# Finally....Smuggs!



## senorak (Aug 5, 2012)

Arrived at Smugglers' Notch this afternoon, (first visit to both Smuggs & Vermont).  Had about an 8 hour drive from Southeast PA.....not too much traffic.     Staying in Sycamores 30.....looks like our unit was completely remodeled, (or else a brand new unit).  No elevator, so I was lucky that my kids carried the luggage up to the second floor to our unit.   Hubby was a bit flabbergasted that the living/dining room does NOT have air conditioning, (though the 2 bedrooms each have a window air conditioner).  He likes to keep our house set quite cool.  It's been steamy even in Vermont the past few weeks, but with the use of fans, (and now a drenching rain), the living area is cooled down.   Tomorrow's forecast is in the high 70's; with temps back up in the 80's by Tuesday.

First impressions:  PROS:  unit is like new, and plenty of utensils, pots & pans, place settings, etc.  Master Bath w/ jacuzzi & TV is awesome!!!   2nd bedroom has plenty of room for all 3 kids to bunk together & have their own space.  Gorgeous view from our balcony.  Kids, (older teens), have the freedom to roam the grounds on their own and have their own special activities/areas.

CONS:  no AC in living/kitchen area....almost 80 even w/ fans going.  Hallways of building also very steamy, (and having to drag luggage up to second floor).  Looks like we will be buying the Smuggs pass, since the kids, (and us), feel the Courtside Pool is way to small & crowded.  Plus, the kids would like to hang out at the teen centers, and you need the pass for that.  (But, after talking to guest relations, they told us that if we waited until later in the week to buy the pass, it would be less expensive.  And since we'd like to do some local sightseeing, we'll buy the pass on Tues or Wed.)  Think this place could "nickel & dime" a family more than Disney.

Hoping for sunshine and cooler temps tomorrow.  

DEB


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## tschwa2 (Aug 5, 2012)

I called in the first day too about the (lack of) A/C in the living room when we were there.  The unit in the living room is apparently only a heater control.  After bringing in all the luggage we were sweaty.  When I called I also complained that the pilot light on the fireplace was producing heat that I didn't need.  I was told there was nothing that could be done about that.  The West Hills pool up the hill a little is very nice and was never crowded.  It is a nice place to watch the sunset after a busy day.


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## senorak (Aug 6, 2012)

A little cooler today after last night's storms, so we have the living room windows open.  Thermostat reads "75".  Bedrooms are very cool w/ the AC.  I agree re:  West Hills pool....that is plenty fine for me.     But, the kids want the variety w/ slides & such.....so it looks like we'll purchase the Smuggs pass at some point.

Deb


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## DianneL (Aug 6, 2012)

*Great info*

Glad to read your post about Smuggs.  We have traded in through RCI and plan to be there in June, 2013.  Our assigned unit is SY-28, which I assume is next door to your unit.  Is SY-28 also on the second floor?  Again, thanks for your post and great info.


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## WinniWoman (Aug 6, 2012)

senorak said:


> Arrived at Smugglers' Notch this afternoon, (first visit to both Smuggs & Vermont).  Had about an 8 hour drive from Southeast PA.....not too much traffic.     Staying in Sycamores 30.....looks like our unit was completely remodeled, (or else a brand new unit).  No elevator, so I was lucky that my kids carried the luggage up to the second floor to our unit.   Hubby was a bit flabbergasted that the living/dining room does NOT have air conditioning, (though the 2 bedrooms each have a window air conditioner).  He likes to keep our house set quite cool.  It's been steamy even in Vermont the past few weeks, but with the use of fans, (and now a drenching rain), the living area is cooled down.   Tomorrow's forecast is in the high 70's; with temps back up in the 80's by Tuesday.
> 
> First impressions:  PROS:  unit is like new, and plenty of utensils, pots & pans, place settings, etc.  Master Bath w/ jacuzzi & TV is awesome!!!   2nd bedroom has plenty of room for all 3 kids to bunk together & have their own space.  Gorgeous view from our balcony.  Kids, (older teens), have the freedom to roam the grounds on their own and have their own special activities/areas.
> 
> ...



I have complained about the AC from the beginning when they were being built. (We bought the model). What we and other owners do is we close all the windows and leave the bedroom doors open, as well as shut the shades. Eventually, the whole area cools down. Not efficient by any means, and it takes a long time, but definitely worth it. The top units heat up-they are very well insulated for winter and, as Tracy stated, that darn pilot light is on in the fireplace. (Other Smuggs owners shut it off- I don't know how- and then turn it on before they check-out). Believe it or not, we have actually used that fireplace many times during the summer in the cool eves in the past, before this crazy "global warming weather"!


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## WinniWoman (Aug 6, 2012)

Yes- Sycamores and Falcons owners/exchangers *only* use the West Hill pool and your family can use that until you buy the pass. The only thing Courtside has that the West Hill Pool doesn't is the hot tubs, (and the small slide), but you at least have the whirlpool tub in your unit.

Courtside is used by the older buildings that don't have pools or people who don't buy the pass. But, if you are staying in West Hill (Sycamores and Falcons) or Aspens, North Hill (Tamaracks, Kestrels, Owls) or Mountain Laurels- each one of these has their own designated pool for their occupants and those occupants don't need a pass to use the pool associated with their building/community. You just need your unit key card. You only need passes for Notchville Park, Mountainside or Rum Runners. (I am not sure about Bootleggers Basin- that is mainly used by the camps and the locals when not being used by the camps).


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## senorak (Aug 6, 2012)

I really like the West Hill pool....not crowded at all.  There is also a nice weight/workout room and game room, (ping pong, pool table, pinball machines), in the clubhouse by the West Hill pool.  Admittance is by the room card.  Everything in this area looks relatively new.  And much less crowded than some of the other areas.  

Diane---unit 28 is actually on the ground (1st) floor, so you won't have to deal with the stairs!  29 and above are upstairs in our building.  There are a few units downstairs, as well....so I guess technically, there are 3 levels to this building.  

Mpumilia---that is exactly what DH did to cool down the living/kitchen area---pulled shades, had fans running to pull AC from bedrooms, and opened windows this a.m. when it was cooler.  I woke up this morning, and was FREEZING!  Our bedroom felt like a meat locker.  (DH thought it was "comfortable".)   

We did our own "tasting tour" of the area today:  Cabot Cheese annex, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Ben & Jerry's, Green Mountain Coffee and Champlain Chocolates.  All were within a few miles of each other.  The cider mill was a disappointment---not much in the way of samples, (tasting).  (Think Fly Creek Cider Mill near Cooperstown, NY has spoiled us for other cider mills.)  B&J's was very crowded, but they were running tours every 10 minutes and things moved quickly.  The Cabot Cheese store was our favorite....lots of samples to try, and we bought a few items to enjoy in the condo.

Driving through the "Notch" is a fun, (and a bit white knuckle) experience.  Glad I was not the driver.  Will explore downtown Stowe another day.  Any restaurant recommendations?  I did use my RCI Platinum "Restaurant.com" gift certificate to buy one for "Three Mountain Lodge", so will eat one meal there during our stay.  So far, we've been cooking in the unit.  Not only does the unit have a nice variety of pots, pans & dishes...but there is plenty of dishwashing detergent for both sink & dishwasher, as well as paper towels.  And plenty of cabinet space!   

Temps should be back in the 80's tomorrow.  Plan to buy the Smuggs pass, and enjoy the pools/activities.  DH and son are getting up early to golf at a local course.

Deb


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## tschwa2 (Aug 6, 2012)

The front ground floor may have had no stairs but we were on the backside/basement ground floor and we had stairs too. We were in Sycamore 46.  We were on the ground floor in the back (which was nice because we had picnic table and a grill right outside our back door) but we had to either go straight in then down about 10 steps and then down a hall and up 5 steps or go into a different door and go up 5 steps to get into the building and then down about 10 steps.  

The only problem we had with the cooling is my husband likes to close the bedroom door and relax away from the living room tv.  Also at night (most nights were cool enough with windows) but 2 were not and it was difficult to regulate the bedrooms so they didn't get too cool even on low cool setting or too warm if you adjusted it too much toward warmer.  

The halls also had a very odd musty odor but this may have been because we were on the basement/ground floor side.

I also hated the European eco friendly washer/dryers.  Every time I tried to open the doors I would start the cycle over by accident.  I had to put my husband in charge because I had so much trouble opening and shutting the units and getting them to lock.  We also brought liquid detergent with us and the units said powder only so we had to buy more at the store. 


I talked to an owner at Sycamore's during a wike and she said that everytime she traded back into Smuggs using her off week she was always put in Sycamores or the other West Hill units but this summer, now that Wyndham is controlling the inventory she was given a unit in the main Village and although she still had pool privileged at the West Hill community Center it was not as convenient for her family.


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## senorak (Aug 6, 2012)

Haven't done wash yet.....but I also brought liquid detergent.  After reading your post, I checked for our washer for info, but didn't see anything re:  only using powder detergent.  I noticed there is one single sized powder detergent on the washer/dryer.  Will check w/ guest services tomorrow.  

Hallways in the building are very hot/steamy....and do have that "musty smell".


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## WinniWoman (Aug 7, 2012)

senorak said:


> I really like the West Hill pool....not crowded at all.  There is also a nice weight/workout room and game room, (ping pong, pool table, pinball machines), in the clubhouse by the West Hill pool.  Admittance is by the room card.  Everything in this area looks relatively new.  And much less crowded than some of the other areas.
> 
> Diane---unit 28 is actually on the ground (1st) floor, so you won't have to deal with the stairs!  29 and above are upstairs in our building.  There are a few units downstairs, as well....so I guess technically, there are 3 levels to this building.
> 
> ...



For Stowe restaurants, try "The Whip" (at the Green Mountain Inn) or "Harrisons" . Make reservations- especially for Harrisons, which is tiny. They can fill up fast-very popular -and if the theater guild show is on this week (usually Wed-Sat) they are popular for before the show. Gracies isn't bad, but not as good as it used to be in my opinion. Haven't been to it in a while. LaTrattoria was good when we went a few years ago, but we always seem to go back to The Whip or Harrisons. If you like Mexican, Frieda's is popular as well. Stowe has some great restaurants. Enjoy Three Mountain Lodge. Nice atmosphere and the food is good. On Fridays, they usually have a musician..

Stop into the Stowe Mercantile Exchange for a great country store experience. (next to the Green Mountain Inn). Good food samples in there as well. Everything Vermont....

Tracey- after all these years, I still have problems opening and closing the washing machine doors! Ha! Annoying! There's a "trick" to it. You have to push and hold the bottom half of the button for a second or two and it will sound like it's coming on and then you let go and the door will open. There's a 
knack" to it you could say.........You do have to use powder detergent, although I wonder if you put the liquid directly on the clothes, instead of in the dispenser, if that would be ok? Don't know...

That's interesting about the Sycamores owner-I notice a lot of exchangers are always placed in Sycamores, yet here is an owner who is put in another building. Then again, I was speaking to a "weeks" Sycamores owner and she said the last couple of years she has waited until the last minute to exchange back in and has always gotten a bigger/better unit in Sycamores than the one she has (which is a one bedroom and is on the ground floor with noisy people upstairs). Prior to this, she has always had a hard time getting back in, even though she tried way ahead of time (and this was before the Wyndham deal and before the new RCI TPU weeks thing)

Yes, the hallways are always hot like that. Again, I think these buildings are pretty airtight because of the winters.

The buildings have 3 levels- a ground floor(requiring stairs down), a main floor (no stairs) and the top floor (stairs up). The ground floors, as Tracey mentioned, face back and have easy access to the picnic tables and grills. The Main floor/top floor units face front or back.


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## Luvstotravel (Aug 7, 2012)

I second Frieda's for Mexican food!  And the malt shop on Depot St. is nice too.


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## senorak (Aug 8, 2012)

Well, it's Wednesday night....and we still didn't buy the Smuggs Pass.  Really couldn't justify the cost, when the kids have been using our community pool & game room in West Hills.  They've also played pick up basketball and volleyball, and no pass was needed for those activities.  

We spent some time yesterday in Stowe, roaming the shops.  The general store had a nice selection of free samples, and we loaded up on goodies to bring back to the condo.  Dinner at Piecasso----pizza was very good, as was the service.  Hiked the "Brewster Gorge" area this morning, (a short drive from the resort, close to Jeffersonville).  It was a fairly easy hike, starting near a covered bridge.  Small waterfalls and swimming holes along the trail.  Dinner tonight at Three Mountain Lodge, (total bill for the 5 of us was under $100 w/ tip.....but I did have the $25 GC from restaurant.com).  Wednesday night is half price wine night.     I had crab cake appetizer, (3 small cakes---as my main meal), and shared daughter's seafood alfredo.  Other dinners included fish & chips, wings, and a BBQ platter, (brisket, chicken & ribs).  3 of us ordered dessert, as well.  Food was very good, although service was on the slow side, (according to my kids....who are used to "eat & run".)

I'm taking my daughter on a road trip tomorrow to tour Dartmouth, (about an hour and half away from the resort, according to mapquest).  Plan to do some more hiking on Friday, and return to Stowe for more exploring.

Deb


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## WinniWoman (Aug 9, 2012)

senorak said:


> Well, it's Wednesday night....and we still didn't buy the Smuggs Pass.  Really couldn't justify the cost, when the kids have been using our community pool & game room in West Hills.  They've also played pick up basketball and volleyball, and no pass was needed for those activities.
> 
> We spent some time yesterday in Stowe, roaming the shops.  The general store had a nice selection of free samples, and we loaded up on goodies to bring back to the condo.  Dinner at Piecasso----pizza was very good, as was the service.  Hiked the "Brewster Gorge" area this morning, (a short drive from the resort, close to Jeffersonville).  It was a fairly easy hike, starting near a covered bridge.  Small waterfalls and swimming holes along the trail.  Dinner tonight at Three Mountain Lodge, (total bill for the 5 of us was under $100 w/ tip.....but I did have the $25 GC from restaurant.com).  Wednesday night is half price wine night.     I had crab cake appetizer, (3 small cakes---as my main meal), and shared daughter's seafood alfredo.  Other dinners included fish & chips, wings, and a BBQ platter, (brisket, chicken & ribs).  3 of us ordered dessert, as well.  Food was very good, although service was on the slow side, (according to my kids....who are used to "eat & run".)
> 
> ...



That's what I thought-I really didn't think you would be needing the pass, considering your kids ages, etc. Glad you saved some money!

Three Mountain Lodge has always had slow service, but, believe it or not, it has actually gotten better! But, a nice and convenient place for dinner. Piecasso has good pizza, as does Pie in the Sky. I just don't like Piecasso's new building because the sound "echos" inside and feels a bit "cold" to me, but, hey, it's a pizza joint! They have one several awards for their pies.

We did the college tour thing with our son several years ago while up at Smugss, except he toured Plymouth State University in New Hampshire (not far from Dartmouth, but no where near as prestigious!). Yes, it is about 1.5-2 hours away. Our son ended up going to school there and now actually lives there and visits us when we are at Smuggs. Good luck with it! Hanover is a beautiful area. Very "New England".


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## senorak (Aug 10, 2012)

Been raining off and on the last few days, but still managed to get some hiking done.  Went to two different waterfall areas today:  Bingham Falls, (on 108 through the Notch), and Moss Glen Falls (off 100 in Stowe).  Moss Glen was the higher of the two falls.  Easy trail leading to the viewing area, but if you want to climb to the upper part, it is more difficult.  The trails were slippery due to recent rain.  I consider myself totally out of shape, but still managed to climb and get a gorgeous view from the upper trail.  Got a bit nervous as my kids walked right to the edge of the cliff overlooking the falls.  Best viewing is actually from below the falls.  Kids hopped from stone to stone and again, climbed clear up the other side while I stayed safely down on the riverbank.  Bingham Falls was my favorite---located in a "grotto like" setting.  Again, easy trail walking to the falls, but steep stone steps leading down below the falls, (best viewing area).  Several swimming holes along this route.  Some daring local teens were jumping off from the top of the falls into the water below.  Huffed and puffed on the hike back UP from the lower falls, (definitely feeling my middle age), while the kids one again climbed up, down and over the falls.  Most common quote today?  "Get back from the edge"

Lunch stop at "Pie in the Sky" pizzeria in Stowe.  Lunch buffet had at least 4 or 5 varieties of pizza, (regular, pepperoni, BBQ chicken, veggie and 4 cheese), caesar salad and ministrone soup.  Another good meal in Stowe.  

Heavy rain yesterday while driving to/from Dartmouth.  Lovely little college town, and the campus is picturesque.  Easy drive once we hit rt. 89.  There is a huge antique car show in Stowe this weekend, (beginning today), but looks like the rainy weather will put a damper on things.

We've enjoyed our first trip to the Smuggs/Stowe area.  Did more touring of the area; rather than using the ammenities at the resort.  Would love to come back.....and perhaps stay on the Stowe side of the Notch.

Deb


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## WinniWoman (Aug 10, 2012)

Trapp Family Lodge on the Stowe side is a really nice place to stay. Perhaps if you ever come back again, you might want to hit Burlington/Shelburne/Charlotte on Lake Champlain. So much to do there. Besides going through that area on our way up, we go there at least once during the week every time we are at Smuggs. The Lake Champlain Islands are wonderful, also. There is definitely a lot to explore in Northern Vt. We like the Northeast Kingdom as well.

Glad you enjoyed your stay at Smuggs.


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## AYJ (Aug 12, 2012)

*how can i buy a smuggs pass*

Does anyone know how I can buy a smuggs pass? we are at the resort this week and were not aware in advance of the need for it before we got here. Any help or direction greatly appreciated. I'd love to take the kids to all the pools etc. If you think I should not pay for the pass, feel free to send activity suggestions (kids are 6, 4, 1)
thanks!


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## Luvstotravel (Aug 12, 2012)

AYJ said:


> Does anyone know how I can buy a smuggs pass? we are at the resort this week and were not aware in advance of the need for it before we got here. Any help or direction greatly appreciated. I'd love to take the kids to all the pools etc. If you think I should not pay for the pass, feel free to send activity suggestions (kids are 6, 4, 1)
> thanks!



I'd call down to the front desk, or guest services, tomorrow morning.  

I'm not sure if the 4-year or the 1-year old may get much out of it!


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## AYJ (Aug 12, 2012)

Unfortunately they wont sell me one since I am renting directly from the owner.


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## tschwa2 (Aug 13, 2012)

If you are renting from a deeded weeks' owner at Smuggs you should be able to purchase the pass.  If you are renting from a Wyndham points owner, you should be able to purchase the pass if you qualify and agree to go on the tour/update.  Hopefully if enough people complain they might reverse the policy and start let Wyndham non owner guests purchase passes.


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## WinniWoman (Aug 13, 2012)

AYJ said:


> Unfortunately they wont sell me one since I am renting directly from the owner.



Uh, Oh! Not this issue again! There is a whole discussion about this on the Wyndham forum on TUG. I suggest you go down to owner services right away to see if you can get this worked out and buy the pass. The owner you rented from should have disclosed this all in the rental agreement. 

The passes are mainly for the pools and camps and a few other activities. The 6 year old would probably benefit most; maybe the 4 year old, but the 1 year old definitely doesn't need it. It's tough with children that small, however, if you adults also want a vacation this week! When our son was very little, it was great to have him go to the camps, even for a few days/hours, and give us a break. And the different pools kept him occupied. 

What building are you staying in? If you are in Tamaracks in North Hill, the aquatic center there should be enough of a pool experience for kids of their age. Has all kinds of sprinklers, a slide, etc. Is indoor/outdoor. And- the hot-tubs and exercise facilities are right there as well.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.


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