Grand Hotels
Mount Washington Hotel | Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa | Balsams Resort
Mount Washington Hotel
Our Great North Woods are blessed with three of the state's four remaining "Grand" hotels. In the southern reach of the region can be found the all-season, Mount Washington Hotel with its all inclusive destination resort featuring alpine and Nordic skiing, 27-holes of golf, tennis, hiking, swimming, fishing, horseback riding and more along with the Cog Railway, town home development, and scenic views of the western flank of the Presidential Range.
The "Mount Wash" as locals know it was built at the turn of the century and over the years additional properties have been combined to create the National Historic landmark with its four-diamond main dining room.
Distinctive red roofs cap the Spanish Renaissance architecture of the sprawling white structure with its half-mile of strollable, covered veranda affording breathtaking views of the mountains, Crawford Notch and the extensive grounds.
The hotel and associated lodging facilities can easily accommodate large conferences and events and it was here that the world set the Gold Standard in 1945 at the Bretton Woods Monetary Conference. Seventy rentable condo units provide added flexibility for planning conference or vacations anytime of the year.
Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa
Just a short distance north is the recently renovated Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa in Whitefield. Ringed by mountains including the Presidential and Franconia Ranges as well as the Pliny and Kilkenney's to the north, the Mountain View surely lives up to its name. This year-round gem sits atop a ridge offering it spectacular scenery at every turn. Begun during the Civil War to accommodate travelers, the Mountain View's distinctive canary yellow, clapboard siding in Colonial Revival style reminds of us of simpler times.
Its 200 room have been reconfigured into 145 rooms and suites during a $20 million renovation completed in 2002 by new owner Kevin Craffey. The young developer bought the 400-acre property in 1998 then raised the funds necessary for the modernization and transformation into a year-round destination with updated conveniences of a state-of-the-art hotel.
Conference space tallies 20,000 square feet of flexible meeting room.
The Mountain View offers a sporty and well-kept nine-hole golf course deisgned by Dartmouth math professor Ralph Barton , Nordic ski and bridle trails and a complete spa as well as outdoor and indoor pools and fitness center.
Mountain View has become a favorite wedding site with several venues available for an unforgettable event.
Balsams Resort
To the north is the famed Balsams Resort in
Dixville Notch -- one of the most celebrated hostelries in the North East and a
National Historic Site.
This gem situated on 15,000 acres of land and dates back to a time just after the Civil War when a 25-room guest house was operated by George Parsons. The property initially was owned by Timothy Dix who bequeathed the property in 1812 following his death in the war, to his law partner, Daniel Webster . In those days the homestead took in travelers traversing what was known as the Coos Trail (probably Route 26 of today) which traverses the lands between Montreal and Portland and the coast.
Its Panorama Course (always one of the top-rated resort courses in the country) as well as its own alpine ski resort, extensive Nordic, hiking/walking and horse trails on property and proximity to one of the state's premier "Wildlife Watching" areas a short distance away on Route 26 make this a relaxing getaway from the pressurized business world and urban settings.
Perhaps nothing brings more accolades to the hotel than its dining and guest service two key elements in the facility boasting an 86% return rate among its guests. Locally the hotel is noted for its culinary apprenticeship program.
Is original Dixville House carries a traditional Victorian clapboard exterior while the "new" Hampshire wing was built in 1917 in the Rhenish Style of architecture.
Probably nothing brings more spotlight on the hotel than it and its townspeoples' participation in the "First in the Nation, Presidential Primary". The two-dozen or so registered voters are the first to cast their ballots at the stroke of midnight and, since 1968, have correctly predicted the eventual Republican Presidential nominee.
Current management dates back to 1971 continuing a tradition of long-serving operators of the 400-guest establishment. The Balsams 19 meeting rooms can handle groups as small as 10 or as large as 400 during normal convention and function gatherings in the months of May and June and September and October.
The Balsams is ideally located to benefit from clientele from the entire eastern seaboard and Canada as it is 220 miles from Boston, 150 miles to Montreal and 120 miles to Portland, Maine and 160 miles to the busy Manchester Airport.
