Great Mountain Getaway

Guest: jody (richmond, va)
Date of Stay: 01/14/11 Review Submitted: 02/13/11

We went to Snowshoe with our family and my brother and sister-in-law and their kids and this place could not have been better for two families. We had five kids and we easily piled them into the two bedrooms as the bunk bed had a double on the bottom that slept two comfortably. The kids shared a bathroom and the two master bedrooms each had their own bathroom. Their was a nice kitchen/living area with a eating bar and a great TV. We had temperatures that were very low (-6 F was the lowest) but the house was always warm and the kids piled into the hot tub after ski every day despite the outdoor cold. When we went to ski it was an easy walk to the slopes at the powder ridge lift. The kids did lessons in the morning and getting them there was an easy short drive. If you do lessons i would recommend buying the tickets and lessons in advance as it made the morning much less hectic. After ski, there are ski lockers at the house and great storage space for your boots and ski clothes right by the front door. This place is made to make the skiing easy. The internet was shared with the house next door, but it worked perfectly well. The password was the same as the house, blackbear11. We all had a great experience and plan on going back to the same house next year, but hopefully for longer.

Recommended for:Romantic getaway, families with young children, families with teenagers.

Beautiful place that doesn't quite live up to the packaging

Guest: Tom (Fairfax, VA)
Date of Stay: 01/27/11 Review Submitted: 02/02/11

Several wows could be heard when we entered this home. The decor, the colors, the layout and the fixtures were all very nice. Starting a fire consisted of flipping a switch on the wall. There is ample space in the foyer to store boots and hang coats. There were plenty of towels, kitchen utensils and cookware. Powder ridge lift is a short walk away. It's a little further from the village than I thought but the shuttle comes by about every 15 minutes so that wasn't a problem. Now for the downside: the site advertises wireless internet. After searching for a network and networking equipment we determined none existed. I inquired with the management office, during business hours, but no one answered and they never called me back. While checking out, I asked again and I was told that this home "shared" internet with other homes. Basically, you're expected to steal an unsecured connection from the neighbors. Even then, it only worked in the two front bedrooms, was super slow and would not provide the bandwidth needed to connect to my company network. It even proved insufficient for basic websurfing or for checking email most of the time. I had friends that wanted to visit but we couldn't check our email (and cell phones don't work). For the price, an internet connection should be included. We had a hard time dialing in the heat to a comfortable level. It could be warm in the living room but cold in the first floor bedroom. If we turned the heat up, even a degree or two, the bedroom got really warm. We resolved just to add an extra blanket to the bed. While most of the rooms were of ample size the living room is pretty small. There is one sofa and two club style chairs; room for 5. For a place that sleeps 9 - 10 it would be nice to have space for more people to relax. This room begs for some recliners. Probably the biggest problem with this place is seeming poor construction. The walls are thin. We could hear the conversation of the people next door as they had their breakfast. The stairs for another unit are on the other side of the wall from the bedrooms. The sounds and vibration coming through the wall are unbelievable. It felt and sounded like the stairs were anchored to the head board of our bed. After the first night, I was forced to drive to the RiteAid in Marlinton (through heavy snow) to buy earplugs for my very angry girlfriend. Nice place but the internet issue was irritating and the noise was a deal breaker for future visits.

Owner response:Wi-Fi is available for the unit, and the password is provided in the rental packet. Occasionally the service may be down, but it is beyond the control of the homeowners. Cell service is spotty on the mountain, and we always recommend a phone card in order to make use of the home’s telephone. We have not had previous complaints about noise, and most people have been quite happy with the accommodations, especially the comfort of the mattress toppers on the beds, the layout of the well-stocked kitchen and the proximity to the slopes. As a point of clarification, we do not allow pets.

Recommended for:Pet owners.