By Dan Murphy
Like most Westchester families, our usual tendency for a family summer vacation was to get on a plane, or travel 8-10 hours each way by car, and try to ‘outdo’ ourselves, or our neighbors from the last year’s jaunt.
The stresses of airline delays or the grind of a day long car ride usually took away from the desired result, so I was pleasantly surprised when my wife suggested that this year we travel less than 3 hours north on the NYS Thruway to spend a week in Lake George.
Our family vacation included staying several days at The Sagamore, a landmark hotel with a prestigious history located 10 miles north of Lake George in Bolton Landing. Located on a private 70-acre island The Sagamore offers elegant lakeside accommodations, award-winning dining and an unmatched selection of family friendly water and land activities ideal for family vacations, weekend getaways and one-of-a-kind events.
The Sagamore opened its doors in 1883 and catered to the wealthy northeasterners who turned the Lake George region into the favorite vacation spot of its time. A fire destroyed the property on two occasions, and was restored to its present day glory and now sits on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a prestigious AAA-Four Diamond resort.
The historic main hotel on Lake George features 137 rooms, 54 of which are suites, all designed with Adirondack inspired décor. The main hotel sits above both indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools with breathtaking views of Lake George. Spanning 10,000 square feet, our outdoor terraced pool deck sits next to our impressive 95,000-gallon swimming pool, and features 250 chaise lounges as well as a separate warming pool.
The resort also has its own boat, The Morgan, a 72-foot vessel, which brings guests out for a 90 minute tour of the lake and the surrounding islands.
An emphasis on childrens activities, including a massive recreation center complete with miniature golf, ping pong, basketball, whiffle ball, and other games and acitivities organized by staff provide young kids with a vacation of their own. A bonfire with Smores and a horse drawn carriage around the property are all included amenities in your stay.
Eight restaurants on the property make it possible to throw your keys in your suitcase and stay on grounds and enjoy La Bella Vita Italian Restaurant, Pavilion, a waterfront seafood experience, Club Grill Steakhouse, Mr. Brown’s Pub, and other lighter, family friendly poolside dining options.
Legendary Golf course Architect Donald Ross designed The Sagamore’s golf course in 1928. Located 5 minutes away off the resorts island. The inland, mountain course is reminiscient of many of Westchester’s famed tree lined courses and two Ross designed courses Siwanoy and Whippoorwill. The course is immaculately maintained and didn’t disappoint with scenic vistas and challenging bunkers protecting most greens, all features of Ross designs, making the course worthy to be named one of golf magainzes best 100 golf resorts.
We stayed in a spacious, lodge suite, located next to the main hotel, which included enough room for my daughter and wife, and included a small kitchen and deck with lakefront views. The staff was friendly and, accommodating.
While visiting I read this passage in a local guide to Lake George that summed up every families desired result from a summer vacation. “Long before David Geffen became a billionaire music mogul in Los Angeles he was a kid from Brooklyn who summer vacationed camping with his family on one of the public islands of Lake George,”
Geffen wrote, “If there is one thing that stands out in my mind about our yearly trips to Lake George, its probably that my family felt like more of a unit there than any other setting. At home in Brooklyn, it seemed like we rarely sat down together in the same room; my mother worked tirelessly at running her shop, my father’s job kept him very busy as well, and my brother and I behaved like typical kids, running in different directions.”
“Once we arrived and had pitched our tents we had the chance to hang out together like a traditional family and get to know each other –for better or worse! I’ll always remember those camping trips as happy, wonderful, relaxing times,” wrote Geffen.
Our visit to The Sagamore was memorable, and had us already planning next year’s return trip. My wife said that the views of Lake George, the spanning poolside and waterfront dining, reminded her of the Caribbean. And the sights, sounds, games and activities of Lake George Village were only 15 minutes away.
Visit thesagemore.com for more information.
