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.
Accommodations
|
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.
|