Romance in Poconos?
 

I'm still looking for a long weekend getaway for some romancing for our 25th anniversary. (We're taking the "big" trip next year.) I stumbled across these Caesar's places...

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/gx/pro...propertyID=155

Okay, the champagne glass is a little hokey, but the area looks nice.

So any recommendations on where to stay? We can fly into anywhere Southwest goes... PHL, ALB, MHT, PVD, etc. Hoping for some foliage and scenice drives during the day and nice dining at night.

Thanks again.
-Lesa & Jack

Are you considering staying at a Caesars Resort? DH and I went to one resort (Cove Haven) for our Honeymoon 7 years ago and it was so beyond tacky that we checked out an hour later. We had booked one of the champagne glass rooms with the heart shaped pool and all of that. I don't know what we were expecting but it was just terrible. The resort had a run down feel to it, like it needed major remodeling. The room smelled of chlorine from the pool and the couch and bed were very uncomfortable. For a place that was charging around $400 per night it was dissapointing to say the least.

However, the Poconos were pretty. I just suggest you look elsewhere for your accommodations, unless Caesars have done a massive remodel since we've been there.

Tracy

Take a look at Bucks County - New Hope, Peddler's Village. Jim Thorpe is also a pretty little town, quieter with beautiful scenery for walks or drives. You can also rent a bike there and do a little ride by a beautiful gorge. (jim thorpe.org). How much were you thinking of spending for hotels? A very expensive place I know is Skytop Lodge near Canadensis, PA. That area is also very pretty.

There are very lovely B&B's in the Poconos. I stayed in the Black Walnut Inn in Milford but is was about 12 years ago.

Hop on that Southwest flight and fly to Albuquerque. Then drive up to Santa Fe and have a spectacular time in a beautiful and unique area and in the fall the best weather possible with warm sunny days with blue skies and clear, cool crisp nights perfect for a fire in your kiva fireplace. Dining delights await you too. Way better than the Poconos IMHO
Debi

I would vote for Skytop mentioned above, as you have expressly mentioned the Poconos. A very lovely old-fashioned resort, much like the Greenbrier and those types. Nary a heart shaped tub in the place....many families, but you can get away. Great walking, there is golf as well. Some rooms have fireplaces. Our family has gone there off and on for many years for family celebrations. Take a look at skytop.com. A really lovely area of the east coast. From Philadelphia would be about 2.5 hours, from Newark airport would be about 2 hours (through the Delaware Water Gap, quite lovely in the fall foliage).

Other places of the same type to consider would be in New England like The Wheatley in Lenox Massachusetts, about 2.5 hours from NYC or Boston. Go to http://www.wheatleigh.com or lhw.com. The Equinox in Manchester, Vermont. Great spa. Go to http://equinox.rockresorts.com or lhw.com or Mohonk Mountain House, in New Paltz New York, about 90 minutes from NYC. Check out their website at Mohonk.com Also consider . Cooperstown New York. The town has a lot of antique and art galleries and there is of course the Baseball Hall of Fame. The place to stay is the Otesaga Resort Hotel, take a look at http://www.otesaga.com.

A really lovely area near Washington DC is Harper's Ferry, West Virgina. The Harpers Ferry area is both beautiful and historically interesting. (This area is actually considered part of the Shenandoah valley, but is probably not the part most people think of.) The little town has several interesting sights and shops, and the countryside is beautiful rolling hills, and there is good walking and hiking as well as biking in the area. As part of this trip, you could go to Washington, Virgina where the Inn at Little Washington is located, which is not only a very charming inn, but has one of the best restaurants on the east coast, and probably one of the 5 best in the country, IMO. Go to http://www.theinnatlittlewashington.com/

A am a huge fan of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, this is such a beautiful unspoiled part of the east coast and would be great in the fall. Lots of inland waterways for boating, many good restaurants and shops. There are many charming inns and B&B's, my favorite is the Inn at Perry Cabin in St Michaels go to http://www.perrycabin.com.

Also consider the Brandywine area on the border of Pennsylvania and Delaware is a lovely area of the country. There are Longwood Gardens if you like gardens, and the Winterthur Museum if you are interested in colonial American and other antiques. The area around the river is charming as well. Take a look at http://www.longwoodgardens.org and http://www.winterthur.org. An inn to consider would be Inn at Montchanin Village in the Brandywine, Delaware area about 30 minutes south of Philadelphia. Go to http://www.montchanin.com or slh.com

You could of course go south and actually go to the Greenbrier Greenbrier, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Go to http://www.greenbrier.com or The Homestead, in Hot Springs, Virginia. Take a look at http://www.thehomestead.com

Wherever you want to go, book right now, esp for fall weekends, as you may already be too late for many places for October. Peak in New England and even PA is mid to late Oct. The south may be a better option, as foliage turns a bit later (you don't mention what month you want to go) and therefore if you can go in early Nov you may find more rooms available now.

Well, sweetie darling, if you are going to the Poconos, then the best place is Skytop Lodge (my Aunt Elsa was a relish girl there in 1959). My favourite restaurant in Canadensis was Cappuccino's, but, unfortunately, it burned to the ground. They had the best eggplant parmagiana. My dead mother loved that restaurant and it brings a tear to my eye just remembering our lovely dinners there.

Another good restaurant in the Poconos is The Bear Creek Inn on Rte 115, between Blakslee and Wilkes-Barre. It is owned by the Eddoes family. Keith and I always eat there when we go to our cottage at Bear Lake in Thornhurst.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

The Poconos are the equivalent of going to Honeymoon camp. Tacky, disgusting & kitschy @ their very best. Go ANYWHERE else.

A lot of people seem to be confused about this. The Pocono Mountains and Ceasar's Resorts are two different things. I've yet to find a "cheesy" mountain in the area.

Okay, I have to jump in here and say some nice things about the Caeser's Pocono Resorts... at least the one we'd been to 3-4 years ago... Pocono Palace.

It was a little cheesy - true, but it was a hoot and we had a FUN TIME! Our "room" was a blast in itself! 3 levels with a balcony overlooking the lovely lake, fireplace, whirlpool (not in a champagne glass), a pool and a sauna.... very romantic!!! The grounds were beautifully maintained but the best thing about was there were SO MANY FUN THINGS TO DO... it was like an adult camp in that way. Great game room with billiards, ping pong, miniature golf, etc; pools, indoor basketball, rollerskating, boating, bicycles, archery, Cove Haven has indoor ice skating, social director with activities throughout the day and evening - and evening entertainment - bands, comedians. Some activities were a bit hokey - but we had FUN (no, it's not like the Mohonk Mountain Resort which is a differnt kind of fun) The food was okay (what you'd expect - like on a cruise ship - you know, trying to be gourmet - but not)...there were plenty of choices, however, and the dining room was very lovely - big rustic room with walls of windows looking out onto the picturesque lake.

I love to travel - and I love lovely places - I can even be quite a snob at times with my pickiness - especially when it comes to lodging rooms - views, etc...

These Caeser resorts (at least Pocono Palace) are in lovely settings with beautiful trees, lakes, mountains - it is not the same kind of vacation as Skytop Lodge or Mohonk Mountain Resort would afford you - as they are more "refined" - and sophisticated- but sometimes - what can be found & experienced at Caeser's fits the bill!!!

We really had a wonderful romantic & fun time there!!!

Thanks to everyone for the terrific help. We aren't sure where we are going as we've probably waited too late -- with the addition of Columbus Day weekend, rooms are almost impossible to find.

-Jack

I can't help much, but I wanted to say my name is Lesa too (spelled with the "e") AND my hubby and I will be celebrating 25 this year. What a coincidence! I will be following this thread for possible ideas as well :)

Just one more note on the Caeser's Pocono Resorts - there are LOTS of FUN THINGS TO DO INSIDE DURING RAINY WEATHER!!!! That is important in the fall - when rain can destroy your plans of outdoor hikes, etc.... Caesar's offers tons of things to do indoors!

I'm also guilty - I've been to Cove Haven and also thought it was a lot of fun! We have a house in the area now, otherwise I'd spend a weekend there again. Especially if you're athletic or outdoorsy. They have a ton of things to do and you can do as much or as little as you want. The resorts aren't for everyone but their websites and other info aren't misleading in anyway. If you think heartshaped whirpools and champagne glass tubs are cheesy, and you rent a room with them, then you'll be disappointed. I wouldn't classify it as fine dining, but the food wasn't bad either. If you tend to spend a lot of time apart on vacation, then this wouldn't be the place for you. It's a great place for people to go and have a lot of fun TOGETHER.

The Lake Wallenpaupack (sp?) area in the Poconos is really beautiful. If you look around I'm sure there are some lovely inns in the area. Again, I don't know what the budget is but I'm sure you could find a hotel someplace. I think it's going to be a pretty fall this year.

Actually, there is supposed to be a FABULOUS inn in Milford. It just got a write-up in Conde Naste. Milford is near the NY border, so you can take a nice drive up along the Hudson and visit Hyde Park and CIA.

Polly Magoo

Well, I guess maybe we were there before Caesars was updated or something because we hated it from the getgo. We even found the resort itself to be outdated. The room where the food was served also had pool tables and an arcade in the area and it smelled musty and smoky. It was just all-around terrible and the room was beyond cheesy. I don't know if its appropriate to say this here or not, but DH referred to our room as a "70's porn setting"!!

Tracy

tcreath - it's always appropriate to voice your honest opinion on a forum... if we can't be honest about our feelings regarding places visited, what's the point!? :-)

The Caeser Pocono Resorts are a different kind of vacation than that of a stay at the NY Palace, a Four Seasons or a Ritz Carlton or even a quaint little B&B ... It is more akin to a Catskill Resort - kind of campy, kind of romantic, kind of glitzy (yes, in a cheesy way, perhaps) for couples with lots of things to do - rain or shine - in a lovely setting in the woods.

To be honest, when we were there, the clientele was, to my surprise (I too was a little fearful of the sleaze possibility), quite professional - we'd met doctors, lawyers, business owners, teachers... and couples of all ages ranging from young newlyweds to those married over 30 years or more!

In regards to Cicerone post, I have stayed in every on of the hotels he has mentioned which are very nice. If you are looking for the Poconos, I have lived there for 16 years and yes a lot of the hotels are going down hill. But I have yet to hear of anyone mention of the GRAND NEW REBUILDING of the MT> AIRY LODGE. I'm sure the opening slated for October 15,2007 will be nothing more then fantastic, they tore it down to the grown two yrs ago and built it all over. They are having gambeling machines for those who enjoy that and big name entertainment like years past. I know they put a lot of money into it, It might be worth looking into especially in Oct with the leaves changes.

Good Luck

We may be crazy, but after having zero luck getting reservations in VT/NH or any of the suggestions here, we're going to try Caesar's. I'll update when we return.

Jackle - I really think you will enjoy the Caeser Pocono Resort... which one are you going to? Just a quick run down of the 3 ... we'd stayed at Pocono Palace (not too small, not too large)... we loved it. Cove Haven is HUGE - and while we did not go there, my cousin & his wife did and also loved it. It's on a HUGE gorgeous lake (Pocono Palace is on a small lake). The other one - Paradise Stream was VERY TINY - and again, we did not go there - but had driven by at one time - I did not care for it as much because it din't seem as though there was as much to do... but I could be wrong... check out their website that has the facilities for each resort!!

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me or ask here :-)

ENJOY!

Lisa