Friends and I have gone to The Balsams annually for 25 winters after initially going there for a business meeting. As others have said, the prime attractions are the wonderful location and the breadth of activities offered. The lack of TVs in the rooms is also an attraction, as one does not spend the night listening to your neighbors' TVs.... more

First -- to all those reviewers who cannot live without a television set, you really need to get a life. This hotel is a "grand dame" -- old fashioned, charming, focused on people who like to dine well, golf, hike, play tennis and swim. In the winter, it is for skiing. Period. You do not come here because the rooms... more

Stayed 2 nights and attended the cooking school at the Balsams. I can not say enough about how great both the food and the program are. Chef Steve is a great teacher, and a great cook. The rooms however are awful. They beds are old, hard, and uncomfortable. The temperature in the rooms are okay if you enjoy sleeping in... more

We stayed at The Balsams for a wedding, and enjoyed three nights there surrounding the event. I have stayed there before, and enjoyed it. It is very quiet and relaxing, certainly different from a vacation on the beach or a city break. People go there to relax, enjoy the beautiful natural setting, and spend some time with each other or... more

We stayed at this hotel for a wedding and I am grading it based on the hotel stay, not the wedding. The wedding itself was super, thanks in part to the great staff at the Balsams, but thanks mostly to some wonderful planning on the part of the bride and groom. The hotel stay was not super. Let me start... more

The Balsams Grand Resort??? It was everything but GRAND!! I traveled 3.5 hours one way to be welcomed by the fake staff, brought through the cold dungeon to my room. The "butler" opened the door to my room and my girlfriend and I were immediatly disappointed. The furniture was completely out of date, worn out, the wall paper was just... more

My boyfriend and I are a young couple in our 20's and we received a complementary night stay at the hotel and were told we may get an upgrade upon arrival because it was the slow off season. We have stayed in many beautiful hotels in the past, as my boyfriend works for a hotel in our hometown and this... more

It may take a long time to get to, but believe me it is worth the drive! The Balsams is a world unto itself, with beautiful rooms, unbelievable food, and skiing that is like being on your own private mountain. We go several times each winter and once in the summer (for the golf) and, while to some it may... more

I think this is one of the special places to stay in our country. That being said, the negative reviews here are typically based on having the wrong expectation. 1. You need to know this is not going to be a Marriot inside. It looks like it would have looked in the 30's. This is bad and good. It is... more