Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel, Carrabassett Valley

We are a family of six, who are on their last day of a weeklong visit to Sugarloaf ski resort in July. We have been staying at the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel and found that the hotel staff were wonderful. We found the rooms large and clean, and the hotel managed to find us rooms that connect to each other which was good for our large family. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in both rooms failed and by the third night sleeping temperatures were approaching 90 degrees fahrenheit and after complaining for three nights in a row, we were moved to a room where the air conditioning actually worked. We took advantage of the excursions offered by the locals and promoted by the hotel to keep their guests entertained. They were not well priced for a family of six, although we negotiated for a couple of deals with the guides and got better rates. The excursions were all outside and the day-time heat took some of the enjoyment from some of them, but overall we enjoyed them. We went searching for moose, which wasn't any fun for the kids until we actually found one, and once we learned where to look for them, we took our own vehicle to their favorite hide-outs and saw plenty more of them. Our whole family had a blast trying to emulate the moosecalls made by our guide during the excursion. We went canoeing on the dead river with Bonnie, and the kids had fun splashing each other from their canoes. The water is so still on flagstaff lake that paddling the canoes was not a problem even for our six year old. We also went on a cookout with Bonnie, where the food was great, but the flies were terrible. Usually halfway up Sugarloaf Mountain, there is a breeze, but there wasn't one the evening we spent there, so my teenagers were complaining the entire evening because of the heat and the flies. But, my seven year old son and 10 year old daughter loved roasting marshmallows and making s'mores on the barbecue coals for desert. We also took a guided hike with Bonnie along a very pretty river that was supposed to lead us to a waterfall. It was so hot that day that we decided to end the hike early by letting the kids swim in the river, and then turning back. I am sure that this would have been a wonderful excursion in the fall. My husband who is a great golfer thought the golf course was fantastic, and the pool and fitness facilities were some of the best we have ever seen, although they were not located in the hotel, they were about a four minute walk away which I didn't mind except for the fact that the kids wouldn't go there by themselves. We found lots of nice restaurants in the area that had excellent food and better prices than the hotel restaurant, but enjoyed the desert menu at the hotel restaurant where we could sneak away from our kids in the evening and talk over a cup of coffee. There were only 18 guests staying at the hotel the week we were there, so we pretty much had all of the facilities to ourselves which we really enjoyed. This was a very quiet, restful and relaxing vacation. We want to come back in the winter and go skiing now that we've seen it out of season.

For years we would go every fall in peak foliage season and stay at the Sugartree Condos at Sugarloaf USA. You could walk down the hall to the health club, great jacuzzi's, inside and out. You could sit on the deck in the hot tub and breath in the crisp fall air and look out on the Bigelow Range. Nice Pool, sauna's, the Condo is very spacious and comfortable. The golf is just awesome. The course is very challenging and some holes are very unusual. One its like you are driving off a cliff out into this massive expanse and way way down there is a little golf green surrounded by rock and a river. Quite narrow in soe places. The views are impressive. Its a great experience. Then the next day its flyfishing on the deal river at the confluence of the Dead and the Flagstaff lake outlet. Right below Grand Falls. A beautiful spot. Good for Brookies, Rainbows, Salmon. I highly recommend this resort. It is a very fun RELAXING place to enjoy the outdoors.

We usually travel as a group of nurses every year and reserve a penthouse. Only problem was the water pressure is not so great up there in the showers. Beautiful view, great rooms and nice housestaff. We'll keep comming for years.

stayed there twice.Once in summer,then winter. Both times the heat and or A/C failed. Room hit 97 degrees by 11:00 PM. Heat wouldn't shut off. Maintinance was unable to fix it. That was in January. Ate in the fancy, over priced restuarant and had to listen to a very loud group of jocks (on other side of room) bemoaning the removal of one of their members testicles. Later, we opened the window of room to try and cool it down and so listened to same group arguing, then throwing up in parking lot. Maintenance person told us the heating problem has existed for years. Communal Hot tub crowded with screaming kids.
Good skiing though.