The White Mountains have shifted into winter mode. Snow has fallen, the salt trucks have been through, and roads like Hurricane Mountain, Evans Notch and Bear Notch are closed until spring. Which means, Little Red and friends are off the road for the winter. But preparations for FreakOut 2023 are still in full motion!
Word is, the 1-bedroom suites are already gone at the host hotel and there seems to be some buzz about the different room options. So, I thought I’d share some thoughts from our recent stay.
We arrived at the Grand Summit after a casual drive along West Side Road, passing Diana’s Bath’s and Cathedral Ledge. The view of the Grand Summit was picturesque nestled at the base of Attitash Mountain among the pines, maples and birches. Although it has 143 rooms it has a relaxing mountain village atmosphere. Stepping into the lobby from the front foyer you’ll see a stone fireplace with casual leather couches and chairs surrounding it. It was a great place to gather before rides during the weekend. Beyond the fireplace you’ll find Judy the Concierge. We were looking for a dinner reservation and she went out of her way to help us. The entire staff was friendly and helpful throughout the weekend.
We found a lot of written information and photos on the Grand Summit Attitash website. (grandsummitattitash.com) But we still had a few questions before going.
Luis and I reserved the one-bedroom loft for the weekend. After our stay, we decided to book the one-bedroom loft for FreakOut as well. We liked having the bed upstairs, out of the way. There were 16 of us in the group so it was nice having space to sit and talk about FreakOut. Having a Kitchen was great too because we’re up early (5AM) and we were able to have a light snack while waiting for breakfast at 7AM. We’ll have an early breakfast in our room during FreakOut as we’ll because we expect to start our days extra early.
Notes:
The room which was really a mini home, was clean throughout the bath, kitchen, living and sleeping areas. The kitchen had a Keurig coffee maker, toaster, basic pots, pans, dinner and flatware, dish liquid, new sponge for cleaning, paper towels, ice cubes in the freezer. All you need to bring is the food. If you come into the area following route 16 through North Conway there are a couple of grocery chain stores, a Walmart Super Store, and local grocers to choose from.
Two TV’s, one on the first level and one in the loft. There was a dining table that sat 8 and three love seat size sofas, two on first level (1 with sofa bed) one in the loft.
The one bathroom was on the first level. We were fine with it, but if you get up multiple times in the night… We had plenty of towels and the usual toiletries were provided.
We didn’t take time to swim but the salt water pool and hot tubs were clear and inviting with a view of the mountain.
Although only a couple of us had rooms with kitchens for the weekend, everyone who came for the weekend, booked a room for FreakOut that included a kitchen. It’s a small difference in price for the convenience.
If you’re not interested in doing any cooking then the Standard Hotel Room would be a good choice for you. Most everyone had the standard room for the weekend, the rooms were clean, well-stocked with towels, had basic toiletries and a Keurig coffee maker (No Fridge).
I hope I’ve answered some of your questions and helped you make the right room choice for you.