Ski season is over. Summer vacation season has yet to begin. What a great time to get a great price at a resort like Hope Lake Lodge. We needed a getaway that was within driving distance from the Greater Toronto Area and was within our budget.
At the Toronto Outdoor Adventure show, earlier this year, we had a great conversation with the reps from the Finger Lakes Region of New York State and were bound to visit the area. After considering packages in Geneva and Canandaigua, we settled on a deal through Groupon for Hope Lake Lodge.
Because of the crappy weather conditions while we were there (constant rain and extreme winds), I wasn’t my usual shutterbug self. However, I did take tons of video and the HD video attached at the bottom of this article shows the resort in much more detail.
Located just south of Cortland, New York and just off Interstate 81 between Syracuse and Binghamton, Hope Lake Lodge is across state road 392 from the Greak Peek Ski Resort area. From Toronto, with optimum traffic and border crossing conditions, it’s about a 4.5 to 5 hour drive.
The selling point for us was the indoor water park that was included in our package. Cascades Indoor Water Park is 41,000 square feet of liquid fun. The park is not as grandiose as many outdoor parks and is geared to younger children. There is a decent wave pool, several water slides, an activity tower and indoor/outdoor all-season pool and hot tub.
The feature is the dual tube slides that start 3 stories up and travel mostly outside the building before splashing down inside. One is a tube slide and the other is a body slide. The body slide has an extremely tight corkscrew in complete darkness that will leave you dizzy at the bottom. The tube slide is not as dark and not as tight.
Our room was on the second floor of the lodge and the entrance to the water park was conveniently located at the end of our hall. Between the lodge and the water park is Starlight Arcade, a decent sized arcade with all the machines spitting out tickets to be redeemed for prizes, a la Dave and Buster’s.
In behind the lodge in the above image is Greek Peak Ski Resort. Once again, it is better seen in the video below. The summit has an elevation of 2,100 feet above sea level and at the highest point there is a 952 foot vertical drop for skiiers. There are 38 runs with the longest at 1.5 miles and the steepest at 40 degrees.
Above: the view from our balcony with the water park in the background. We stayed in a Northwoods Suite with 1 queen bed, 1 queen sleeper sofa, a spacious bathroom, flatscreen with DVD, gas fireplace, dining area and full kitchen. There are suites that can sleep up to ten people.
There is a minimum two night stay at the resort and summer rates range from $250 per night and up. Also attached to the resort is an outdoor adventure centre with a mountain coaster (similar to the one at Blue Mountain in Collingwood, Ontario) and a zip line, among other things. Of course, because it’s 2014, there is free, fast and reliable wi-fi throughout the lodge. There is also a 24 hour fitness centre for guests.
Despite my veganism and anti-cruelty to all animals stance, the stuffed animals in the loft of the main lobby were pretty impressive. There were other stuffed animals throughout the lobby, including some kind of wild cat, a small deer, a smaller black bear and others.
My take:
The lodge was great despite the weather.
The water park might not be thrilling for teens and young adults.
The seams on the 3 story body tube slide were rough and probably exfoliated my back.
The staff was outstanding and to the point of almost too friendly (if that’s possible).
The inhouse restaurant was outstanding at the prices were extremely reasonable.
The Finger Lakes regions as a whole is full of natural and man-made beauty including waterfalls (many in nearby Ithaca, like Wells Falls) and classic architecture. There is such a pride in the upkeep of homes that are surely over a century old. Plus, there is a winery or micro-brewery also within reach.
I’ll say it one more time, the video below shows Hope Lake Lodge, inside and out, in much more detail than the images above. Give it a look-see and please hit the ‘Like’ button!
