We took my son for a special "just him" weekend and chose to stay at the Monterey Bay Suites. We had been here before as a couple but this was our first family trip here. The resort has an indoor pool, kiddie pool, lazy river, and hot tub. There is also a heated rooftop pool and hot tub that we didn't brave because it was freezing outside(we went in January!). Our stay included a full free breakfast which included grits, eggs, toast, fruit, cereal, some type of breakfast meat and a sweet item such as french toast or waffles. Our room was clean and the service was great. We will definitely return!

My extended family (husband, kids, mother, mother-in-law, nephews, and aunts) all visited the Kennedy Space Center last week. Everyone had a great time. We arrived a little after 10:00 and saw both imax movies before boarding the tour bus. The quality of the tour varied from driver to driver but all gave great info in addition to the video that was played. Take a camera with a zoom lens or some quarters for the viewers to get a great view of the launch pad. Stop for lunch at the Saturn V cafe and check out all of the moon junk hanging overhead. The only disappointment was that we only planned one day here. The tickets are good for 2 days and next time we'll plan a repeat visit the next day to see the exhibits we missed!

Highland House is a great stay if you’re looking to be in the middle of everything, but you’re not going to find luxury accommodations here. Have your expectations set so you aren’t disappointed. When traveling with my family, I try to strike a balance between going for luxury that mom and dad would enjoy and having a room that’s practical and kid-friendly. Which means that with a 13 year old and a 9 year old, anything too grown-up is out but nice sheets and fluffy pillows are a must when I stay in a hotel. For us, Highland House falls a little too far from luxury for my particular taste. With rooms that cost $500 a night, I was expecting more, and was disappointed at the homeliness and lack of details from check-in, to the size of the beds, to the lack of towels in the health spa. However, to its credit, the biggest positive about Highland House is its location. Being right in the center of everything at Snowshoe is really what you are paying for when you stay at Highland House.

Checking in:
The Mountain-top check-in is a bit of a drive from the Highland House which meant unloading and re-loading the kids. After check-in, you must drive to the unloading area at the Brigham Center and travel underground to the Highland House which is on the other side of the Village. We really appreciated being able to avoid going back out into the blizzard conditions outdoors.

Rooms:
The condos at Highland House are individually owned so it is a bit of a potluck as to what your room will be like. I can only speak from our experience. Our room had 2 bedrooms and a nice sitting area with a fold out couch. The master bedroom was a nice size with vaulted ceilings and a small wet-bar. Unfortunately, the bed was tiny, hard and uncomfortable with scratchy sheets and two flattened pillows. Even with the extra room created by the tiny bed, there were no drawers to unpack into. Although there is a closet, not everything can be hung up so we ended up just leaving our clothes in the suitcase all weekend. The same problems existed in the second smaller bedroom. In the second bedroom, there was only space for the same tiny, hard bed. The kids were able to co-exist in the space partly because we also used the fold out couch at night. Two adults would have been tripping over each other in that room.

Staff:
One area that Highland House does win points for is the excellent housekeeping staff. They were extremely friendly and even took care of the breakfast dishes that we left in the sink. Our room was clean and we had plenty of fluffy towels the whole time we were there.

Facilities:
Highland House guests are able to enjoy both the Split Rock Pools and the outdoor hot tub in the health spa. The Split Rock Pools were one of the highlights of our trip. They are a short walk from Highland House, but well worth it. Split Rock has indoor/outdoor pools with slides, a geyser, and two outdoor hot tubs for mom and dad. The pool towels were fluffy and big enough to wrap up in which is important when leaving the warmth of the hot tub for the cold run indoors. The outdoor hot tub at the Highland House was a nice touch; however it would have been nice to have towels available in the spa for guests.

Overall, we really did enjoy staying at the Highland House. The best thing about Highland House is its location right in the center of the village. Not having to hike everywhere we went actually made up for the lack of luxury. Everything we wanted to do at Snowshoe was truly within walking distance of the Highland House. It is also a ski-in/ski-out facility. Each room has a locker for ski equipment so you can grab your skis and literally be on the slopes straight from your hotel. After all, Snowshoe is a ski resort and they cater to skiers. If you are looking for a hotel convenient to the village and the slopes, then Highland House will meet your expectations. If you are looking for a bit of luxury, just know that you are not going to find mints on your pillow or valet service here.

Tips:
The Resort offers a number of restaurants but they were overpriced and the food wasn’t great. If you are renting a room with a kitchen, do yourself a favor and bring food to cook yourself. I am generally against cooking at all on vacation but I was wishing for a frozen pizza after trying the pizza from Cheat Mountain Pizza.


*This review is based on a 2-night complimentary stay at the Highland House. I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.

Who can resist a guarantee? Snowshoe is so confident in their programs that they guarantee that your child will learn to ski in two days. Their confidence is well placed! Both of my children were able to ski on their own after just one day with Snowshoe’s instructors. My daughter is 13 so she enjoyed a 2 hour adult lesson while my 9 year old son went to a half day kids program. It was the first time either had been skiing and they both felt really confident after their lessons.

Ski School Areas and Facilities:
The ski school area is right beside Expedition Station which is one of Snowshoe resort’s four ski rental locations. A big plus for us was being able to pick up our equipment and walk right out to the lesson area. The lessons for all age groups begin about the same time (kids @ 8:45, adults at 9:00). The drop off process was a little chaotic. We were told to go to the flag for your lesson and check in with the instructor there. The problem is that the flags were divided by color and there was no explanation as to which color was for which age group. The wording on the flags only divided the kids from the adults so we had to ask around a little to make sure we were at the right areas. Once we found the right area though, we felt very comfortable with the instructors. They seemed knowledgeable and friendly. It is obvious that safety is important to the ski school staff. Snowshoe requires helmets for all kids under 12 while participating in lessons. The helmet was included in the rental pricing. Because of the layout, it is hard to watch from the sidelines but we did catch a few minutes before they went off over the hill. The instructors started off teaching the kids how to put the skis on and taught them how to walk with the skis. Once the kids had mastered a few basics like stopping and turning, they learned how to get on and off the lift and tried out the big hill.

Kids Ski Instructors:
Both kids really liked their instructors. The instructors were very approachable and used frequent positive reinforcements. My 13 year old commented that her instructor rode the ski lift with her twice because she was nervous. I really like that she was sensitive to my daughter’s apprehension and encouraged her to try it again. By the end of the lesson, my daughter was much more confident on the lift. After his lesson, my 9 year old said that he “wanted to ski again the next day and the day after that and the day after that!” His instructor took the time when we were picking him up to let us know how he did which was nice because it showed that he had been paying particular attention to my son. Although it was a group lesson, there were only 8 kids so the instructor was really able to to give some individualized attention

Reservations and Pricing:
Prior reservations are recommended to save wait time. Reservations can be made by phone either before your trip or while at the resort. Equipment rentals are not included but reservations for equipment can be made at the same time. Kids’ lessons are available for children from ages 4 to 12. They are divided into two groups: 4 to 6 and 7 to 12. Kids over age 13 must attend adult lessons. Snowshoe offers full and half day programs for kids and 2 hour lessons for adults. Full day programs include lunch. They also offer adaptive lessons for individuals with disabilities. Pricing is very expensive compared to other resorts in the area and is not all inclusive. Rentals and lift tickets must be purchased separately. However, it was worth it to us because of the emphasis on safety. Our kids also learned a lot and had a great time. While I can’t compare the quality of their service since we haven’t tried any other ski resorts, it seems worthwhile to pay more to start the kids out with enthusiastic instructors who spend the necessary time to teach them the basics.

Noteworthy:
*Make sure to pack warm layers, gloves, and goggles. They can be purchased at Expedition Station but the prices there were much higher than what they cost away from the resort. Also make sure to use sunscreen and send lip balm.
*Snowshoe has daycare available for kids ages 3 months to 12 years old. Reservations are required for daycare.

*This review is based on 2 complimentary lessons at Snowshoe Ski School. I received no other compensation and the business owner did not state any requirements that I express a particular point of view.

On our first night in Snowshoe, we decided to give Cheat Mountain Pizza a try since it was right next to our hotel. I had read several less than stellar reviews, but since it was so close, we decided to go for it. We should have listened to the reviews.
When we walked in, we were told there was a 45 minute wait even though we could clearly see two tables available. I asked if we could see a menu for take out. I was given a take out menu that was a much abbreviated list of options (3 pizza choices, salad, & breadsticks). After waiting 10 minutes in a very crowded corner of the bar area, we ordered 2 small pepperoni pizzas, an order of breadsticks, and a salad. The bill was $54!
My husband waited for the pizza and I took the kids back to the room because there was no place to stand. It took 35 minutes for our order to be ready and with the exception of the salad; it was not worth the wait. For the prices Cheat Mountain Pizza charges, the pizza should really be something special. Our local take out pizza restaurant blows them out of the water and costs much less.