We stayed at this hotel for a bluegrass festival held there in chilly January. It's not exceptionally fancy but the rooms are quite clean and comfortable--but what makes the place stand out was the friendliness and accommodation of the employees there,and the fact that the food in the restaurant was not the usual just-getting-by fare. Maybe this is unfair to say, but for a place that I think caters mainly to the snowmobile crowd in the winter, this is certainly beyond the pale. The salad bar is fresh and varied, the coffee quite decent, and the dishes innovative. I had the Chicken Aroostook, grilled chicken breast stuffed with just the right amount of spinach cream sauce and coated with a potato crust, set in a roasted red pepper sauce. This combination really worked with the chicken. Whoever the chef is, he or she is quite confident. Another night I sampled the Haddock Napoleano, which was a nice piece of haddock in a light stewed tomato topping. I'm pretty picky about food and presentation and this was very good, I thought. The rest of my party felt the same.The complimentary bread was fresh-baked with a nice chewy crust, not the usual mediocre rolls found at many hotel restaurants. The always-friendly waitstaff was tirelessly accommodating--to the point of bringing me a glass of wine from the by-the-bottle list because I wanted something not on the by-the-glass list. Top this off with the ultra personable and creative bartender who has invented a few innovative drinks and who keeps the fresh popcorn coming in the lounge and who also permitted me some small samples of some of the new Southern Comfort liquors out there (not my cup of tea ultimately, but kept me from ordering an entire drink that I would not have cared for), and this place is a find! I'd probably go out of my way to eat at the restaurant even if I were not staying there.
Although I did not make use of the pool because I had not brought a bathing suit, it's a nice addition--with even a lap-swimming lane!--and I wish I had had the occasion to make use of it.
