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Smuggler's Notch Units

jwalk03

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I am trying to plan a trip for next Summer to Smuggler's Notch and there are so many room types. I am trying to make sense of them and pick the rooms that will work the best. I know we need two 3BR units. We have 9 adults and 4 children (ages 3-7).

What are the main differences between the 3BR, the 3BR DX, and the 3BR Suite? The deluxe is a lot more points than the standard 3BR, is it worth the points increase?

Any certain HOAs that are better than the others? Newly remodeled, or more convenient to amenities, or more space, etc?

We are staying with my Mother-in-Law & Father-in-Law using their Wyndham points so we get the pass included for everyone right?

Any other recommendations? None of us have ever been to Vermont.
 

jwalk03

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One additional question- Is there anyone that has ARP at Smuggs that could check and see what 3BR Unit types are available for 7/26-8/1/2020?

I hate that there is no way to see the specifics unit types that are available when there are multiple types of 3BRs, until your booking window opens.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!
 

Crafty71

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upload_2019-9-16_17-8-20.png


Here is what I currently see available for your dates...keep in mind that the only units you will see are units that were converted from fixed week to points...quite a few owners have but not everyone...

The Deluxe units above are in buildings that were probably built fifteen (15) years ago...

The Presidential and Suite units are in buildings that were probably built ten (10) years ago...

All are nice and well maintained...if you are travelling with small children, I wouldn't suggest going Presidential...the third bedroom in the Prez units has two (2) double beds instead of four (4) twins (in the Suite and Deluxe).

If you are using Wyndham points, then the Smuggs Pass is included for all guests (but you will have to purchase the RFID card at $5 per person).

Here is a map of the resort: https://www.smuggs.com/pages/summer/lodging/village-map.php

The Presidentials are in Owls 17-32, the Suites are in Kestrels Woods 7-12, Deluxe (Aspens 1-25) and Sycamores over in West Hill. It is easiest to walk to the village center from Kestrels or Sycamores (but this is Vermont so it isn't flat...). There is an on-demand village shuttle that can pick you up and drop you off anywhere...

We are partial to the Suites in summer because they have a large screened-in porch which is wonderful. If you click here, you can then click on the different unit types seen above to get an idea of size, layout, etc.: https://www.smuggs.com/pages/summer/lodging/index.php

There is so much to do at Smuggs (and surrounding area). It is our home resort and we love it...

If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to reach out.

Cheers!
 

WinniWoman

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Smuggs us great for families. I think you would be happy with just the suites or the deluxe units. Tamaracks on North Hill are also considered deluxe I believe. They are the newest of the deluxe units. But all the deluxe units are really nice.

With Smuggs you never even have to leave the resort there is so much going on. or you can do nothing just the same and relax.

In terms of Vermont- being we have been Smuggs owners for 20 years and I also belong to the VT251 club- I have seen a large portion fo the state. There are places you could visit that are not too far from the resort, but know this is a rural area so there is always driving involved.

I would say to visit Trapp Family lodge and do the tour. Certainly Stowe, Great recreation path there for walking or biking. Also- you might want to head out to Burlington one day. Visit Church street and maybe take the boat out on Lake Champlain (Spirit of Ethan Allen).

Little Jeffersonville is a cute town to check out. We love eating at the local place there- 258 Main- or at Family Table. I recommend doing your food shopping on the way in. Depending on which direction you are coming from there are supermarkets on the way about a half hour before you get to Smuggs. Also a lot of general stores.

Visit Boyden winery either through the resort excursions or on your own. It is a close drive.

In Waterbury you have Ben and Jerrys Factory tour, Cold Hollow Cider Mill, Cabot Cheese outlet, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Smugglers Notch Distillery - All the typical tourist destinations for shopping.

If you like live, local theater there is Stowe Theater guild which runs shows during the summer.

I recommend if you cannot hike Mt Mansfield (very challenging) then take the auto road up and walk the rest of the way to the summit on a clear day. There is also a gondola but it does not go to the summit, but there is a restaurant on the portion it ends up at.

Between just these few things (and there are lots more I could recommend) and all the activities Smuggs has your week will fly by. Enjoy!
 

uscav8r

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I am trying to plan a trip for next Summer to Smuggler's Notch and there are so many room types. I am trying to make sense of them and pick the rooms that will work the best. I know we need two 3BR units. We have 9 adults and 4 children (ages 3-7).

What are the main differences between the 3BR, the 3BR DX, and the 3BR Suite? The deluxe is a lot more points than the standard 3BR, is it worth the points increase?

Any certain HOAs that are better than the others? Newly remodeled, or more convenient to amenities, or more space, etc?

We are staying with my Mother-in-Law & Father-in-Law using their Wyndham points so we get the pass included for everyone right?

Any other recommendations? None of us have ever been to Vermont.

If you are at all concerned about outdated units, stick to the Deluxe or better units.

Also, for 13 total people you can get away with a 2 bedroom and a 3 bedroom if you wanted to save points and still have enough room (they fit 8 and 10 people respectively, but subtract 2 from each unit if you don’t want to use the sleeper sofa).

In a pinch you could squeeze into two 2 bedrooms.

IMO, the 3BR Suite is not worth the price over the 3BR Deluxe (at least in the winter... the screened in porch is nice in the summer). It says there is a hot tub, but it isn’t in the room. Rather, it is a shared hot tub for the entire Kestrel Woods building (about 6 3BR units).


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WinniWoman

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I personally would not use the sleeper sofas and I think you are better off with a 3 bedroom deluxe.

We own a 2 bedroom deluxe and when we have had guests on the sleeper sofa it feels crowded and lack of privacy (fpr everyone), etc. Not to mention the sleeper sofas are not comfortable.
 

uscav8r

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I personally would not use the sleeper sofas and I think you are better off with a 3 bedroom deluxe.

We own a 2 bedroom deluxe and when we have had guests on the sleeper sofa it feels crowded and lack of privacy (fpr everyone), etc. Not to mention the sleeper sofas are not comfortable.

Concur. That’s why I suggested reducing the advertised occupancy by 2 for each room. With a 2BR Dlx and and 3BR Dlx they’d still have an extra bed space with 6+8 (vice 8+10), if points are at a premium. All the extra beds in the 3BR Dlx (compared to the 2BR Dlx) are twins, which may be less desirable for the adults.

An important detail not provided is the family mix of the 9 adults and whether or not the odd person(s) mind sharing a room with other adult(s).

If points are not a problem, by all means go with the two 3BR Deluxes. There will be more privacy and options to spread out at the very least.


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jwalk03

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Yeah we would prefer to avoid having to use the sleeper sofas. We have 490K points available to use, so we can get 6 nights in 2 3-BR Deluxe for 488K points so that works out almost perfectly. To do the 3BR Suite we would have to go down to 5 nights instead of 6, and it doesn't seem worth it to me.

No I just have to pray that 2 3BR Deluxe units will still be available when my booking window opens up on 9/26!

I assume if I call and ask for the two units to be next to each other that won't be a problem?

Thank you very much for all of the replies!! They were very very helpful!
 
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jwalk03

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Do some of the units only have A/C in the bedrooms?
 

WinniWoman

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Do some of the units only have A/C in the bedrooms?

Yes- all deluxe units only have ac in the bedrooms. What we do is if it is hot and sunny- and being we are on the top floor the unit does get very warm - we leave the bedroom doors open during the day- and keep the ac units running. In our 2 bedroom this cools the whole unit down. Usually outside it cools down overnight so then we open the windows in the main living area when we go to sleep and keep the ac units on in the bedrooms with the doors closed.

In terms of getting 2 units next to each other- It’s possible but always a crap shoot during prime season.
 

jwalk03

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I was able to book 2- 3BR Deluxes in Tamaracks, Owls, Kestrels at midnight! I assume that means we would be in Tamaracks right? Since Kestrels is only 3BR Suites, and Owls has 3BR Plus & 3BR Presidential, not 3BR Deluxe? Anyone know which Tamaracks building(s) are the 3BR Deluxe units?

We are very excited that it worked out! Thank you everyone for the helpful input here!!
 

WinniWoman

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I was able to book 2- 3BR Deluxes in Tamaracks, Owls, Kestrels at midnight! I assume that means we would be in Tamaracks right? Since Kestrels is only 3BR Suites, and Owls has 3BR Plus & 3BR Presidential, not 3BR Deluxe? Anyone know which Tamaracks building(s) are the 3BR Deluxe units?

We are very excited that it worked out! Thank you everyone for the helpful input here!!

Yes- Tamaracks. Kestrels are Mountain Estates. Owls are a "notch" (pardon the pun) up from Deluxes and also Presidentials.

All the Tamaracks are Deluxe units, but Wyndham only owns some of them. I am not sure which ones are Wyndham but they are the last ones that were built. All the Tamaracks are the same and are all nice. It's just a matter of what floor you are on and if you have a view. I suppose you could call the resort and ask.
 

jwalk03

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So bummed- going to have to cancel our planned trip to Smuggler's Notch for next month due to COVID. If anyone is looking (and not subject to VT's quarantine requirements) - its 2 3BR deluxe units for 7/26-8/1.

Going to try and re-plan for July 2021 instead.
 

bendadin

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So bummed- going to have to cancel our planned trip to Smuggler's Notch for next month due to COVID. If anyone is looking (and not subject to VT's quarantine requirements) - its 2 3BR deluxe units for 7/26-8/1.

Going to try and re-plan for July 2021 instead.
Am I reading this correctly? Everyone has to quarantine before or most likely after arriving in VT? And if it was just enacted yesterday, odds are not in favor of a short window for this.
 

jwalk03

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If you are from CT, NY, NH, MA, ME, or RI and live in a county with less than 400 active cases per million (or you live anywhere in VT) you are allowed to visit without quarantine. If you are coming from anywhere else you either have to do a 14-day quarantine or have a negative test followed by a 7-day quarantine.
 

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If you are from CT, NY, NH, MA, ME, or RI and live in a county with less than 400 active cases per million (or you live anywhere in VT) you are allowed to visit without quarantine. If you are coming from anywhere else you either have to do a 14-day quarantine or have a negative test followed by a 7-day quarantine.

We are supposed to go there in July as well. Not sure if we should cancel or not. So coming from another state not listed above you have to do one of the 2 options you listed to be able to enter Vermont and stay at Smuggs.
 

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I noticed this on the travel restrictions to Vermont website.


  • If you are coming from an area with <400 active cases/million residents, you can travel to and from Vermont without quarantine requirements. Residents from these non-quarantine areas must travel directly to Vermont in their personal vehicle.



  • The county I live in has less then 400 active cases, but is out of state and not a resident of any of the surrounding counties in the Vermont, CT, NY , RI area. So I am not sure if I still have to self quarantine or I can travel there without quarantine.
 

jwalk03

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My underastanding is that the exception for <400 active cases per million only applies to the status in New England plus NY. But I agree the info appears to be a little conflicting or not worded well on the VT website.
 

bendadin

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I can't see how this can stand, although VT is just one of those states. We have reservations as well. Wyndham is going to have to make a call on this one. What are they doing about Hawaii and July reservations?
 

scootr5

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I noticed this on the travel restrictions to Vermont website.


  • If you are coming from an area with <400 active cases/million residents, you can travel to and from Vermont without quarantine requirements. Residents from these non-quarantine areas must travel directly to Vermont in their personal vehicle.



  • The county I live in has less then 400 active cases, but is out of state and not a resident of any of the surrounding counties in the Vermont, CT, NY , RI area. So I am not sure if I still have to self quarantine or I can travel there without quarantine.

According to their website you would fall in to this category, and would need to quarantine prior to entry if you are driving directly there (or quarantine there if you are not driving directly there):

Non-Vermont Residents
  • Residents of other states who live in counties across New England and New York that have a similar active COVID-19 caseload to Vermont may enter the state for leisure travel without quarantining.
  • Residents of other states who live in a quarantine county in New England and New York or from any other state not identified on the map, must follow quarantine guidelines:
    • Effective June 15, 2020: Travelers arriving to Vermont in a personal vehicle, may complete either a 14-day quarantine or a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative test in their home state and enter Vermont without further quarantine restrictions.
    • Effective June 15, 2020: Travelers arriving to Vermont via public transportation (plane, train, bus) or from further than a direct car ride would allow may complete either a 14-day quarantine or a 7-day quarantine followed by a negative test in a Vermont lodging establishment or with friends and family (travelers must stay in their quarantine location for the duration of quarantine other than to travel to and from a test site).
    • Read more about quarantining at the Vermont Department of Health website.
  • All out of state travelers utilizing lodging, camping and short-term rental properties in Vermont must sign and complete a Certificate of Compliance to attest that they have met all quarantine requirements.
  • All out of state travelers are strongly encouraged to register with Sara Alert upon arrival to Vermont to get two weeks of daily reminders to check for common symptoms of COVID-19.
 

bendadin

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I can't get a test in my state but if I go to VT and quarantine for a week I will get a free test there.
 

scootr5

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I can't get a test in my state but if I go to VT and quarantine for a week I will get a free test there.

Or you quarantine at home for 14 days before you go, and then you don't need a test at all.
 

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Well I guess we are going to have to cancel our trip in July then. No way we can self quarantine before we go. Hopefully There is cancellations at other resorts for the week we planned on going to Vermont to spend the points on.

How do states know if you self quarantined for 14 days or not.
 
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