Not mine, mind you, but four lively and charming and – yes – very well-behaved youngsters who were the first to break the exclusive Relais & Châteaux property’s longstanding ban on guests below the age of eighteen [except when the entire resort is bought-out by a single party.] The rule makes good sense when you consider that in the traditional house-party atmosphere, dinners are lengthy, lingering, multi-course, grown-up affairs, where guests dress up [black tie on Wednesdays and Saturdays!] and enjoy in-depth conversation and fine wines with fellow guests.
But children are a natural addition to the Great Camp environment in the Adirondack wilderness, and on the last weekend of March, when there was still ice on Upper Saranac Lake but most of the snow was melted away, children were invited to join their parents at The Point for its inaugural Children’s Weekend. And what fun was had by all! General Manager Megan Torrance and her staff planned activities for the youngsters that immersed them in nature and wholesome old-fashioned activities that are the opposite of today’s electronic amusements.
On Friday, they hiked the Orange Trail and created gingerbread houses with Charlene, the very patient pastry chef. They joined their parents for “Cocktails and Mocktails” in the Great Hall for a taste of the grown-up life, before setting out for a rustic dinner at nearby Camp David. Saturday featured a morning and picnic lunch at the Wild Center, for supervised encounters with all sorts of creatures native to the Adirondack region. While parents enjoyed their black tie dinner that night, the children feasted in The Pub with entertainment by a real live magician – who even taught them a few tricks of the trade. Families were re-united at the Bonfire, where the kids were busy making their own gourmet s’mores.
After breakfast on Sunday, families were treated to a visit with some fine feathered friends: a local falconer brought a falcon and an owl to The Great Hall, and the kids got to don a heavy leather gauntlet and let the birds perch on their arms. The afternoon was filled with lively games of Twister inside; and croquet and kickball in the great outdoors. On Monday before everyone had to get back to work and school, they squeezed in one last hike up Panther Mountain.
Much as I have always loved The Point just the way it is, I think they’ve really hit upon an improvement here. It was great to have the energy, spirit and natural curiosity of kids around – and still get to sit down to our elegant dinner in peace! Thanks to the great kids who made this first Children’s Weekend experiment such a success, I’m sure there will be more to come. I hope so – because Kemp and Spencer would just love it…
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