Tucked away in upstate New York along the banks of Saranac Lake is one of our favorite vacations spots. Driving through the gates you really start to get the feeling you’re stepping back in time. The best way I can describe it is log cabin chic. Sure, The Point checks all the right boxes, amazing food, unbelievably attentive staff, and accommodations that are cocoon like in their warmth and comfort, but thats only a small part of what really appeals to us. I remember the first time we went, I called ahead to ask a few questions and the person on the phone mentioned that Saturday dinner was black tie….. I have to admit I was taken aback. Black tie? In the woods? At a lakeside camp? So away we went, tuxedos, heels and hiking boots in tow, off for 3 days in the Adirondacks.
The first night at dinner was a precursor of sorts for what was to come. After we settled into to our room (there are only 11), we got ourselves together (jacket and tie even on Friday night) and off we went to dinner in the Great lodge. Unlike most resorts, there is no dining room full of individual tables, there is only the Great Lodge, a beautiful great room with a giant stone fireplace, casement windows, fresh flowers and walls filled with old paintings…. and two large tables. As everyone begins to arrive you really start to understand The Point and become part of the experience. You meet everyone over cocktails and afterward you all sit together at one of the two large tables for an evening of wine, conversation and sublime cuisine. On any given weekend you meet an amazing cross-section of people. Hedge fund founders, CEOs, actors, actresses, models, you name it, but in this intimate environment it all seems to wash away.
After a day of snow shoeing, cross country skiing and the most delicious hot chocolate you’ve ever had, its Saturday evening. I think it was that first time, me wearing my tux and Sofia in a beautiful Alexander McQueen dress, putting on our snow boots, me carrying her Blahniks and walking through the snow to the Great Lodge, I really “got it”. That first step out of our cabin, seeing everyone emerge, was like a step back in time. A more….civilized time. Suddenly it all made sense. Entering the grounds, away from Wifi, television and constantly being tied to our cells phones, we didn’t just begin our vacation, we stepped out of our lives and into a bygone era. An era rich with style and circumstance. An era you owe it to yourself to experience at least once…..