Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa
A Third Visit

Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa
5 Mirror Lake Drive
Lake Placid, NY, 12946
518-523-2544; Fax: 518-523-2871
email: info@mirrorlakeinn.com
http:// www.mirrorlakeinn.com

Overall Impression -

During our five day/four night stay at the Inn that is aptly billed in its literature as "Lake Placid's finest," I was transported in time to a Sonja Henie movie, who in fact was a 20-year-old gold medal winner of the figure skating competition in Lake Placid during the 1932 Olympics. To carry the cinematic metaphor a bit further, the lobby area with its mahogany wall paneling and the adjoining "Library " with cedar log trim, birch bark accents and a massive stone fireplace set in Adirondack Great Camp style, has all the trappings one would expect of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn. Having had a wholesome taste of the resort in a summer month, my wife and I vowed to return in the heart of the winter season, preferably with one or two grandchildren in tow. Although there are no structured counselor-supervised programs for kids, the facilities, activities and dining are decidedly family-friendly.

We did not meet Ed and Lisa Weinbrecht whose title of choice is "Doting Parents and Proprietors of the Mirror Lake Inn," but spent some quality time with their able assistant Bridget Stubley-Draper and Carl Grunland, Director of Operations, whom I photographed above in the "Library." Two things in particular impressed me about Carl: 1) Since he eschews a conventional office, he is a warm and familiar presence throughout the Inn to guests and staff , 2) He comes from a Marriott food & beverage background (there is no better hospitality experience in the world).

1) Physical Plant -

Built in the heart of the Adirondacks in 1883 as a private residence, it began operations as a summer habitat for the rich and famous in 1924. Attendant to the 1932 Winter Olympics, the Inn was "winterized" and rented in its entirety to the Norwegian team that included Sonja Henie, and subsequently housed many world class skating champions. In 1988 a fire destroyed a good part of the facility, fortunately with no injuries or fatalities. There was no hand-wringing, nor knitted brows, when we raised the subject of the fire. The management and staff are disarmingly frank about the conflagration, proudly attesting that in less than six months the entire Inn was completely rebuilt, newly furbished and enhanced with numerous protective devices including ultra-sensitive fire detection and prevention devices from sprinkler systems to smoke alarms.

Fourteen-year veteran Meredith DeMarco is the crown jewel of servers among the fine staff in the Averil Conwell Dining Room. As a soccer mom, Melissa now works but two dinners a week. We were fortunate to have Meredith add a rare dimension to our dining experience on our most recent visit, particularly with her recommendation of Buffalo steak – a first for me – that was luscious and as I understand it, has less cholesterol than chicken with the skin removed.

2) Dining -

Until we availed ourselves of the Mirror Lake Inn's Modified American Plan, I regarded the expression "fine hotel dining" as an oxymoron. Think of Peter Luger's Steakhouse with sleeping rooms and you'll have some sense of the remarkable mouth-watering quality of the sublimely-aged steak entrees served in generous amounts in the picturesque Averil Conwell Dining Room. As Gourmet Magazine editor Ruth Reichl once wrote, "If you must have steak, why go to any place in the world but Peter Luger?" Well Ruth, until I sunk my incisors into a succulent filet mignon, T-bone, strip steak and venison steak on successive nights, I would have heartily agreed with you. Peter Luger still wears the crown, but for a close second, it's worth the trip up the Adirondack Northway to experience cuisine that is truly noteworthy. Point of information to all those 300-pound offensive linemen who are reading these words: once you polish off your steak, you will be offered a complete second helping with the compliments of Chef Matthew Baldwin. Though I am an unrepentant carnivore, I was too sated to take advantage of the Inn's magnanimity. As for breakfast, the usual buffet table was in evidence. However, I suggest you order from the menu. The tip-off to me is how well a restaurant does pancakes, French toast and white-egg omelets, all of which were uniformly delicious, fluffy and hot. The orange juice is freshly squeezed, the coffee blend, inspired. As for the staff, waiters and bus-people are bright, young, kempt, proactive and eager to please. If you do bring your kids or grandkids, there is an "early dining" program (usually 5:30 p.m.) which provides one complimentary meal from the children's menu (up to age 12) for each adult entrée ordered. Lunchtime, after enjoying the club sandwiches, salads and other fare at the Inn's lakeside Cottage Café, we were not tempted to try any of the village's restaurants.

3) Guest Rooms -

Mirror Lake Inn has 128 rooms, including 19 suites. The suites, which are split, single level or studios with living room and whirlpool baths, are mostly located in the original Main Building. Rooms designated as "superior" have private balconies, most of which have views of Mirror Lake and Adirondack High Peaks which include the two highest mountains in New York State (Mt. Marcy and Mt. Algonquin). Superior rooms are located in the Main Building, Terrace Building (overlooking the swimming pool), and Mountain View Building (overlooking the parking lot). The Terrace and Mountain View buildings which were constructed in 1978 are connected by inner walkways to the Main Building. Bordering the lake on the "beach" are the Lake Cottage and Colonial House, with mostly smaller-sized rooms. My wife Alice and I opted for a Mountain View room at a rate lower than that of the Main Building, and were pleased with our choice. The room was spacious, immaculate, unpretentious and tastefully decorated; the queen-sized beds had extra firm mattresses. The bathroom had modern accoutrements, and there was a separate water basin atop a mini-refrigerator. Nightly turn-down service is available on request. We had a stack of chocolate treats at the end of our stay attesting to our desire for turn-down. I would love to see the day when I would find a note on my pillow stating: "In lieu of the traditional candy placement, we are pleased to donate two low-sodium, sugar-free chocolate mints for each night of your stay in your name to the XYZ Children's Hospital. Sincerely, The Management."

View of the Inn from our paddle boat

4) Summer Recreation -

• Mirror Lake itself is a postage stamp compared to its big sister, Lake Placid which is a 9-iron shot away. The resort's one-hour Fitness Walk around its 2.7-mile perimeter became a pleasant pre-breakfast ritual for Alice and me. True to its name, the lake mirrors the surrounding mountains magisterially. The lake itself is patently pristine, blessedly devoid of power boats and jet skis, and well-stocked with trout, bass and perch. From and to the resort's private faux sand beach and raft, there is swimming in ideal conditions, albeit unsupervised by a lifeguard. Moored to its dock, are canoes, rowboats and, our vessel of choice, the two-person paddle boat, which I had not used in earnest since the Riviera 40 years prior. It was ideal for alternately ratcheting up the heart rate or lollygagging like Huck and Jim. Our destination invariably was the toboggan chute off a cove at the opposite end of the lake, proximate to the Olympic Center.

• Pools, Spas, Fitness  - Because of the inclement weather, we utilized the 60-foot indoor pool, oversized whirlpool and saunas as a pick-me-up prior to dinner. It abuts the Inn's justifiably heralded Spa of which Alice and I availed ourselves with blissfully relaxing body treatments and steam rooms. Massage Therapist Irving Dunham (a former Greco-Roman wrestler) took out his aggressions on my back. ONLY KIDDING; he gave me the kind of massage that made this Old Warhorse feel like a young colt. The Spa is a few paces from a top-drawer fitness room with, to use that overworked phrase, "state-of-the-art" cardiovascular equipment and free weights. You can watch TV as you work out, or gaze out on the lake from a treadmill. Given the predictably fine weather the Adirondack Region enjoys, be mindful that the 58-foot outdoor pool is heated and strategically situated to catch sun for the better part of the day, while having a fine view of the lake. The depth ranges from 3 feet to 10 feet. It has plenty of lounge chairs and extra towels.

• Tennis - There is a solitary all-weather court that could be a candidate for witness protection - it's that secluded from the remainder of the property.

• Golfing, Trout Fishing, Hiking et al. - A highly professional concierge staff will hook you up with any of four golf courses within three miles of the Inn, or arrange for naturalist and Olympic Village walks and wilderness canoe trips and trout fishing.

Concierge Janis Pascarella is a living, breathing "search engine" with soul, authoritative clarity and limitless patience.

5) Area Attractions -

• Lake Placid (the lake) - almost ten times the perimeter of Mirror Lake, is 5 1/2 miles long, 2 1/2 miles wide, its deepest point being 250 feet. I heartily recommend the moderately-priced Lake Placid Tour Boat Cruises (run by the Winches, a most accommodating husband-and-wife team; jjwinch@yahoo.com), off a marina that's a short walk from the resort. You'll have a fascinating one-hour narrated tour traversing 16-miles, with lovely views of Whiteface Mountain and the famed Adirondack Great Camps - stately manors lining the shore. Most of them are reachable only by water transport, though one owner has a helicopter pad, another his own seaplane. You can also partake in a "Great Camps Walk" along the shores under the Inn's auspices.

• Lake Placid (the village)   - An easy walk from Mirror Lake Drive to (what else?) Main Street, which is lined with quaint and, in not a few instances, hokey shops, offering outdoor gear, apparel, rare books, Adirondack crafts, plus a variety of restaurants and pubs. We liked the band shell, which when we were there, had early evening chamber music concerts.

A solitary young skater preps for an upcoming competition on the hallowed ice
of the 1932 Winter Olympics.

• The Olympic Center   - Houses two ice-skating rinks, legacies of the 1932 Winter Games where Sonja Henie held sway and the 1980 Winter Games, where the U. S. Hockey Team upset the Soviets for the Gold Medal. 

We caught a practice session of a Can/Am Hockey Camp for young teenagers on the 1980 Olympics Rink.

• Kodak Sports Park and Mt. Van Hovenberg - One can, but we didn't choose to visit and check out the ski jumps, luge run and bobsled rack. What does the town do between Olympics? Plenty. During the Winter, all sorts of hockey tournaments, ski jumping, alpine skiing and figure and speed skating championships abound. Nor is summer an exception. At the time we visited, ESPN was having its own "Games," with all sorts of esoteric competitions, from wood-chopping to rope climbing (fodder for an inexhaustible amount of non-prime time programming).

• Whiteface Mountain - On a clear summer day, it is definitely worth driving the ten miles from the Inn, past numerous trout streams, through an Alpine-style gate house and up the five miles of the Veterans Memorial Highway towards the summit of the only Adirondack Peak (4,867-feet) accessible by auto. Once there, you will experience spectacular views of the Adirondack High Peaks, Lake Champlain, Lake Placid, and on a really clear day, Canada. The Whiteface Ski Center (open from November through April) has 65 trails, 10 ski lifts, ski lodges and shops.

6) Destination Proximity -
A pleasurable 5 1/2 -hour drive (approx. 275 miles) from New York City via the Adirondack Northway (I-87 North). Exit 30.