New Life Hiking Spa, Killington

After much research and waffling back and forth (due to mixed on-line reviews, mostly about the hotel), I finally decided to give New Life Hiking a try in Oct. I realize I was there just after Hurricane Irene, which made a mess of the area (kudos to the locals who banned together to get things back in order so quickly!). But the overall experience was a disappointment ... and i don't think it was because of Mother Nature. New Life HIking stayed open a week longer than usual in Oct, perhaps they shouldn't have ... I heard that most of the regular guides and staff were gone. I presume this influenced my experience. Food: I found the food to be average, with the exception of one dinner which was fabulous. Overall choices were limited, b'fast the exact same every day. While I was not there to count calories, I would have liked some nutrition info for each meal so I could make an informed choice -- there was no info, not even a printed menu .. we waited for our server to tell us outrchoices. Some guests found the food bland and brought sauces or spices to the table. Hiking: a crap shoot. Some days great, other days not. No pre-hike communication to guests, no giving choices at b'fast so we could think about where we wanted to go. Everyone just showed up at 9am and had to ask the various guides for the plan. Some guides were great, others not (one guide one day stayed in the back of our group and listed to her iPod the entire hike). Other activities: unimpressive. I took a few classes in the afternoon, but they were held in a room next to the hotel bar ... yoga at 5pm meant we got to listen to Happy Hour conversations! Luckily I had a car, so usually spent the afternoons elsewhere. Hotel: I read some pretty bad reviews of The Inn at Six Mountains. To be honest, I didn't find it to be that bad. Yes, it is a bit run down but I found my room to be clean so it was good enough for me. The staff was friendly. I had a GREAT massage one night, wish I could remember her name but I can't. Even though I was disappointed and won't be back, I will say that several women I met during my stay were repeat customers and love New Like Hiking. I honestly could not understand why.

My wife and I stayed 9 days at this hiking spa and found it be a very good experience. The staff was very professional and friendly. There are 4 daily hikes to choose from ranging from flat and easy to very advanced and quite difficult. There are hourly exercise programs in addition, including weights, pilates, stretching, and water aerobics. Most clients were well educated and have professional careers including md's, college professors, and cpa's. The only negative is that the old ski lodge in which the spa is located is run down, (but clean.) The healthy cuisine was quite good. Most partiicipants lost at least 1/2 lb/day. We plan to go back next year.

The hiking experience was enjoyable, but it was only a part of the total package expected and promised. Though the food was healthy, this was not, and is not, a weight loss spa. There is no calarie counting, or control. I did not see a nutritionist on staff to oversee a healthy, low calarie diet. So participants are taking in a lot more calaries than they expect. The inn is on the shabby side and could use some serrious updating. Water aerobics are taught in the indoor pool. Taking water aerobics is frankly hazardous since the pool lining is coming off the pool and draped on the floor of the pool making walking in the water nearly impossible. The liner is coming apart in the outside pool as well, though not to the extent as the indoor pool. The afternoon exercise classes are taught by the untrained hiking staff and poorly done. The yoga instructor seemed to be the only instructor qualified to lead any of these classes at all. However, she could not possibly lead them all. The massage staff are pretty well trained, though some appear only able to do one type of massage. Therefore you may, or may not, get the service requested. I think this resort would be more aply named as a muntain daily hiking adventure with healthy food options. It is truly a shame to mislead the population into believing this is a weight loss center and to have them spend their hard earned money on a vacation that is not intended to deliver what it advertises. Do not go here if you are looking for a weight loss health resort. It does not and will not in its current condition deliver. Perhaps you might want to get information on the certifications and qualifications of the instructors prior to making up your mind to determine the accuracy of this posting. How it got its current rating is incomprehensible based on our experience. Hopfuly those who gave it such a high rating will revisit them and rethink their opinions so the public will be more well informed.