Pat asked me for certain info about the area. Not sure if this is helpful to anyone looking into going to Sussex County, NJ or the Hudson Valley region of NY:
Pat:
I’m going to try to reply to your questions below:
Golf:
I don’t think you’ll need to go far from McAfee/Vernon to go golfing.
This link is to the golf courses on the complex:
http://www.crystalgolfresort.com/golf/
This link is to courses in the area:
http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses/city.aspx?dest=Vernon+nj
Tourist information:
Minerals Resort is located in northwest New Jersey. It is very close to Orange County, New York. In fact, you can hike the Appalachian Trail very close to the state line. We really like the Warwick area, which is in Orange County. In particular, we think the Village of Warwick is a nice place to visit and the restaurants in that area are worth going to.
I would check out these websites:
http://www.warwickcc.org/
http://www.vernonchamber.com/
http://www.visithudsonvalley.com/
Depending on when you will be there, there are outdoor activities in Warwick, including Greenwood Lake, which is a pretty area in the Town of Warwick. I suggest you see whether there are any outdoor concerts are fireworks displays scheduled for when you are there. Since you are going in October there probably won’t be any outdoor activities.
Farmer’s market:
I believe that Warwick will have a farmers market when you are there in October.
Here is the website.
https://www.facebook.com/warwickvalleyfarmersmarket
But keep in mind that you are in the middle of a lot of farms. A lot of those farms have stands that sell fruit and vegetables that were just picked. Depending on the time of the year, some allow you to pick the fruits. Not sure what is available in October, but I think you can still pick apples and obviously pumpkins. The farmer’s markets by us sell cheese, meet and wine from the Hudson Valley region.
As for grocery stores selling organic food, I’m not sure whether the A&P does. There is a Shoprite in Warwick that might, and a lot of big stores on Route 23, but you should call them before you get here to discuss..
I suggest you check out this website:
http://www.valleytable.com/
It is a food magazine. You might want to contact them by phone or email a month before you arrive and ask them out stores in the Warwick area that sell organic food.
West Point:
West point is probably the best known tourist location in this area:
http://www.usma.edu/visiting/SitePages/Home.aspx
If you like concerts or shows, check out the schedule at West Point.
Discount outlet near Monroe:
You are referring to Woodbury Common, which is in Central Valley. This is an easy trip for you.
Here is the link:
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=7
There are extra benefits for AAA members.
I really don’t like to shop , but I can tell you my wife was very happy because recently she found a wedding dress she really likes at a very good price. I think that instead of going there and just wandering around, it is best to look at the website before you go.
Other shopping areas:
Other than Woodbury Commons, the best known shopping areas are the Palisades Center and the Shops at Nanuet:
http://www.palisadescenter.com/
http://www.simon.com/mall/the-shops-at-nanuet
Those are close together. This is about an hour drive from Minerals.
Transportation and Visit to NYC:
This link gives you the public transportation options to get to NYC.
Can’t comment on them because we don’t use them.
http://www.crystalgolfresort.com/images/pdf/PublictransportationInfo.pdf
The drive to NYC is not terrible. Driving in Boston is much harder than driving in New York. Your drive from Minerals Resort to midtown should be between 1 ¼ hours and 1 ½ hours each way.
You would like to avoid driving in New York City between 8 and 9:00 am and 4:30 and 6:30 pm.
If you think you might be intimidated by driving in NYC, I suggest look for parking as soon as you get into Manhattan. Driving into NYC is usually not that bad. The bigger headache is driving in Manhattan.
If you drive, assume that you are going to pay for parking. We usually print parking coupons from this website:
http://www.iconparkingsystems.com/coupons/
If you want to see a Broadway show and are flexible as to which show to see, check out the half-price ticket booth at Broadway and 47th Street
http://www.tdf.org/TDF_ServicePage.aspx?id=56
You might want to see a matinee, so you don’t have to drive back very late at night.
Depending on the show, matinees are often on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
The half price booth in Times Square opens at 10 am.
You could get tickets, visit someplace before the show, and then go someplace after the show. That also gives you the opportunity to eat at a Mexican restaurant in NYC, which will be much better than anything you find in McAfee.
If there is a particular show you want to see, there are several discount websites available.
Restaurants
This link shows the restaurants that are part of the Mineral Springs/Crystal Springs complex:
http://www.crystalgolfresort.com/content/Category.aspx?SID=10&CID=88
We find Restaurant Latour to be very good but not cheap.
I am underwhelmed by Kites, which is at Mineral Springs.
As I said above, we prefer eating in the Warwick area.
But we like to go to Granny’s Pancake on Route 23 and Milano’s on Route 94 in Hamburg.
Milano’s doesn’t have a liquor license but allows you to BYOB
You asked about organic food. We’ve eaten at the Grange, in Warwick, which serves organic food.
http://warwickinfo.net/thegrange/index.html
I know you asked about Mexican restaurants. Here is a link from Yelp about Mexican food in the area:
http://tinyurl.com/kcykux9
Layout of complex.
When you check in, you will get a map showing where your unit is. I don’t have one to send you. I suggest you go on maps.google.com and ask them to locate “Kites Restaurant, 2 Chamonix Drive, Vernon, NJ 07462”. Kites is the building where the front desk and fitness center/spa is located. You can see the outdoor pool s in the photo. If you zoom in and go up the mountain (which means you are moving away from Route 94), you can see how the condos are laid out. I have seen black bears from the units. If you hike in the area, especially by the mountain lake which is part of the complex, it is not unusual to see them.
You will drive down from the unit to get to the Spa/Fitness Center. Will only take a few minutes to drive down the mountain.
Interval Directory photos:
I think the tenth photo, which concerns you the most, is of what you describe as the “basement rec room”. I think your unit will have two levels. The lower level has an extra bedroom and living room, which is great when you travel with kids or another family. I think the photo is of that lower living room, and there is no overhead lighting in that room. That’s probably why it’s dark. Even though Interval called it a basement, it is not underground. Because the units are billed on a mountain, that level should have a sliding glass door that leads directly outdoors.
October weather
I’m not sure when in October you will be visiting.
Indian summer in this area can be magnificent. Sometimes you we go swimming in the lakes in the Hudson Valley region during Indian summer. I’m not sure that the outdoor pool will be open in October, but there is a heated outdoor pool that is attached to the spa that is open all year round. We like to use it in the winter after we’ve skied, so you really should plan on taking advantage of it. It should be really nice in October because not that many people should be there. Another advantage of going in October is the change in foliage, but that since you are from Maine, that’s probably not too important to you. It seems that lately we’ve had bad weather, including snow, around Halloween (that’s when Hurricane Sandy hit) but if it snows, it only lasts for a day or two.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I’m going to post this answer on line because it doesn’t have any personal information about you and perhaps it will be helpful to someone else.
