We were able to partake of an amazing family experience, a weekend trip to Skytop Lodge in the Poconos.  If you are unfamiliar with Skytop Lodge, it is a beautiful resort that offers an escape from the ordinary and an opportunity to leave the stress of the day to day behind.

Open year round, Skytop caters to families and works to create a memorable experience that you won’t soon forget.  We were guests of the resort the weekend we celebrated our son’s 7th birthday.  The hotel is absolutely breathtaking.  We arrived Friday night and as we pulled into the drive to the resort, the hotel is lit up upon a hill. It looks like a huge European manor and my kids were thrilled to see what was in store for us during our stay. Valets awaited us in the circular drive and graciously took our bags straight to our room. The staff that we encountered were extremely helpful and friendly, making us feel very welcome.  We were shown our room, a mini king suite with an attached room with two twin beds.  The rooms are very spacious, tastefully decorated and extremely comfortable.  They were perfect for our family of six and provided a great base camp for us during our stay. Truthfully, though, we spent very little time in our rooms other than to change or sleep.  We were far too busy enjoying all the great activities that Skytop Lodge offers.

Skytop Lodge reminded me of an old school resort, reminiscent of Kellerman’s in Dirty Dancing.  There is a classic feel to the grounds, one that exudes class and refined elegance. One dresses up for dinner here and that is the first thing we did upon arrival at Skytop.  At dinner, men are required to wear jackets, women and children dress up, as well.  My kids really enjoyed the experience of dressing up for dinner and felt like everything was very fancy.  Since three meals are included per day in your stay, you are able to become well acquainted with your server, and ours, Camille, was an absolute pleasure.  Unlike other all inclusive resorts that we’ve visited, the food here was not ordinary.  Wonderful chefs created the menus available to us each meal, and we were pleasantly surprised at how delicious the food was.  There was a wide variety of choices, from seafood, rack of lamb, and prime rib, to children’s favorites like cheeseburgers and chicken tenders.  They even had a children’s buffet available each night where they were sure to get just what they wanted.  Dessert was spectacular and my boys really enjoyed getting to try the different selections.  Each meal was really wonderful and was enjoyed by our family very much.

Each season at Skytop offers different forms of entertainment and recreation. We were thrilled to take part of Skytop’s winter selections.  Each guest of the lodge receives ski lift tickets and rentals included in their stay.  Being from out west, where skiing is plentiful, we had yet to take our kids skiing, so we loved that they could do it during our stay.  Since they had never been, they were in need of instruction and Skytop offers group and individual ski lessons so we were able to enroll them in a couple of lessons.  We had the pleasure of working with six different instructors and found all of them to be extremely friendly and patient.  They worked with and encouraged our boys and before we knew it, they were taking the lift and skiing down the mountain.  They throroughly enjoyed their time with their instructors and learning how to ski. Skytop Lodge is responsible for creating a new favorite activity for my boys!

When we weren’t skiing, we were sledding, hiking, swimming, playing laser tag, ping pong, mini golf, eating, of course, and then back to more activities.  There was never a lack of options for us and we tried to take in as much as we could during the day, but there were so many choices we just couldn’t participate in them all.  There is always something going on for every member of the family.  Each day, a different itinerary is printed and some of the things you can do include special exercise classes, guided hikes and tours, scavenger hunts for the kids, story times, wildlife shows, afternoon tea receptions, and ice skating.  We enjoyed a special candlelit skating session one night after dinner, which the kids loved!   On Saturday nights, a Skytop tradition is their after dinner dance, where the whole family can join in for a fun and lively night of dancing.  We loved the dancing line that went out the hotel and through the courtyard.  Fun was had by everyone, regardless of age.

On Sunday, we enjoyed more skiing and after lunch, we were able to experience a very rare treat.  Skytop offers the opportunity to go dog sledding with Kim Darst.  Kim is from New Jersey and has raced in the Iditarod!  We got to meet her beautiful Alaskan Huskies and have them take us for a scenic ride, as they trained.  We learned so much about the legendary race and were able to ask Kim any question we could think of.  The dogs took us to one of the most beautiful spots in the Poconos, Indian Ladder Falls.  We got some spectacular pictures of our family with the snowy waterfalls as the backdrop, as well as with the sweet Alaskan Huskies.  We really enjoyed our time with Kim and learned so much.  Such an incredible experience to visit with her and hear of the challenges she has faced and overcome.

Skytop is a beautiful resort that we thoroughly enjoyed visiting.  Although they have free internet connection in every room, we really felt like we were able to unplug and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. My husband and I both kept our phones and computers off and we had the best time really reconnecting as a family.  This is so easy to do at Skytop because there are so many family-friendly experiences to be had.  This was a vacation that created so many memories that will be cherished by our family.

You can learn more about Skytop Lodge and all there is to do year round at this stunning resort by visiting their website. I highly recommend a visit with your family, you will not regret it!