The Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort

Lake Placid's Only "Green" Hotel

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of being guests at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort. This resort hotel has been a fixture in Lake Placid for many years, situated beautifully directly on the lake with all of Lake Placid, its unique atmosphere, and the glorious Adirondack Mountains right outside the door.

Entering the lobby of the Golden Arrow makes you feel a bit like you've been transported to Europe. A beautiful mural depicting a lovely German village is the first thing you see as you open the door. Does that seem a little out of place in an Adirondack resort? It might, until you know the history!

That history became a little clearer as our gracious hostess, Jennifer Holdereid, took us on a tour and showed us all of the unique features of this family-friendly, yet romantic resort hotel. Her family has owned the Golden Arrow since 1974, and it really is a family business, with her father and brother doing much of the beautiful interior wood and stonework. This picture of the lobby highlights some of that craftsmanship. Remember that mural I mentioned? It shows the village where her parents lived in Germany - a true testament to a proud family heritage.

Lake Placid's Only "Green" Hotel

One aspect of the Golden Arrow that I really wanted to learn more about was their claim of being a Green Hotel. I wanted to know exactly "how green" they were and why they were able to make this claim. Ms. Holdereid was more than happy to fill me in - this is something that the whole family is very proud of, and rightly so. She pointed out many areas of sustainability during our tour.

The hotel has been given a rating of "4 Leaves" by the Audubon Society. At this point in time, this is the most stringent rating system available for lodging businesses in that people from the Society actually come to the hotel, critique and make recommendations for improvements. As Jenn described to me the work that was done to get rated at all, I realized that this is no small feat. In fact, they are one of only a dozen properties in the entire continent of North America to have achieved this high rating - and they're looking ahead to 2009 and shooting for the highest rating of all - 5 leaves! The entire family and staff believe strongly in the idea of sustainabillty and protecting these beautiful Adirondack Mountains. I truly appreciate that.

So here is a very small description of just some of the many things the Golden Arrow is doing to be environmentally conscious - these are the details that impressed me the most.

• The Green Roof: This was just finished in June of 2008. An entire 3400 square foot roof on the hotel was turned into an oasis of native plant life, literally covered with flats of lovely greenery. The benefits of this roof will be tremendous. It'll keep the building warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer and work as a storm water management system, helping to trap pollutants before they drain off the roof. Of course, plants give off oxygen, so this will help negate the hotel's carbon footprint. And to top it all off, it's beautiful!
• White Sand Beach: What's so "green" about that, you ask? This isn't just any old white sand. It's crushed limestone, which acts as a base to neutralize the acid rain that spoils our Adirondack lakes. Every spring they bring in tons of it. Their beautiful private beach is totally "green."
• The Green Quiz:This is fun for the guests and gets them involved, too. They're given a quiz and then can go all around the resort looking for the answers. They'll find them in beautiful picture frames made of recycled roof slate, from an artist in Vermont. The frames contain an "environmental fun fact" about the resort. If you can correctly answer all the questions in the quiz, you'll get an earth prize!

What's the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort Like?

Ned and I stayed in room 200 - the Echo Suite. All of the rooms here have private balconies. Since we were on the lakeside, we had a gorgeous view of Mirror Lake and Whiteface Mountain. We just stood there for a while to soak in the view, seen here.

Our suite was very comfortable and had rich features: marbled floors in the entryway, real cedar paneling, and a luxurious pillow-top king-size bed. There's even a pull-out sofa bed if you need more sleeping space. One of the features I especially liked was the oversized whirlpool tub in the main room. You can soak your stresses away and still take in the view. There are pocket doors that separate the whirlpool and sofa area from the sleeping area, so you can have privacy if you'd like.

My husband especially liked the double-headed waterfall shower. I quote: "Make sure you tell them that this was the best shower I've ever had!" I think he took 3 showers in the single night that we spent there! A ringing endorsement, for sure.

Other great aspects of the rooms include a coffeemaker, refrigerator, free wireless internet service and video games. This is where the guests can get in on the green movement as well, using the recycling bags that the hotel provides.

The Golden Arrow has plenty of amenities and activities to help you enjoy your stay even more. The white sand beach lets you enjoy the outdoors, while the heated indoor pool has been totally renovated and features a sauna, steam bath and 2 whirlpool tubs. There's a complementary full-service Health Club available for guests, with treadmills, ellipticals, weights, stationary bikes, and a racquetball court.

Now I don't know about you, but when I go away, dining out is one of the main pleasures I like to indulge in. I love trying new restaurants and new dishes. With that in mind, Ned and I headed over to Charlie's, the Golden Arrow's brand new restaurant. It's right next door, and features a beautiful outdoor deck that overlooks the new Green Roof.

For me, the whole package matters when I go out to eat at a new restaurant. The service, the ambience, and of course the food all help determine how I feel about my experience when it's all said and done. Charlie's did NOT disappoint. We decided to eat on the outdoor terrace since it was such a beautiful night. It was so nice sitting there, watching the people go by, looking at the lake and the village and sipping our cocktails (more on those in a minute!) - we felt quite pampered.

The arrival of our food continued that feeling. From the appetizers through the desserts, everything was prepared with attention to detail and tasted delicious. I'm no restaurant critic - but I know when I've had a truly wonderful meal in a relaxing setting, and that's what we got at Charlie's. In fact, we enjoyed it there so much we had our breakfast there the next morning, too.

Now, about those cocktails I mentioned ; ) I also love to try exotic new drinks when I'm away. True to form, Ned and I decided to try one of the T-bar's specialty drinks before dinner. Many of them have freshly-squeezed fruit juice and different home-made infused vodkas. So, feeling adventurous, Ned went with the "Sage Advice" made with real sage, while I tried the "Back Porch Lemonade" featuring real raspberries, fresh-squeezed lemonade and fruit-infused vodka. We were blown away. Ned loved his drink, saying how it was something totally different than anything he'd had before. As for me, I can honestly say that my "lemonade" was the best drink I've ever had. In fact, we plan on taking several motorcycle rides to Placid this summer for the express purpose of sitting on the terrace at Charlie's and having one of those drinks!

Our experience at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort was everything you'd expect at a mountain resort village. From the friendly, helpful staff, to the well-appointed and comfortable room, to the glorious lakeside location, to a gourmet dining experience, it was definitely an experience that we plan on repeating as often as we can. To quote a famous Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "We'll be back!"

If you'd like to experience this warmth and hospitality for yourself the next time you're in Lake Placid, go directly to the Golden Arrow's website. And make sure to tell them that Debbie from Lake Placid Area Guide sent you!

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