is great.

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

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Fair
• Unit Satisfaction: Fair
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Good