When I used to think of Mount Snow in Vermont I pictured skiing, snowboarding and hot cocoa. I still love all of those things, but I think my family and I found something we love even more about Mount Snow…Family Camp, where their motto is unplug and reconnect.
For us, family camp combined the fun things about an outdoorsy vacation with the amenities of an indoorsy vacation. My husband called it “camping without the camping” and I called it “high-class summer camp for the whole family”, but we both summarized our entire week long vacation at Family Camp in 5 words. “We can make that happen.” Let me explain…
My gang has taken a fair amount of family vacations over the past decade but I never felt as pampered and catered to as I did on this trip. We still refer to it as the “We can make that happen” (WCMTH) vacation. From the moment we arrived I received strict instructions from the counselors and staff: “This is your time to relax, not have to cook and not have to worry about your kids…we got this”. And you’d better believe I followed those instructions to a “T”. The service at Family Camp was OUTSTANDING. Anything we wanted we got (WCMTH).
- You loved the couscous at dinner last night and want it on the menu every night…(WCMTH)
- My daughter wants to learn how to skateboard…(WCMTH)
- I’m interested in improving my golf swing…(WCMTH)
- I always hear about Vermont and their cheese, how about a cheese tasting night…(WCMTH)
- I’m not sure if there’s time but I’d really like to take a personalized yoga class…(WCMTH)
- My kids didn’t like the dinner choices, any chance of getting some pizzas…(WCMTH)
- Another camper had a birthday during vacation, can we get her a cake and all sing…(WCMTH)
My husband joked that we should ask for a dinosaur dance group with laser beams on their heads just to see what would happen. I could go on and on about the wishes granted by the genies of Family Camp and it’s for that reason we already have plans to go back next summer.
Now make no mistake, just because it’s called camp doesn’t mean that we roughed it by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not the type to sleep in a tent so I was thrilled with the two bedroom, two bathroom condominium with fully-equipped kitchen, laundry and living room…all the comforts of home. We were a short walk from “home base” which is the Sundance Base Lodge near the Grand Summit Resort Hotel. We had access to all the amenities of the property including an indoor pool, outdoor pool, hot tub, basketball court, health club, steam room, sauna, arcade and fitness classes.
We paid extra for trips to the hotel spa and alcohol, but aside from that everything from drink refills to day long excursions were included.
So here’s a fact that’s funny but true. I’m not outdoorsy and my husband doesn’t like meeting new people. If I gave you the criteria of our dream family vacation, this trip would not have been on the top of the list. We took a chance on something new and I can honestly say this vacation has been one of the greatest experiences we ever had as a family. We absolutely loved it and CANNOT recommend it enough to everyone we know. We met 4 other families and spent the week talking, laughing and watching our kids play together. My husband got along great with the other dads and I had a great time biking in the fresh air amid the beautiful Mount Snow scenery. At the end of the trip, all five families agreed on two things:
- The service at Family Camp was beyond what any of us ever experienced. Two of the families (they were sisters) travel every summer together and they went to a different family-style camp the previous year. They both agreed that this camp was monumentally better. Like me, they raved about the personal touches and now would accept nothing less than the experience they had at Mount Snow Family Camp.
- All 5 of our families linked up on Facebook and exchanged information. We all are coming back next summer TOGETHER.
My husband’s favorite activity was the downhill mountain biking. My 10-year old, Emma, loved sailing through the trees and ziplines at Ramblewild aerial park. My 8-year old, Chloe, couldn’t decide what she liked more, tubing and swimming in the lake or kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. As for mom, while I’m not too outdoorsy I loved hiking down one of the Mt. Snow trails with my hubby and another couple. The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful and the pace was my own.
Before this trip I knew next to nothing about Family Camp at Mount Snow but I figured we would take a chance and try a new experience. This turned out to be an unforgettable adventure that we still talk about today and are excited about returning to next summer. I can’t remember a vacation ever having that effect on me before so thanks everyone at Family Camp for “Making That Happen”.
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Mount Snow hosted my family for a five-night stay at Family Camp for the purpose of this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
