Guest reviews Topnotch Resort, Vermont

by ashleycK2230OT

Disappointing.

I have been coming to Top Notch for years. (In the 70s my dad was even the manager!) I have always loved coming to Top Notch. I was so excited to share Top Notch with my children. Our room was a nice size to fit my family. We had a gross view of the driveway. If the closet door was not shut completely then when we returned to the room our main door could only be opened a crack. Only my small daughter could squeeze through to close the closet door and let us in. There was no ice in the ice machines. The shower, conditioner and soap dispensers in the shower were way too high for the average or small person to reach. The water out of the faucet is undrinkable. You have the water in the lounge, where my kids are not allowed to go. The water bottles are enough for 2 sips. What a waste. Each time we called the front desk to ask for something, they answered the phone in an annoyed voice, "how can we help the Clapp family this time". My kids were so excited for the pool. They were playing nicely. Having fun. They were told by an older couple that they couldn't make any noise in the pool. My kids were being completely respectful. They were miles quieter than the deafening water fall in the hot tub. The older couple could have easily gone to their rooms or the beautiful lounge in the locker room- where incidentally my children were not allowed to go as they were under 16. Then my children felt bad for even playing. Then a rude employee who was being followed by a second man, kept doing laps through the pool. At this point we were the only family in the pool. Every time through he found something to complain to my kids about. You can not jump in the pool. You can not stand on the edge of the pool. You can not make noise. We read the rules. No where on the sign did it say you can not jump in. He would turn the hot tub waterfall on when we were in the hot tub, when we did not want it on. We would have to then get out of the tub to turn it off. So then we went to the outside hot tub. We were the only people outside. We were having a lovely family time in the tub. The same rude worker came and told us we had to leave the hot tub. We read the sign, only one of my family members was under 12 years old, but he told us we all had to get out. At first when we went in the outdoor hot tub, it was freezing cold- the same temperature of the pool, which is too cold for outside. I had to ask the maintenance to warm it. The kids and I were excited to do some of the work out classes.

by justvisiting0707

Early fall visit...nice but could have been better.

Topnotch has always been a special place to stay and we knew that there would some amenities lacking due to COVID so we were prepared, but still... The fire bowls across the property were never lit in the 4 days we were there, which was really disappointing! While the people who were on property were social distancing outdoors it really would have been nice to have them lit. Same with most of the fireplaces. They finally did get a couple of them going but never in the one open restaurant, The Roost, or at the spa area. The spa was beautiful and the treatments were fabulous and well staffed although the locker rooms were very cold and there were no amenities in them (probably due to COVID.) The outdoor pool was open but it was not kept heated, the water was so cold. There was no way it could be used. The indoor pool was too cold to swim (for me) but nice to sit by because the air was well heated. The staff was wonderful in all areas of the resort and the food and bar was very good at The Roost! Of course the views and the grounds are lovely; a little more fire would have been great in these times of being outdoors and social distancing! The room was nice, hotel interiors need some updating; again no service at all...no fault of the resort.

by TomNYC222 New York City, New York

Thank you Topnotch

During these challenging times and with a limited staff, Topnotch made our family trip amazing. The staff went out of their way to make sure we had everything we need and our children had fun. Stowe is beautiful this time of year and the grounds at Topnotch are magnificent. The food at the Roost was great. Have the waffles! And sit by the firepit after dinner for s’mores. Special thanks to Lilli for making sure we had fun as busy as she was, and to Scott, Jeremy, Noah, Lynn and the entire staff!

by BostonGirl02118 Boston, Massachusetts

Nice resort/grounds. Rooms large but dated. Friendly staff.

Went here a couples weekend in August 2020. Hotel was only half full so I felt good with the social distancing. We'd recommend it for couples and those looking for a few days away. It's not really a luxury resort, but it is nice and pleasant. Here is our review: Location: A Right on the main road and so a short drive to everything. Walking distance (across the street) to the bike path where you can get bikes right at the store. Very convenient. Staff: A Front desk, wait staff, and concierge were super friendly and helpful, giving us tips on where to go, and what to do. Rooms: B- While the rooms are large and bed was comfy, the bathrooms are a bit dated and the shower handle got stuck a lot. And there are no balcony's at this hotel which is a bummer on a nice day you'd want to sit outside and read a book or something. Sometimes I felt i was in a nice motel room. Pool: B Decent size pool and there are 3 of them (small one for adults; large one for families; and an indoor one). The outside pools were FREEZING. Even on a hot day it's too cold to go in the water. I know heating pools are expensive but it makes a world of difference. No one wants to jump into an ice box and it sort of ruins the experience. There also aren't enough seats for everyone due to social distancing so one day we had to come back. Restaurant: B+ Never ate dinner here but the breakfast was A+ and the lunch a good B. Service was very slow at all times but we weren't in a huge rush. We found the staff friendly.

by js4evah New York City, New York

nice stay

the pool is very pretty. The 2 BR, 2 level townhouse style room we stayed in was not in terrific shape, but was okay. the carpeting needs to be replaced. The STAFF was Great, especially Cardina in housekeeping and Dan at the spa/pool. Donna was fun gym teacher and Zdravco at front desk was also very helpful. our dinner was extremely slow, espy since we were w older folks, but they did the right thing and comp'd us for the meal. we would def stay again, service and facilities are "topnotch," even if the room needed a spruce up. Great location, not too far from town and close to mountain (for skiing and hiking). Thanks!