Who ever said you can't
go home again has never visited Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa in
Lake Placid. Having had such a wonderful experience on our first
visit in April, my sister Linda and I decided to return. This
time we drove from our homes on Long Island instead of taking
the Amtrak train, so we could go antiquing on our way home. It
was a six hour trip — same as the train ride — and once
we passed the city traffic, it was clear sailing.
Chatting the way we
do together, we soon were in Keene, New York where we stopped
to have lunch at Monty's Elm Tree Inn, owned by Ron Purdy —
just a coincidence that we had the same last name although we
discussed genealogy and thought the families may have been connected
many years back. The sandwiches here were Carnegie Deli thick
and delicious without the New York City prices.
We finally reached
Lake Placid, the Lake Woebegone of New York State, where all the
shops are quaint, all the people friendly, and all the sports
of the outdoors type. Soon our car was turning into the drive
by the white sign signaling that once again we had arrived at
the Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa.
This visit we stayed
in the Mountain View wing, renovated in 1998 and with a lovely
view of the lake as well as the mountains. On our last visit we
managed to get ourselves lost in the rabbit's warren maze of rooms
and floors. Now, we were smug old pros, until we found ourselves
inserting our room card in the wrong room. Okay, time to figure
out just where we were located.
After unpacking, we
headed to the spa where Irv Dunham was scheduled to give us a
massage. I don't know if you recall reading about Irv in
my last column about the Mirror Lake Resort & Spa, but he
is an amazing massage therapist. Once a wrestler, he looks like
Mr. Clean with his shaven head and big shoulders but his massages
are deep tissue yet gentle, getting out all the kinks in my "mouse
arm" and "computer neck." Linda and I had scheduled two days of
massages with Irv and they certainly worked their magic on our
sore muscles. I told Linda I had so much mobility in my neck,
I felt like Linda Blair.
I also experienced
a wonderful facial with Marybeth Whitman who told me I had great
skin but a few broken capillaries. Well, I am a woman of a certain
age, and age does leave some residue, in this case some tiny red
life tracks on each side of my nose. Marybeth also gave me a Hydra
Quench Body Glow. Wow! I was exfoliated from neck to toes, then
a slick remineralizing liquid mask was applied to my body, coating
it like a clear egg wash. I was then wrapped in a watertight cocoon
and submerged into a warm bath where I seemed to float for fifteen
minutes. I was sooo relaxed. When this was over, I took
a warm shower, standing in a jet stream that seemed to have more
shower heads than the White House lawn's sprinkler system. Then
a rich cream was applied to my willing and waiting skin, again
from neck to toes, leaving me feeling like one of those rocks
placed in a tumbler that comes out looking all shinny and new.
If I didn't look 15 years younger, I sure felt it.
Linda and I stopped
to see the very capable Janis at the Activities Desk. We wanted
some morning fun and she suggested a Lake Placid Boat Tour that
left at 10:30 a.m. from the Lake Placid Marina just a five minute
walk from the resort. Another reason we love this resort is that
it seems to be a five minute walk to most places, including town.
The ride was terrific, with a young man jokingly called "Crash"
at the helm and Jason at the mike giving a running commentary
about Lake Placid. We learned this is the 10th cleanest lake in
the lower 48 and that it has a natural limestone base so it is
not affected by acid rain. The homes are called 'camps' and each
camp is named by its owner. You can no longer build on the lake
but you can buy an existing home and renovate to your heart's
content as long as you adhere to building codes. And a delightful
fact that after a 25 year absence, bald eagles are once again
swooping over the lake, their magnificent wing span reflected
in the clear, clean waters below.
All that fresh air
on Lake Placid made us hungry and we ate in town, as lunch is
not part of the meal package at the resort. But the abundant breakfasts,
including a feast of a weekend breakfast buffet, as well as the
excellent gourmet menu of dinner entrees including porterhouse
steak, fresh fish and daily specials are part of the $55.00 per
person daily rate charged here. Well worth it if you have an educated
palate and an appetite.
Our Friday to Monday
sojourn was over too quickly and as we packed the car to leave,
we decided Mirror Lake Inn Resort would be the place for our family
reunion next year. With tennis, and both an indoor and outdoor
pool, the fabulous spa, all the fun activities on the lake along
with the excellent fishing and golf in the area makes this the
ideal summer vacation for our gang.
We'll be there in July.
Hope to see you there too.
Information: www.mirrorlakeinn.com
Susan Purdy is a freelance
writer specializing in travel, food, and lifestyle. She is a member
of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and her work
has appeared in many publications including the Saturday Evening
Post, Brides, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Meridian, Ms., Woman’s
World, First for Women, Country Accents, and Country Inns. Susan
Purdy can be emailed at Suepur@aol.com
for comments and questions.
