trip report: the point

There aren't really enough adjectives to describe how I feel about The Point. I will try to do it some justice through pictures, but if you ever have the opportunity to go, TAKE IT.

The Point had been on my radar for ages, since my mom is a huge fan of the old Great Camps of the Adirondacks. This one actually used to belong to the Rockefellers (we slept in what was their daughter's bedroom), and was their respite away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. The hotel is spread out over several original log-frame buildings and sits on the shores of peaceful Upper Saranac Lake (which you can see in the above photo). You can take out your own little boat (kind of the equivalent of a golf cart that floats ... but prettier), or ask someone on staff to jet you around on one of the bigger models. And if that's too much activity, there are legions of bars -- both indoors and outdoors -- and all the booze is yours for the taking. Or, you can ask someone on staff to mix you a drink (see a trend here?). It's hard to think of other hotels where I've had service as friendly and knowledgeable as we had here.

Part of the reason it feels so hospitable is its size: with only 11 guest rooms, it's a fairly small property. Accordingly, reservations fill up fast, especially over holiday weekends. It's not uncommon for certain weeks to be booked a year in advance. We opted for summer and went in August, but I hear it's also great fun in the winter. The lake freezes over for ice skating and every room on property gets its own Christmas tree. Squee.

As it's a Relais & Chateaux member (one of my faves, as you may know), the food is also excellent. One of the best parts about the hotel is that everything is prepaid, including the multi-course, BLACK-TIE Saturday night dinners. They let me wander through the kitchen before dinner to get a sneak peek at the menu:

As soon as you arrive, they give you a tour around the property and stress that no request is too small or too big. I asked if I could take a cooking lesson at some point during our stay and they didn't even blink an eye. The next afternoon, I made some fantastic chocolate chip cookies and then got put to work helping to roll out the bread for Sunday's dinner service. I was in heaven.

In a nod to Great Camp camaraderie, dinner every night is served at communal tables (although you can opt to eat in your room if you prefer). We met couples from all over the country, which made each meal a ton of fun. Full disclosure: the one couple we were dying to see in their black tie finest -- effing DANIEL CRAIG AND RACHAEL WEISZ -- decided to eat in their room. That was probably the wisest decision for his marriage. And mine. Anyway...

During the day you can opt to do anything from day drink in outdoor lean-tos to sailing to archery. We managed to get in a couple of hikes in the nearby mountains one day, but we otherwise stayed on property.