Basin Harbor Club

We attended a conference at Basin Harbor. Arriving on Monday, May 23, I noticed a stale odor, didn’t think much of it at the time, check in was easy but getting up a narrow flight of stairs wasn’t. There is no elevator in the lodge and if you’ve had back surgery, that’s not a good thing. We proceeded to our room expecting a nice cozy room as the brochure and website led us to believe. Upon opening the door, the stale odor from downstairs was 100 times worse in our room. It almost took my breath. We turned the air conditioner on and sprayed Febreeze (that I brought with me) and it helped somewhat. When I mentioned the odor-​as did many other guests-​I was told we were the first group of the season to be there. Uhhhh… Hello. Do they not prepare for the guest like opening the rooms and lodge to get the odor out?!
There was no tv in the rooms or on the property anywhere! So too bad if you want to watch the news and keep up with what’s going on in the world during your down town and before going to bed at night.
I went to the bathroom and afterwards told my husband to be careful when he sat on The commode because he might wind up in the bathtub… yes the floor was that slanted. Between the heat vent and baseboard in bathroom, hasn’t been cleaned in a couple of years. I promise that’s not an exaggeration. Does anyone not check these things before guest arrive? The «King» bed was two twin beds pushed together, with one of the oldest, lumpiest mattresses I’ve ever slept on and I grew up in the 60’s. Carpet was very worn, outdated and appeared to be dirty.
The swimming pool looked dirty. I made the mistake of asking when they were suppose to clean it and the clerk said it had been cleaned that very morning. Needless to say, I didn’t get in the pool our entire stay. No one else was in there when I walked every day either. Which is sad because it is a huge pool, it just needs a facelift.
Don’t look at the website and think you will wait until you get there to get a mani & Pedi either. They don’t have a nail tech to do nails. They do offer massages starting at $ 100/​hour.
The grounds, dining area and conference areas seemed to be very clean and updated. The owners really need to put some serious thought about updating and cleaning the rooms at the lodge and the pool. Cleaner and paint go a long way in making something look better. One guest told us when she turned her air conditioning – window unit – the heater in the bathroom came on. So she had her own little sauna.
I have to say at every meal, the wait staff worked like a fine oiled machine. They waited on about 235 people every meal and did an excellent job. All except one was ALWAYS kind, polite, courteous and professional. The chef, kitchen staff and waiters did an awesome job at each meal. The food was good, not great. After I read some of the reviews I was afraid to eat there but it was suitable. The tomato bisque and beef filet were my favorite.
I also have to add that the air conditioner-​which was a window unit – believe it or not – quit working. I notified the front desk and had a brand new one installed within a couple of hours.
For the price, we definitely didn’t get our money’s worth.

I would NEVER recommend this property for any occasion!
From the preplanning phase, to the arrival and execution of the supposed plan it was one huge headache after another. Basin Harbor clearly does not know how to deliver a quality hospitality product! The «resort» is in need of major updating and the rotted wood, worn fabrics, sloppy service, and lack of attention to detail is a major turn off.
Upon check-​in members of our group were given the wrong keys to the wrong cabins, the names were not correct on the reservations, meals were served that were consistently cold and undercooked, served freezer burned food, drink orders were not prepared as ordered, a live worm was found in one guest’s salad, running out of items on the menu, surly food servers, a flippant attitude to guests by the staff, insulting guests, not following through with plans and having to get the staff to do what they should have already had supervision and instruction to execute… it was a huge headache!
The chef was either not on the property during the 3 days we were there or he has no idea how to prepare and serve high quality food. Most of the meals were served cold and not prepared or plated in an attractive presentation. There are flies in all of their dining rooms and while attempting to have a white tablecloth dining experience you have to swat around your food to keep them from landing on your plate but no worries the buffet is a perfect landing site for the winged guests. The food was really awful in both of their outlets. The breakfast is buffet style with huge pans of eggs, meats, sloshy corned beef hash that sit getting rubbery and over cooked during the 3+hours of buffet time. The soup course for our private party was served cold and meals had to be sent back to the kitchen to be further cooked. Several of the entrees were inedible at dinner all three nights and there was never anyone even asking if there was a problem. Clearly when a guest does not eat their food you should at the least ask if there is a problem!
While hosting a private party I arrived at the agreed upon time to discover that the event had never been posted on the reader board and that the room had not even begun to be set up! The final touches were added to the room about 15minutes AFTER the guests has already arrived. It was a chaotic and unprofessional way to handle a planned event. The workers are clearly not to be held at fault it is the management or lack of management that is the problem. While it was a kind gesture to comp some of the wine served at the private party, we came to the resort to celebrate a significant event and it does not make up for the unprofessional experience from check in to check out. I didn’t contract to have discounts or comps made. I wanted what I had ordered delivered and I was willing to pay top prices to receive it.
One of the owners was the person making the supposed plans for the party and she never showed up once during the three and a half days that I was on property and never came to solve the problems that had arisen! This place has a problem from the top down. The surly servers and banquet staff are probably reflecting the lack of care to details that the supposed leadership has modeled to them.
As we drove away, our 23 year old child, who should be considered a future guest at this property said out loud, «See you again NEVER!» Enough said… Basin Harbor Club is not a property worth visiting.

Grounds are beautiful.
Older rooms need some tasteful updating — new rooms feel like a Marriott.
Our private-​function family dinner was sub-​par.
— Hot passed apps looked like they had been made hours ago, there was an oxidized crust on the top of most and they were certainly not hot.
— Service was very good.
— Dinners came to the table cold and tasteless — grilled ribeye was not even grilled and the vegetarian option looked like a strange glop of food. I never expect much from these large group dinners, but this was under-​seasoned and underwhelming across the board. Soup, salad, dessert — all mediocre at best.
NOTE: You will be charged for everything. One member of our party was only able to tube 15 minutes (of a 2 hour block) because the boat broke down. When he asked to have the 2 hour rental removed from bill on check out — they made sure they charged him for the 15 minutes were out there. TACKY! Can he charge them for having disappointed his kids?
Golf course was in great shape. Red Mill did a good job with our other group dinner.

Vintage atmosphere with updated savory cuisine. We recently visited Basin Harbor’s main restaurant twice in one week. The dinner was delicious across-​the-​board and the resident mixologist was a pro for cocktails. The service was highly efficient and timely. The gracious atmospherics were, needless to say, a capstone to the evening. Good to see a solid dress code in place. Five stars.

We walked in, drunk people wandering around telling us how inept the staff were. We got our room key, went upstairs and opened the door TO SOMEONE ELSE’S UNPACKED ROOM. They gave us a new room which was dirty and much smaller. We asked for a refund which they gave us, but a manager didn’t come out and apologize and that was the end of that. We had been traveling a long time to get there and were tired and extremely disappointed

This August will mark my family’s 22^nd consecutive year at BHC – it is truly the highlight of our year. We have a group of friends whom we met at Basin Harbor all those years ago, and continue to go with every year.
People are complaining about the lack of amenities in the cabins, like no TV and whatnot – Basin Harbor is about spending time out on the property, or on the lake, not watching TV in the cabins! It’s a family establishment, owned and operated for other families.
I wouldn’t miss our week here for the world!

Good food at a fair price in a delightful locale.

If you are looking for the ultimate Vermont experience paired with years of history, look no further! We were lucky enough to stay in one of the lakefront cabins which boasted beautiful views of the lake. The rooms were clean and roomy. The lake had tons of activities (boating, fishing, paddleboards, kayaks, etc) to enjoy the beautiful weather. We also were able to get a lesson from the Golf Pro and were completely WOW’d with how much our game improved on their gorgeous course.

Basin Harbor is a piece of heaven. The views of Lake Champlain and the NY Adirondacks are absolutely stunning any time of year and make an unbeatable backdrop for events (especially weddings!).
Food in the Main Dining Room is complimented by an extensive wine list and stunning panoramic views of the harbor. Menu changes seasonally based on local bounty and seasonal flavors. The restaurant is open to the public; which not many people know.
Golf is also superb down at Basin Harbor Club, no freeways or busy streets interrupting the peaceful game. The resort offers golf memberships at their public course.
The Red Mill is a casual gastro-​pub on the property as well; lots of local microbrews on tap and really good food. Must haves: stuffed oysters, Button Point sandwich, Basin Harbor Ale and Cheddar soup.

Great rooms (if you get the new ones), and excellent facilities — plus the friendliest staff!

Wake up people! What are you all talking about? This is an OLD hotel. We paid almost $ 600 for one night and for what?! Old, dirty cabin! My wife is a great dirt detector. If there’s a real smelly, dusty and dirty interior — she can hardly breath in it — and here she felt this after a few minutes inside our room/​cabin. We had a roach in. We had hair. The cabin stinks and is in such an old condition. I am not sure what people like about this place. I understand the lake front but no one should be allowed to operate an hotel in such a bad condition. The water faucet in the bathroom was making a very loud noise, and no, we didn’t report it — who cares when you come for one night and all you want to do is just get the hell out of there in the morning!!! There was no TV in the room. The almost $ 600 through
didn’t even include breakfast.
We have local family in Burlington and they said the same… so I urge people not to stay at this lousy hotel and, no, it is not personal and it is not emotional. It is just a very bad hotel!

This is a beautiful setting but a very tired property. The lake and outward appearance of the resort is very relaxing. However, the interior leaves a lot to be desired. The rooms were not clean, were very noisy (basically no insulation and hollow doors) and lacked the quality you would expect for the price.

Find your quintissential American, summer-​camp, teenage-​forbidden-​love, help falls for the rich-​girl movie (insert name here), take it and put it on the lake in VT and you have the Basin Harbor Club. It’s a step into a different world where rich folk fly the family up from New York for a month in a cabin on the lake. Complete with golf, croquet, tennis and tuxedo-​ed wait staff from Eastern Europe serving you in the well-​appointed main dining room. Men aged 12 and over are «strongly recommended» to wear jackets during dinner in the dining room in the summer.
There is an Adirondack chair every six feet, you can barely walk around the grounds without tripping over one.
The wife and I had a great time getting away for a night, and the location is really nice. Sunset to the west over the lake is worth sitting through (with a drink in your hand).
If you can get a good room-​meal deal it’s a better value. The food was good but two of our three meals were buffet-​style which leaves you feeling like you over-​paid for what is basically a fancy buffet.
Also, if you can rent them, the cabins (particularly the ones perched over the lake) seem to be the way to go. The rooms in the main lodge were tasteful and nice but rather small. To be expected at a place with pictures of the 1928 Fourth of July gathering hung in the lobby.

Beautiful location, needs help in the finer points of a resort
Basin Harbor has a wonderful location and a unique, camp-​like feel resort. It offers typical activities — tennis, golf, sailing, paddle boating, swimming, bicycling. However, for the price, it doesn’t have the extra attentiveness or concern for guest happiness that a place like this should. First off, no lifeguard??? No main maitre de at the dinner and instead, the entire dining staff is managed by a group of East Europeans who have just landed in this country. One gets the feeing that the owners are cutting corners of expenses at every turn. Upon our departure, we had to spend 15 minutes contesting the bill as we had been charged for things we didn’t do. I understand getting wrong expenses, but should it really take 15 minutes to figure out?

3 stars only because of the gorgeous view.
The staff was extremely polite.
Rooms? Not a fan at ALL. It legit felt like a trailer park.
I tried to go out at night at it honestly felt like a creepy ass ghost-​town. I also had to WHISPER at like 11 pm on the streets because my voice would echo too loud and it scared me.
If you do go, ask the lady at the front desk for «things to do»…she’ll hand you a 2 page printout and act is she gave you the winning lotto #‘s. One of the things one that printout was… do laundry (should give you an idea of what’s up… yaaaaaaaawn).
I did learn from a local that naked bicycyling is allowed which gave me that ever so warm and cozy feeling… you know, like when you fall in love.

I stayed here for a professional retreat. What a treat. Beautiful, clean lodgings, no TV, and gracious, vegan-​friendly meals, and attentive, expert staff. The beds were extremely comfortable — mattresses with plenty of give. (Too-​firm mattresses is a painful truth I’ve found at too many inns and hotels.)
What prevented me from giving 5 stars:
1. The central AC wouldn’t stay cool enough for me to sleep comfortably. I’d turn down the temperature, press On, and it would go on for only a few minutes. Yes, I should have called the desk. But I was there only two nights, and was so busy on my retreat I didn’t think of it until late at night.
2. The unmarked roads on the property and utter lack of lighting in the dark made it challenging to return to my lodgings. There was always a friendly staff member to help, but couldn’t we just have some lights and signs?

We recently purchased an overnight trip from
and were absolutely astounded by the value and quality of experience. We arrived with 3 dogs in tow because the property is blissfully dog friendly. There was a blip in our reservation process because it didn’t register that we were bringing dogs, and we were booked in a dog free building.
Now, mistakes happen, of course but, in the customer service business, mistake resolution can make or break your stay. At Basin Harbor, we were immediately ungraded to a lovely cottage which was dog friendly at no extra cost. Our cottage was situated on a quiet side of Lake Champlaign with a spectacular view and a pair of Adirondack chairs for our private use. The cottage was charming with many amenities and we easily got over the shock that we had no cell service or TV.
In fact, we found the place to be completely magical. We had dinner in the Main Dining Room which presented one of the best meals we have had in recent memory. The atmosphere suggested Old World elegance circa 1940, with Frank Sinatra alternating with Swing Music over the sound system. It felt wonderful to dress for dinner, and the service and food were exemplary.
I loved the Main Dining Room so much that we had breakfast there in the morning. Even though I hate buffets, this buffet boasted some of the best breakfast fare I have ever had! Everything was fresh and all the jams were homemade. Flawless omelets were prepared to our special order.
We checked out at 11 am, and found that we were able to take our dogs everywhere, so we stayed the full day and rented a power boat to cruise Lake Champlain. After we took the complimentary cruise on the Escape, we had our bearings and felt confident enough to explore on our own. We had a fantastic time and can’t wait to return for a longer stay.

Basin harbor is heaven on earth for me and my family! I have been there every single year of my life for a two week summer vacation.
All the rooms are beautiful, many of them with a lake view. The grounds are very well maintained– there are so many beautiful gardens. There is a new fitness center, great day camp programs for kids, the lake, the pool, the tennis courts, the golf course. The food is amazing!!! And after dinner you can head over to the red mill for drinks an dancing.
The service is so attentive and accommodating. It is all about the guest at BHC. Just call the front desk and they will have the answer or get it for you.
BHC has been home to so many of my family’s greatest memories. I would recommend it to anyone– newlyweds, families, older couples, young kids, older kids. There is really something for everyone!

We vacation here every year. Great family atmosphere. Jeremy the nature guide is the best. Eat at black sheep in vergennes if you go.

This restaurant is a key part of the entire Basin Harbor Club which is a full service historic resort with a golf course, tennis and it’s own marina. A unique feature is the runway on resort property that allows visitors to fly their own plane in. It is also the site of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
The resort is very expensive, costing several hundred dollars a day per person. It sits on it’s own scenic portion of the southeast shore of Lake Champlain and is about an hour south of Burlington.
Restaurant Review:
The restaurant sits above Basin Harbor with panoramic views of the harbor and lake Champlain. Truly an exceptionally scenic setting for dinner (the only meal available in their main dining room). In a pretentious attempt to be old fashioned and introduce civilization into the woods, they require men to wear a coat and tie for dinner.
This beautiful and elegant setting is home to the absolute worst upscale restaurant I have ever eaten at. This poor rating is not attributable to a single bad experience but is the result of one or two visits annually for more than 10 years.
The menu is based on selecting a dinner among a small group of options with a fixed price for the dinner (prices are high, more than $ 50 but are not printed). They will sometimes bring you your choice of a few very bland rolls before your meal but they don’t get around to this close to half the time in my experience. The salad that comes with the meal is served on a plate the size of a small saucer and I have counted at times less than ten small pieces of lettuce being included. Don’t plan on filling up on the salad!
The main courses are hopelessly unimaginative and bland and also very small. Side dishes are hardly more interesting than rice or a steamed vegetable.
The resort prides itself on maintaining an international flavor through recruiting staff from a variety of countries. One possible down side to this very good idea is that too frequently the wait staff have trouble communicating and especially with a special order. I have attempted repeatedly over the years to make a special request and not once have they been able to get even the simplest request right (e.g. substitute fries for a baked potato).
The food is really terrible. The service really could hardly be any worse. It is extraordinarily expensive and pretentious. Still, the view from the restaurant is great and part of me still enjoys and looks forward to returning to this setting. I keep hoping that the owners will be able to make some changes that could begin to make a difference in this beautiful and historic setting.