I don’t know why or where this obsession came from but recently I have been craving a stay in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere. When the opportunity presented itself with a stay at The Whiteface Lodge this fall I jumped on the opportunity. This seemed exactly what I was looking for!
Let me warn you though, The Whiteface Lodge is located in Lake Placid. Lake Placid is about a 6 hour drive from Toronto (give or take based on traffic). That’s far. I for one LOVE road trips so something like this was right up my alley. While the drive along the 401 isn’t the nicest (Southern Ontarians right now are nodding their heads), it’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be.
We got our start early on a Saturday morning. By early, I mean we were in the car and leaving Toronto by just after 7am. When you have a long trek in front of you leaving as early as possible is definitely the best choice, not only will you get there with plenty of the afternoon still left, by the time the traffic picks up you’re already gone.
By 10am we were already at the border and ready for crossing.
On the way to The Whiteface Lodge we took the root that was slightly longer because it looked to be more scenic. We twisted and turned through the endless trees and couldn’t be happier. Even though it was a bit of a crappy day, the fall colours and the leaves popped and made for a pleasant drive.
We arrived at The Whiteface Lodge around 2pm. Walking into the hotel I felt instantly comfortable. The entire building looks like a giant log cabin (um, hello it was perfect!) and adorned in warm, inviting colours. Unfortunately our room wasn’t ready yet but it was all for the best because we just hopped back in the car and made the 20 minute drive to Whiteface Mountain.
We drove along stopping everywhere we could to take pictures. The pictures don’t even do the area justice. There’s something magically peaceful about standing in the woods (or on the cusp), staring at a gigantic mountain before you in the crisp fall air. I dare you to find me a better feeling.
While the gondola wasn’t open for us to go up, we made sure to stop by the base of the mountain. As you drive in you’re greeted with the most impressive view. Whiteface mountain almost seems to tower over you in all its glory with flags of the world (from the past Olympic games) lining the street and almost guiding you to its entrance. As a former ski racer, it gave me chills.
As the sun started to slowly make its descent, we popped into town for a quick look around as well as a small bite to eat. The quaint city of Lake Placid is worth a trip. The main street looks like one of those little towns you put out at Christmas. There were lots of little shops and plenty of people milling about, even in the bad weather. The Whiteface Lodge as it’s just around the corner.
When we finally got back to the hotel, the complimentary valet took our car to an underground garage. This was a nice surprise, I don’t think I’d ever heard of free valet parking. We checked into our room and anxiously made our way through the halls to find it. Luckily we were on the first floor and near enough to the main lobby it didn’t take us long to find.
When I opened the large wooden door to our room I almost laughed out loud. The room was so spacious I couldn’t believe it. Not to mention the interior decor was almost too good to be true. The room had two bathrooms, a full kitchen, full living room and the most comfortable bed, ever! Honestly, I could care less what a room looks like, if the bed isn’t comfortable I’m not having a good stay. Even sitting here thinking about that bed makes me want to email the hotel asking them how I can duplicate it at home (seriously if anyone is reading this from The Whiteface Lodge please tell me).
The room also had it’s own private patio that looked out onto the grounds. I only wish the weather was nice enough for us to be able to sit outside and enjoy it. Our room was also 0i[/steps away from the pool so we took a quick walk over to see what it looked like. Stupidly I forgot my bathing suit so we couldn’t go in but the steam coming from the pool and the hot tub looked incredibly inviting.
With dinner reservations at 7pm we quickly got ready. Of course, we had to first enjoy a delicious glass of red wine.
Kanu is The Whiteface Lodge’s premier dining venue. The room is large and spacious with incredibly high ceilings. While it can get rather cold in the room, if you’re lucky enough to snap a spot near the fireplace you’ll be just fine.
For dinner we ordered the Brussel Sprouts to start. If you ever told me as a kid that I would one day not only like Brussel sprouts but love them, I would have called you crazy. Yet, here I was devouring the plate and almost fighting over who got the last mouthful. For the main course I of course had the steak. Placed on top of a bed of mashed potatoes with a few carrots in the middle, it was one of the best steak dishes I’d ever had (sorry dad). The cut of meat was so tender and perfect it almost fell apart as I cut into it. Okay I’ll stop I’m making myself hungry now!
After such a comforting meal, perhaps one or two more glasses of wine (who’s counting?), I hadn’t laid my head down on the pillow for ten minutes before I was fast asleep.
The next morning I woke up around 8am 100% refreshed. Being an avid fitness fanatic I of course wanted to check out the fitness room before breakfast. The fitness room is located in the basement but it’s honestly one of the coolest basements ever. The floor is decked out much like the rest of the hotel, log cabin and camp-y. I had to walk past a very large theatre room and a games room before finally finding the fitness area. The Whiteface Lodge gym is probably one of the nicest I’ve seen for a hotel. Each piece of cardio equipment came with its own TV! There wasn’t device or piece of equipment I would have added to the room, it was all perfect.
After a refreshing workout, I made my way upstairs to quickly change before heading back to Kanu for breakfast. We were seated quickly and told we had the choice of a buffet or ordering from the menu. I didn’t trust myself with the buffet so we opted for the menu. I was pleasantly surprised to find they offered egg white omelettes as an option on the menu. I got the omelette with a side of fruit, it was wonderfully filling.
Sad to leave but ready to hit the road we checked out. After retrieving our car from the complimentary valet and embarked on our way. Not before a quick wish to return someday soon!
