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The Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

The Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire's White Mountains dates to 1902. Mt. Washington Hotel Pennsylvania coal and rail magnate Joseph Stickney built the stately white hotel, employing some 250 Italian artisans to create, among other things, the exceptionally ornate plasterwork that still decorates the lobby, ballroom, and octagonal dining room. Renovated now after falling on hard times, the National Historic Landmark once again lures guests with its 900-foot wraparound verandah, four-course dinners, and full suite of resort facilities, including an 18-hole Donald Ross golf course, red clay tennis courts, swimming pools, horseback riding, and hiking trails.

The hotel had courts at the time it opened and achieved tennis notoriety as the first site of the Volvo International Tournament in 1972 (an event that subsequently moved to North Conway's Cranmore Racquet Club and then on to Stratton before ending up in New Haven, where it was subsequently replaced by the Pilot Pen). Some of the rooms bear names of such former guests as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, and Roy Emerson, all of whom played in the Volvo event.

Three decades earlier, in 1944, the hotel made history when the representatives of 44 nations met there for the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference. Known as the Bretton Woods Conference, this historic meeting established the American dollar as the backbone or benchmark of international exchange, pegging it to gold at $35/ounce. The Gold Room where they met is now cordoned off and except for new carpet looks much as it did then. That conference also led to the establishment of the International Monetary Fund. During that historic summer, the hotel never opened to outside guests, the U.S. Government having taken it over for the entire season (only one other summer since 1902 has the hotel not opened and that was following the Depression).

Overview

The resort sits on 2,500 acres in the White Mountain National forest in a ring of forested peaks. The tallest of these is 6,288-foot Mt. Washington, New England's loftiest. It is renowned for its windy summit where conditions are more arctic than temperate. The Ammonoosuc River flows past the hotel separating the knoll it sits on from the meadow beyond, where 10 of the 12 red-clay courts are located.

Tennis Features

Pro Shop: 603-278-8912

Although the hotel has a solid pro in Tom Over, I've never seen the courts very busy, which is sad given the beauty of red clay in this setting. Tennis does now have a pro shop, one it shares with the activities center, and a full range of clothing, equipment, and services, like restringing. Although the hotel has a solid pro in Tom Over, I've never seen the courts very busy, which is sad given the beauty of red clay in this setting. Tennis does now have a pro shop, one it shares with the activities center, and a full range of clothing, equipment, and services, like restringing.

Tennis Staff. Tennis director Tom Over started playing in junior high and high school in Massachusetts where he grew up and later played satellite events in Florida. His resume includes teaching at clubs in New Hampshire, for Laver-Emerson Tennis Holidays on Hilton Head Island (at Palmetto Dunes Resort), at the Tennis Club of Palm Beach, and since 1985 at the Jupiter Island Club in winter and Mt. Washington in summer.
Tennis Programs. Over runs basic 1-hour clinics daily for adults and others for juniors, supplementing those with private lessons and sessions for stronger juniors (like those on high school teams), sometimes bringing in local junior players as well. "There are so many things to do here that people come up, play some tennis, and then go off to take advantage of the other activities," notes Over. "We do some round robins in late July and August when there are more players. We also set up matches, using employees and other guests. People like it up here. It's nice and relaxed." New on his calendar is a late Friday afternoon "Tennis Gathering," which gives guests who've just checked in a chance to hit with Over and to meet other players.
Courts & Fees. The campus of 12 brick-red courts fans out behind the hotel. One court is potentially a stadium, carved into the hillside below the hotel with a bandstand alongside. Another, used as the teaching court, lies just below the verandah adjacent to the outdoor swimming pool. The remaining ten sprawl across a meadow beyond the Ammonoosuc River. Court Fees: $10/hour for resort guests; $14/hour for the public.

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Other Recreation

Golf Courses. The resort has 27 holes of golf altogether. That includes the original 18 holes designed by Donald Ross. Its front nine is relatively level and open, while the back 9 is hillier and more exacting. The 2nd and 18th holes cross the Ammonoosuc River. Par 71. Length: 6,543 yards from the championship tees. There is also a relatively new Mt. Pleasant 9-hole course and an 18-hole practice putting green.

And ... The hotel has two swimming pools, one indoor and heated, the other outdoor. Both are original to the hotel. There is also a sauna and Jacuzzi, an equestrian center, carriage rides, guided hikes, bike rentals (and guided mountain-bike trips), historical tours of the hotel and property, croquet, volleyball, fishing, and a video arcade and game room. The hotel is a short drive from coal-burning Mt. Washington Cog Railway, which goes to the top of Mt. Washington.

Children's Programs

Children are encouraged and the hotel runs a dedicated program for those ages 5-12. It goes on from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and again from 6-9 p.m., seven days a week. There are also daytime babysitters available for those younger than 5. The daily activities include field trips, making cookies and ice cream with chef, tennis lessons, daily swimming, fishing in river, nature program, and arts & crafts. The evening program has kids eat early and then takes them to a movie. There is also a children's playground.

Lodging

Rooms in the hotel tend to be old fashioned. Most have newer carpeting, bedspreads, and curtains though some of the furniture appeared worn when I stayed there. Bathrooms, too, are old-fashioned with clawfoot tubs (now fitted with shower ovals) and old sinks. On the other hand, many have huge walk-in closets. The smallest, called classic, can only comfortably accommodate two people and tend to be rather spartanly appointed. The best have mountain views. A few have been renovated and now have upgraded bathrooms with modern tubs, tile showers, tile (as opposed to carpeted) floors. Some rooms have decorative fireplaces. All now have televisions.

The rooms are all designed to interconnect, so it's easy to create family suite with one room containing a double bed on one side of bath, and another room with two twins on opposite side. There is also a Presidential Suite, which is not truly a suite but a very large room with two queensize beds, a small bath, and a decorative fireplace. The so-called Renaissance rooms have kingsize beds, some with very old bath fixtures like tank toilets and marble sinks. Of original 280 rooms in main hotel, only 177 are available for rent (some were combined to make larger rooms, others house employees).

Restaurants

Guests have the option of dining in main dining room (which has live entertainment and dancing to five-piece band) from a menu that may have saut&#eacute;ed breast of chicken with artichokes, honey macadamia-crusted tuna, or broiled tenderloin with shrimp brochette supplemented by two health conscious low-fat, low-cholesterol choices like vegetable Wellington. Guests are assigned a table for the duration of their stay and thus have the same wait staff each night. That room requires a jacket but the smaller Bretton Arms Dining Room, while as elegant and without entertainment, does not, and neither does the family-oriented Darby's Restaurant in the Bretton Woods Motor Inn (rustic; sandwiches to full dinners).

Afterward, there is entertainment in The Cave, an old speakeasy, which is one of six lounges. Kids and families can head for the Cranberry Creamery, an ice cream shop.

Travel Essentials

Seasons. Although the hotel is open year-round, tennis season runs roughly from Memorial Day to the third week in October, with activity reaching a peak from July into September.

Rates. Rates at the hotel include accommodations, breakfast, and a four-course dinner daily. In addition to the basic standard and superior rooms, there are options of Corner Vistas and several types of suites. Unless otherwise indicated, rates quoted here are per person, double occupancy. They are subject to 8% NH Rooms and Meals tax.


	Summer 2006	Rooms: $145-$525. Suites: $455-$1,750

Reservations:

Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods
Route 302
Bretton Woods, NH 03575
603-278-1000
Toll-free: 800-314-1752
Fax: 603-278-8838
Web Link: The Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods

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Travel Instructions. The hotel is 90 miles from Portland, Maine, 165 miles from Boston, and 330 miles from New York City. Exact driving directions from these and other cities are available on the resort's web site.

General Tourist Information. Visit the New Hampshire Office of Travel & Tourism web site or contact them at 172 Pembroke, P.O. Box 1856, Concord, NH 03302. Phone: 603-271-2343 or 800-FUN-IN-NH.