Inn at Bear Creak
101 Doe Mountain Lane
Macungie, PA 18062
866-SKI-AT-BC

Inn at Bear Creek Home Page

January 2006

Welcome to www.weloveourlife.com. This is our page dedicated to our experiences while staying at the Inn at Bear Creek in Macungie, PA.

Click here to see our 2008 visist to the Inn at Bear Creek.

	The inn is fairly new (it opened in 2004) and it is evident in the accommodations, which were clean, comfortable, stylish, and very appealing.
	We stayed in a slope-side king suite. The décor is what you would expect of a ski resort – a mountain lodge, Adirondack style, but executed flawlessly. We were very impressed with our accommodations. There is lots of wonderful color throughout –warm red, gold, patterned rugs, rich wooden furniture, wood framing around the doors, comfortable seating.
	Our two-room suite consisted of a living area with couch and two chairs, armoire which contained a TV with lots of cable channels, dining table and chairs. There was a kitchenett with a bar sink and refrigerator.
	There was a spacious bathroom with a door to the bedroom and one to the living area, and included alarge vanity.
	The bedroom contained a comfortable king-size bed, and another TV in the bedroom along with a loveseat.
	The sofa in the living area was a queen sleeper sofa, and a single sleeper sofa in the bedroom, so the room could have slept up to five (although that may have been a bit crowded).
	We had a window in the bedroom overlooking the slope and a sliding door off of the living room overlooking the slope, although there was no balcony to speak of. We were very happy with our room and felt it was a great value.

Inn Amenities

	This is a ski resort, and offers many amenities. The inn itself has a fitness center with multiple machines, and an indoor pool and whirlpool, as well as a whirlpool outside in front of the slope. We enjoyed the indoor aquatic facilities, and the outdoor whirlpool was a great place to unwind après-ski.
	Bear Creek advertises itself as a four-season resort, and in addition to skiing, snowboarding, and tubing, also offers hiking and biking trails, non-motorized boating, and fishing (catch and release). We were there in the winter so we only experienced skiing.
	The inn has a beautiful, spacious lobby with large, comfortable seating areas in front of a stone fireplace. The skiing resort offers many additional services.

Inn Food

	The ski resort offers the Mountain Eatery, a slope-side cafeteria. There is plenty of seating in the beautiful lodge with lots of wood, rock, and fireplaces, all affording a great view of the slopes. The inn gave us vouchers for breakfast, so we had our breakfast there. It was standard cafeteria fare – eggs, potatoes, breakfast meats, etc.
	The Grille at Bear Creek is the fine-dining establishment. The décor is simply stunning – an updated, classy take on a lodge restaurant. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to make for an intimate meal, or wide open spaces for larger parties.
	We made a reservation and had a table right in front of the windows, which looked out on the ski slope.

Bear Creek offers night skiing, so we could see skiers as we ate. The food was excellent. Lori had shrimp cocktail and a salad laden with Shrimp Louis. Keith had Steak Teriyaki. The food choice were varied and very good. The service was a bit slow, but it was a very busy night (and besides, we were staying over and were not in a rush). Lori has been to her fair share of ski resorts and genuinely hasn’t been bowled over by the food. The food at this restaurant was gourmet quality and surpassed our expectations. There was a decent wine list.

Inn Bar/Lounge

There is a large bar area at the Grille at Bear Creek. The bar is very long and the area is inviting, with plenty of seating around smaller tables and cushions near the fireplace. The entire resort is non-smoking, so you can linger in the bar without having to tolerate smoke. One can also eat in the bar area. We hung out there for awhile after dinner.

Inn People/Service

Everyone was friendly and helpful. We did have one issue – we arrived on New Year’s Day and expected to check in at 3 p.m. Our room wasn’t ready until an hour later. We were able to uncover that several people had called out sick (the previous evening was New Year’s Eve) and the staff was short-handed. They did what they could; we were there with a couple friends, and their room was ready first, so the bags were taken down to that room. When the second room was ready, it was right across from the other, so it was convenient.

These people are very security oriented. Lori and one of our friends were skiing, while Keith and our other friend were attempting to check in. Of course, Lori did not know which room to go to after skiing and of course the workers at the front desk would not give out the room number. They did try to call, but there was no answer (they were in the whirlpool downstairs). Even though one of the rooms was booked with Lori’s credit card and Lori had the card and I.D., they still would not let her past the front desk. Eventually Lori and friend made their way outside to the glassed-in area where the pool and whirlpool were and banged on the glass until a frightened guest let them in. So – if you go and get separated – make sure you have a plan!

Area/Attractions

This place really is a destination in itself, with the activities and dining available. If you are interested in doing other things, check with the front desk. Because this place is its own destination, it makes for a great get-away, even for only 24 hours.

Dining

We recommend the Grille at the resort.

Nightlife

If you’ve been skiing all day, chances are the nightlife you’re looking for comes in the form of a whirlpool and a drink. Remember, you’re out in the country here.

Weather

Bear Creek is a little more than an hour north of Philadelphia, and is very close to Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is south of the Pocono Mountains. In the winter time, they do get snow (it is a mountain). They also have snow-making capabilities over 100% of the mountain to supplement Mother Nature.

Tips and Suggestions

If you go in the winter, the parking lot of the ski resort will be a mixture of slush and mud. It’s a good idea to have appropriate footwear (boots). The inn has a separate parking lot that is paved. If you don’t have skiing/snowboarding equipment or don’t want to take yours, Bear Creek has an excellent rental facility.