I consider myself a picky traveler and this place was top notch with very few downsides.

I took my wife here for a surprise Valentine's Day and she loved every second of it. We are very picky about everything from beds to food to property amenities and this place was great.

Pro's:

1.Great A+++ room - comfy bed - 2 TV's in our suite, full kitchen, washer/dryer, jacuzzi tub, heated bathroom floors, fireplace, plenty of space.
2.Turn down service complete with free water and yummy cookies
3.Excellent amenitis from an indoor/outdoor pool open year round, to an ice skaing rink, to a bowling alley, to a full blwon movie theater, to shuttle service.
4.Excellent and friendly staff. You felt as if many people cared that you were there and did everything they could for you. Everyone was smiling. I had detailed conversations with many of them.
5.Free hot breakfast
6.Fireplaces all over the place and a very Adirondack feel, while also staying classy
7.Free and very good valet service - those guys were great and the best I have seen in a while

Cons:

1.Room service menu was not that great and very limited. Food we got was good, but the menu was a little limited.
2.After booking several weeks in advance and showing up when the hotel was almost empty on the day we arrived, I did nto get the room request I had, I was stuck with a room on the lower floor.
3.They close the pool and jacuzzi at 10 PM which in my mind is very early. Leave it open until midnight for adults to enjoy after dinner!
4. Spa was average. Kind of plain, loud, but we just went for massages. There are more things to do then spend the day in the spa here. We would not go back to the spa.

Overall, we would go back. Some kinks to work out, but then again, I find kinks everywhere. You look for them more when you are spending big bucks. Whether you are a family or a couple - this place will be sure to impress.

About 18-months ago, we toured this property as prospective fractional-owners while staying at another location in Lake Placid. Our kids loved it because of all the kid-friendly amenities and wanted us to buy a residence on the spot. Recently, we surprised them by booking the long Presidents' weekend here (not as owners but as hotel guests). Here's our review:

We arrived at 4 p.m. and check-in was swift and our suite was ready. At first, I was a little dissapointed that we had ground level and walking to our room, I asked our hostess "so we have a patio and not a balcony?" She said we had "a terrace." Believe me, it was a patio. It was still private and the nice thing was that the kids could play in the snow right outside our door. While on the subject of "semantics." About a month or two before our trip, I tried to upgrade to a bigger suite to accommodate our niece and they kept saying they were "fully committed," I said so that means we can't get another room? "We are fully committed... we are fully committed..." Why can't they use the phrase, "WE ARE BOOKED?" Also, it's not a "free shuttle into town," BUT "the Mercedes Benz transportation." Come on, I get it for $700 a night you want us to feel special, but not stupid!

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, we really did enjoy our stay and it is worth the high price tag to have a winter splurge. We travel often to the Adirondacks and there's really no other property that can compare. The suites are beautifully furnished and have great features like a Jacuzzi tub, heated bathroom floor and a gas fireplace that makes the livingroom very cozy. Some things that I would have changed in the room was to have higher-thread-count sheets on the beds (they were a little scratchy), full-sized toiletries (I had to ask housekeeping for more shampoo since the little bottle didn't do it for the four of us) and napkins or paper towels for the kitchenette since the warm chocolate chip cookies they serve at turn-down can be a little messy! Our tub didn't drain too quickly, and the cover from our fuse box in the bedroom fell down when my 7-year-old closed the door (luckily she wasn't standing under it) but these were things we told maintenance and I'm sure they are fixed by now.

The pool was fantastic and although the resort was fully booked (excuse me, fully committed) it never seemed too crowded. This resort is very kid-friendly and I must say that there were many very well-behaved children here. The pool was never too loud or too splashy. There's an underground tunnel that connects the suites to the pool area so that you don't have to venture the walk in the snow. A portion of the pool is ndoor and the rest is outdoor. There are three hot tubs too. The gentlemen that watch over the pool are very friendly and really seem to enjoy their job. As a matter of fact, all the employees at the property had good attitudes. There are also plenty of large towels available at the pool and extra goggles, noodles, life jeckets, etc.

The game room is exceptional here. No need to send your kids down with a roll of quarters. They do not have any arcade-like games, but rather old Adirondack camp-like games like billiards, pool, ping pong, checkers, etc. You can even reserve the small bowling alley. Just keep-in-mind that when it's crowded, they ask that families share a lane and young children are not permitted to be in the bowling alley by themselves. There was a little confusion with this over the weekend we were there but that could be because it was busier than they expected. There are also some computers outside the game room and kids were lining up to play their Webkins or Club Penguin accounts. We brought our own laptop for the room and the resort provides free internet access (well, nothing is really for free). They also have a family-style movie theater and free popcorn. There's also an icecream parlor and while it's not free, children can charge items to their room. My husband enjoyed the fitness center too and they provide earphones to use for the equipments' TVs. There's a long list of DVDs available at the front desk and you can just go borrow them on the honor system. It was nice having two flat-screen TVs in our suite with DVD players.

There is an ice rink here and although it could have been groomed a little better from the drifting snow, it was a lot of fun. There's a tent full of every-size skates and snow shoes and guests can just help themselves. they always have great music playing and in the evenings they have a bonfire with help-yourself ingredients for smores. One thing I would have like to have seen was a way to bring all the kids together. I'm not talking about a babysitting club, but maybe to have a young, counselor-type person to help with the activities and help kids make friends. If the idea is to get the same families back year-after-year, let them know that they will have something to come back to. Story-telling time or pool games would be great-- Management are you listening?

In the mornings, they have a complimentary breakfast that they consider "continental" but I thought it was much more. It includes eggs, bacon and sausage along with typical continental items like pastries, muffins, fruit, yogurt, cold cereals, etc. The only thing my kids would have changed was to have apple juice available and not just orange juice. The lounge where they offered this breakfast was very cozy and families felt comfortable enough to come up in pajamas or the complimentary robe and slippers from their rooms. We did not eat dinner at the property's restaurant, since it was "fully committed" while we were there but it did look nice. The lounge has a cocktail bar in the evenings and children are not permitted after 5 p.m. (however, I'm sure there's a great movie in the theater for them at that time!).

We ate dinner at Nicola's in Lake Placid village and it was fantastic for Greek/Italian fare! We also had a late lunch at Cafe Rustic which is across the street from the Lodge, next to the Price Chopper supermarket. There's also a wine and spirits shop there. We enjoyed skiing one afternoon at Whiteface mouintain (about 25 minutes away). It's a great place for beginners to learn on "Easy Acres." The ski lodge's snack bar has excellent chilli too!

We love the area of Lake Placid and while we will probably be back and stay again at the Whiteface Lodge (but book something with two bathrooms this time, not just a one-bedroom-suite), we are not sure it's a good investment to buy a unit. First, off, it does not have ski-in/ski-out advantages, and secondly, it is not walking distance to the village of Lake Placid which has great shops and dining. While I felt safe with letting my children roam the property freely, I'm not sure when they are teenagers that I want them to be so far away from the village or the ski resort, even if they take the shuttle... I mean "the Mercedes benz transportation!"

Fabulous resort! Service was excellent and the hotel was beautiful. Upscale yet still rustic. Rooms were spacious, all suites with kitchens, tub with jets and fireplace which we loved. The hotel was empty this weekend so we enjoyed the place to ourselves. Ice skating was so much fun and we had the whole rink to ourselves at no cost. Smores by the fire pit next to the rink, what a treat. Dinner in the restaurants, fabulous and had nice lower price choices like sandwiches and pizzas too. I just loved the decor. The hotel was so cozy and such a great romantic weekend escape. We are already talking about going back. Concierge was informative and all of the staff was top notch, the place was spotless. Beautiful property, not too big but just big enough with activities on site at no additional charge and very close to town and mountains.

They say.. you get what you pay for, and nothing rings more true than in Lake Placid. There are many categories of hotels...from drive up single rooms to luxury. The Whiteface has it all. The service is friendly and helpful. There is free valet parking. The architecture is dramatic, but realistic. It is one of the warmest and welcoming places I have been to . The lounge has numerous fireplaces and comfortable couches. It is a great place to read or have coffee. The basement has a bowling alley, movie theater , computers, ice cream parlor and a game room. The pool is accessed by an underground passage. It is a wonderful area with a large outdoor pool and jacuzzi. It is very relaxing to sit there after a long day of skiing and have a gentle snow fall on you as you soak. There is an outdoor skating rink with a heated area where you can put on skates (which they provide) . The rooms are beyond great. Big windows, amazing details. There is a full kitchen, fireplace, washer,dryer and a bathroom larger than most hotel rooms. There is nightly turndown service with fresh cookies. We did not eat at the lodge as we wanted to see the town. Milano North is good , but expensive ..as are most places. There is good Chinese food across from the oval. A great find was the Station.. looks like a run down bar from the outside, but inside.. very pleasant .. and it has the best Buffalo wings around...great place to go for Wings and beer . Lisa Gs is also a fun place with great chicken parm.The Mykonos was also great with surprisingly good and affordable Greek food... Grilled octopus and gyro were first rate. I checked out the Charcoal Pit.. but it was usually empty , and seemed really dated. We did the bobsled ride , which was fun, but very expensive for such a quick ride. Spend some time walking the town..the shops are great , and really carry on the Olympic spirit.