Basin Harbor Club

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  Find your quintissential American, summer-camp, teenage-forbidden-love, help falls for the rich-girl movie (insert name here), take it and put it on the lake in VT and you have the Basin Harbor Club.  It's a step into a different world where rich folk fly the family up from New York for a month in a cabin on the lake.  Complete with golf, croquet, tennis and tuxedo-ed wait staff from Eastern Europe serving you in the well-appointed main dining room.  Men aged 12 and over are "strongly recommended" to wear jackets during dinner in the dining room in the summer.
  
  There is an Adirondack chair every six feet, you can barely walk around the grounds without tripping over one.
  
  The wife and I had a great time getting away for a night, and the location is really nice.  Sunset to the west over the lake is worth sitting through (with a drink in your hand).  
  
  If you can get a good room-meal deal it's a better value.  The food was good but two of our three meals were buffet-style which leaves you feeling like you over-paid for what is basically a fancy buffet.  
  
  Also, if you can rent them, the cabins (particularly the ones perched over the lake) seem to be the way to go.  The rooms in the main lodge were tasteful and nice but rather small.  To be expected at a place with pictures of the 1928 Fourth of July gathering hung in the lobby.

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  Posted on 07.15.12 Jon M.

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  Beautiful location, needs help in the finer points of a resort
  
  Basin Harbor has a wonderful location and a unique, camp-like feel resort. It offers typical activities -- tennis, golf, sailing, paddle boating, swimming, bicycling. However, for the price, it doesn't have the extra attentiveness or concern for guest happiness that a place like this should. First off, no lifeguard?!?!? No main maitre de at the dinner and instead, the entire dining staff is managed by a group of East Europeans who have just landed in this country. One gets the feeing that the owners are cutting corners of expenses at every turn. Upon our departure, we had to spend 15 minutes contesting the bill as we had been charged for things we didn't do. I understand getting wrong expenses, but should it really take 15 minutes to figure out?

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  Posted on 07.10.12 Johanna V.

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  3 stars only because of the gorgeous view.
  
  The staff was extremely polite.
  
  Rooms? Not a fan at ALL. It legit felt like a trailer park.
  
  I tried to go out at night at it honestly felt like a creepy ass ghost-town. I also had to WHISPER at like 11 pm on the streets because my voice would echo too loud and it scared me.
  
  If you do go, ask the lady at the front desk for "things to do"...she'll hand you a 2 page printout and act is she gave you the winning lotto #'s. One of the things one that printout was...do laundry (should give you an idea of what's up.....yaaaaaaaawn).
  
  I did learn from a local that naked bicycyling is allowed which gave me that ever so warm and cozy feeling...you know, like when you fall in love.

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  Posted on 10.24.11 Tommy T.

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  I stayed here for a professional retreat. What a treat. Beautiful, clean lodgings, no TV, and gracious, vegan-friendly meals, and attentive, expert staff.  The beds were extremely comfortable -- mattresses with plenty of give.  (Too-firm mattresses is a painful truth I've found at too many inns and hotels.)
  
  What prevented me from giving 5 stars:
  
  1. The central AC wouldn't stay cool enough for me to sleep comfortably.  I'd turn down the temperature, press On, and it would go on for only a few minutes.  Yes, I should have called the desk. But I was there only two nights, and was so busy on my retreat I didn't think of it until late at night.
  
  2. The unmarked roads on the property and utter lack of lighting in the dark made it challenging to return to my lodgings.  There was always a friendly staff member to help, but couldn't we just have some lights and signs?

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  Posted on 09.28.11 Sheryl R.

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  We recently purchased an overnight trip from <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FLivingSocial.com&s=8329b26807d325b958a287377d89ae67ec2fd4741c3aed3b2485df7c33ae8a1a" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://LivingSocial.com</a> and were absolutely astounded by the value and quality of experience. We arrived with 3 dogs in tow because the property is blissfully dog friendly. There was a blip in our reservation process because it didn't register that we were bringing dogs, and we were booked in a dog free building.
  
  Now, mistakes happen, of course but, in the customer service business, mistake resolution can make or break your stay. At Basin Harbor, we were immediately ungraded to a lovely cottage which was dog friendly at no extra cost. Our cottage was situated on a quiet side of Lake Champlaign with a spectacular view and a pair of Adirondack chairs for our private use. The cottage was charming with many amenities and we easily got over the shock that we had no cell service or TV.
  
  In fact, we found the place to be completely magical. We had dinner in the Main Dining Room which presented one of the best meals we have had in recent memory. The atmosphere suggested Old World elegance circa 1940, with Frank Sinatra alternating with Swing Music over the sound system. It felt wonderful to dress for dinner, and the service and food were exemplary.
  
  I loved the Main Dining Room so much that we had breakfast there in the morning. Even though I hate buffets, this buffet boasted some of the best breakfast fare I have ever had! Everything was fresh and all the jams were homemade. Flawless omelets were prepared to our special order.
  
  We checked out at 11 am, and found that we were able to take our dogs everywhere, so we stayed the full day and rented a power boat to cruise Lake Champlain. After we took the complimentary cruise on the Escape, we had our bearings and felt confident enough to explore on our own. We had a fantastic time and can't wait to return for a longer stay.

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  Posted on 08.11.11 Irma L.

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  My wife and I purchased a voucher for a one-night stay at the Basin Harbor Club from LivingSocial.  This stay included breakfast, dinner, and a guided boat tour around Lake Champlain.
  
  Short Version:
  
  Basin Harbor Club?  Beautiful property, great food, and wonderful staff.  Their typical customer?  The kind of people that masquerade as classy, but in reality they are self-important and rude.
  
  Long Version:
  
  We arrived on 7/27/2011 at approximately 1:00 PM.  I knew that check-in was not until 4:00 PM, but the individual I made my reservation with suggested that if we were staying for one night to show up early and do the boat tour at 2:30 PM.  
  
  Amazingly, I checked with the desk and the room was ready early.  After receiving the keys and being provided with a brief (but very informative) overview of the property, we approached the concierge desk.
  
  This is where we began to experience the patrons of the Basin Harbor Club.  Two women were standing directly in front of the concierge desk, neither of which were talking to her, and holding a conversation about how one of their daughters plays piano.  They both noticed my wife and I standing there waiting to speak to the concierge, and instead of moving aside - they continued their conversation for several more minutes.  
  
  After one of the women departed, it turned out one of them did indeed need to speak to the concierge.  After several more minutes, the woman was finally finished and out of our way.  The concierge immediately apologized and thanked us for our patience.  She only took a moment to help us sign up for the boat tour.
  
  We checked into our room afterward, which was unexpectedly small, but it was very clean and comfortable.  We relaxed in the room for a bit and then headed to the boat tour.
  
  Definitely take the boat tour if you stay at this establishment.  The captain of the boat, The EScape, has a vast array of knowledge pertaining to Lake Champlain, the surrounding area, and the revolutionary war.  It was a highlight for our trip.
  
  After returning from the boat tour, we went to a small ice cream shop on the property and returned to our room until dinner.  For dinner, we were given a choice between the main dining room (jacket and shirt required) or the Red Mill (more of a tavern atmosphere).  We chose the Red Mill.  We don't mind dressing up, but we were relaxing on vacation so it seemed like a logical choice.
  
  At the Red Mill, we were seated immediately even though we were a half an hour early for our 6:30 PM reservation.  Our service and food at this restaurant were both excellent.  To the credit of the Basin Harbor Club, our dinner that was included with the voucher included an appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert for each of us.  
  
  As far as the Red Mill, it was a great restaurant, but I felt it was a place built solely for the Basin Harbor Club patrons to be able to feel like they've ever been to a real bar.  "Oh yes, chaps, let's head to the Red Mill bar and sip a few ales, yes?"  "Oh yes, I dare say we can even slam our mug on the table like we're at a real bar."
  
  After that, we watched the sunset and went and drank some wine in our room and relaxed.  The sunset was beautiful to watch from the harbor as you watch it set over the Adirondacks.  
  
  In the morning, we were attempting to check out, but had to wait for a few of the other rude guests to dispute $12 charges on their bill for their daughter's jewelry classes or other items like that.  We felt bad for the staff for having to deal with these people.  Just as the last female guest walked away and we were mid-conversation with the staff person at the desk, that same female guest came back and felt it would be appropriate to interrupt us so she could dispute another $12 charge she noticed.
  
  I don't think I would stay here again, sadly.  I feel like the guests here make me terribly uncomfortable and treat the staff as if they were rodents on a regular basis.

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  Posted on 08.03.11 Brendan T.

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  Basin harbor is heaven on earth for me and my family! I have been there every single year of my life for a two week summer vacation.
  
  All the rooms are beautiful, many of them with a lake view. The grounds are very well maintained- there are so many beautiful gardens. There is a new fitness center, great day camp programs for kids, the lake, the pool, the tennis courts, the golf course. The food is amazing!!! And after dinner you can head over to the red mill for drinks an dancing.
  
  The service is so attentive and accommodating. It is all about the guest at BHC. Just call the front desk and they will have the answer or get it for you.
  
  BHC has been home to so many of my family's greatest memories. I would recommend it to anyone- newlyweds, families, older couples, young kids, older kids. There is really something for everyone!

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  Posted on 04.18.11 Max J.

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  We vacation here every year. Great family atmosphere. Jeremy the nature guide is the best. Eat at black sheep in vergennes if you go.

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  Posted on 11.20.09 Jojo's Family R.

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  This restaurant is a key part of the entire Basin Harbor Club which is a full service historic resort with a golf course, tennis and it's own marina. A unique feature is the runway on resort property that allows visitors to fly their own plane in. It is also the site of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
  
  The resort is very expensive, costing several hundred dollars a day per person. It sits on it's own scenic portion of the southeast shore of Lake Champlain and is about an hour south of Burlington.
  
  Restaurant Review:
  
  The restaurant sits above Basin Harbor with panoramic views of the harbor and lake Champlain. Truly an exceptionally scenic setting for dinner (the only meal available in their main dining room). In a pretentious attempt to be old fashioned and introduce civilization into the woods, they require men to wear a coat and tie for dinner.
  
  This beautiful and elegant setting is home to the absolute worst upscale restaurant I have ever eaten at. This poor rating is not attributable to a single bad experience but is the result of one or two visits annually for more than 10 years.
  
  The menu is based on selecting a dinner among a small group of options with a fixed price for the dinner (prices are high, more than $50 but are not printed). They will sometimes bring you your choice of a few very bland rolls before your meal but they don't get around to this close to half the time in my experience. The salad that comes with the meal is served on a plate the size of a small saucer and I have counted at times less than ten small pieces of lettuce being included. Don't plan on filling up on the salad!
  
  The main courses are hopelessly unimaginative and bland and also very small. Side dishes are hardly more interesting than rice or a steamed vegetable.
  
  The resort prides itself on maintaining an international flavor through recruiting staff from a variety of countries. One possible down side to this very good idea is that too frequently the wait staff have trouble communicating and especially with a special order. I have attempted repeatedly over the years to make a special request and not once have they been able to get even the simplest request right (e.g. substitute fries for a baked potato).
  
  The food is really terrible. The service really could hardly be any worse. It is extraordinarily expensive and pretentious. Still, the view from the restaurant is great and part of me still enjoys and looks forward to returning to this setting. I keep hoping that the owners will be able to make some changes that could begin to make a difference in this beautiful and historic setting.

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  Posted on 09.16.09 Robert S.

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  I have been in the process of planning my wedding for NEXT year for the past month. I contacted the Basin Harbor Club and have been in correspondance with Beth, the wedding planner there. She has been well aware of the date I have chosen for weeks. I booked a room there for this weekend to take a tour and make my final decision. This was one of my top choices for wedding destinations. Today I emailed her to confirm our appointment and she emails me back saying that my date is already taken. She doesnt pencil people in unless they specifically request. She didnt even have the decency to tell me the date was booked, and I almost drove all the way up to Vermont without knowing! She was very inconsiderate, never thinking to call or email me that the date I had set my heart on was being talked about or had been taken until I happened to email her confirmation. This was horrible business practice and I would strongly recommend against dealing with her or this club for your wedding or other event. She was highly disorganized, never answered all the questions I asked, and often repeated herself in different emails. It was an awful experience working with her!

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  Posted on 08.10.09 Jamie G.

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