If you are in the New York, New Jersey or Connecticut area or plan to be traveling in that area you need to check out Crystal Springs Resort. The Crystal Springs Resort is the perfect destination for your summer staycation that you will never want to leave! I was so surprised that just a little over an hour from our home was an oasis of lush landscape filled with gardens, spectacular pools, trails, activities, golf courses, spas, fine dining and more.
We recently stayed at the Grand Cascades Lodge, the highlight of the three unique upscale lodging properties of Crystal Springs Resort, located in Sussex County, N.J. We were amazed from the moment we arrived. We were immediately greeted by a young attendant who looked just like a young Ricky Schroeder and had a personality to match! His smile and friendly demeanor put us right at ease as he guided us to the lobby to check in.
Walking through the front doors to the front desk was amazing this lodge is rustic elegance at its best. Large leather couches and chairs surround a gas fireplace that was roaring even in July and had people sitting nearby reading the paper or their tablets. The front desk staff were very attentive and quickly assigned our one bedroom suite with fireplace and deck . Our luggage was loaded onto a cart by an attendant who escorted us up ot our home away from home. The free valet parking gave us one less thing to worry about and allowed us to go right up to our room to get settled.
This suite had a full gourmet kitchen with an eat at counter and the dining area featured a large round table with plenty of chairs. A closet in the kitchen had a stack-able washer and dryer which was so convenient. The huge bathroom with jet tub and shower, double sinks and loads of fluffy towels had a door off the main living area as well as one from the bedroom.
The bedroom had a huge king size bed, full length cheval mirror, TV, huge closet and seating to make us feel right at home. The living room featured sleeper couch, love seat, flat screen TV, grandfather clock, gas fireplace that ignites in a second with a switch on the wall and a door leading to a deck area with large table and four large, thickly cushioned patio chairs. There was a built in desk with free high speed internet connection between the dining and living area. Everything was beautifully decorated and family friendly just perfect for any family staycation.
We took advantage of the free turn down service that lets guests choose from a selection of times for staff to come in and turn down your beds, get the sleeper sofa set up and put chocolates on your pillow. The staff was gracious and accommodating to our every need, providing laundry soap and even a shaving kit when my husband realized he forgot his.
During our short stay we ate at the Crystal Tavern an upscale but still family friendly pub for dinner and breakfast. Another great option given the gourmet kitchen, is for families to prepare some of their own meals. The kitchen has everything you need and adequate space to do it. The full size gourmet stove and oven is perfect for whatever you want to cook and the cabinets are appointed with all the dishes, glassware, serving, cooking and baking pieces and accessories you would need. Down the road from the resort, you will find several grocery and department stores for food or whatever else you may need during your stay.
The Grand Cascades Lodge features the 10,000 square foot Biosphere Pool Complex which is a tropical oasis pool with water slide and lagoon feel. It has a smaller pool that connects the inside with the outside and you can swim through a passage and arrive outside in a small pool which you can exit to enter a larger outdoor pool with gorgeous rock waterfall and lush landscaping of beautiful perennials.
A short walk from there, is the Vista 360 pool that has a water slide that younger kids can go on. The slide in the Biosphere has a minimum height of 48″ which our older son just made by the hair on his head but our younger son needed more than some spiked hair to reach 48″. The water slide at the Vista 360 was the perfect option to let the under 48″ crowd play on a super cool water slide that was really appreciated by this mom. The vista is a series of pools that are on different levels with waterfall features and a vortex pool, where a constant circular current of water creates water merry-go-round that kids and adults alike will enjoy.
The outdoor Chef’s Garden is an inspiring outdoor venue that allows guests a truly unique “garden-to-table” al fresco dining experience set amidst beautiful organic vegetables,flowers, herbs and Kittatinny Mountain Range backdrop. Throughout the resort there are dispensers of ice-cold water with lemon always available. You can also get your food and drinks served poolside!
Like to golf? There are 6 award-winning golf courses (Ballyowen, Black Bear, Cascades, Crystal Springs, Minerals,
Wild Turkey) including NJ’s 1 rated Ballyowen! There are 2 luxury spas – Reflections and Elements, voted in top 100 Spas of America offering a variety of services from manicures, pedicures, massages and more! If you want to relax and be pampered you will want to check those out.
The Adventure Center features all kinds of activities like archery, hiking, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, paddle boarding, water trampoline and horseback riding in a mountaintop setting with pristine lake. There are available babysitting services and fitness facilities available as well. The concierge at each hotel provides an activity calendar that speaks to all of Crystal Spring’s on site events.
We spent the majority of our time there in the pools that are kids just loved. The water slides were fabulous and they literally wore themselves out on them. During our time there we got to witness a set up for a wedding that was later that afternoon and what a beautiful setting for a wedding! We were told that Winter experience at Crystal Springs is something to experience as well with all kinds of winter activities like snow tubing and skiing.
As a germophobe, I will tell you the rooms are so clean and the hotel is as well. I did not even feel the need to do the extensive checking I normally do, even in 5 star resorts to make sure things were clean. Everything was immaculate. It was such a relaxing time and you may have noticed my absence from the blog for a few days as I totally unplugged.
I really cannot say enough good about this resort and my kids are already asking when we can go back. I know it will not be long, it is definitely on our radar now and we feel blessed that it’s only a stone’s throw from our house. I hope this post filled you with staycation ideas. There are Specials & Packages available too, check out the special discounts and promotions below for Mommy Ramblings’ Blog Readers!
Special Discounts & Promotions For Mommy Ramblings’ Readers:
Stay 2 nights and receive the 2nd night at 50% off
Stay 3 nights and receive the 3rd night free!
Stay mid-week and enjoy up to $225 in resort-wide credit
Stay one night at Grand Cascades or Minerals and receive $50 in resort credit
Stay two nights at Grand Cascades or Minerals and receive $150 resort credit
Stay three nights at Grand Cascades or Minerals and receive $225 in resort credit
Call 844.840.7392 to book your stay just say you saw the discount on Mommy Ramblings Blog to redeem the specials above.
Follow Crystal Springs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up to date discounts, promotions! Have you ever stayed at any of the three Crystal Springs properties? If so, I would love to hear about it, just leave me a message in the comments. If you have any questions you can ask in the comments too!
This post is sponsored by Crystal Springs but as always my words and opinions are 100% my own.
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