WHERE TO STAY | MY GUIDE TO THE WHITE MOUNTAINS: OMNI MOUNT WASHINGTON
Updated: 5 days ago
This Valentine's Day weekend, Ryan and I decided to take a trip to the White Mountains to go skiing and have a romantic getaway. We headed one and a half hours east to New Hampshire's premiere ski resort, Bretton Woods, for a day on the mountain and an overnight stay at the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort. It was our first time in the White Mountains, and let me just mention, they are STUNNING!
The resort is just as spectacular as the views of the Presidential Range that it exhibits. To visit the Omni Mount Washington is like time-travelling back to the railroad-era of the early 1900s. You can almost close your eyes and picture the wealthy families that journeyed by train from nearby Boston and Portland being brought up the long driveway to the hotel via horse and carriage. The drive up to the hotel really is something to be seen in itself! As you approach the entrance, you can take in just how grand the property truly is.
The Mount Washington Hotel, as it was originally named, was constructed between 1900 and 1902 by Joseph Stickney, a wealthy coal broker, at a cost of $1.7 million, which would be valued at nearly $53 million today. Stickney brought in hundreds of Italian artisans to complete the hotel and add the granite and stucco masonry that still exists today. Unfortunately, within a year of the opening of the hotel Joseph Stickney passed away, but his wife, Carolyn Stickey, would spend the next decade summering at the hotel and adding to its grandeur and history.
Over the next forty years the hotel saw the arrival of World War I, Prohibition, the Great Depression, and World War II, and even briefly closed before being purchased by a Boston syndicate in 1944. That very year is perhaps the most historically significant, as the hotel served as the site of an International Monetary Conference in 1944, with 44 delegates from around the world present. The meeting resulted in the establishment of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
The hotel has also hosted many celebrities and world leaders over the years, and is a favorite retreat for presidents and poets alike. It is one of the last surviving Grand Hotels in the White Mountains and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. For the first century of its existence, the hotel would close to guests late in the fall and open in the spring, with the first guests starting the Grandfather Clock to signal the beginning of the summer season. On the final day, the last guests to leave would stop the pendulum until the next season began. FUN FACT: The original clock still stands in the lobby, tucked to the left of the giant fieldstone fireplace (one of my favorite spots to get cozy in the enormous Great Hall that serves as the hotel lobby)! This all changed in 1999 when the hotel opened for its first winter season and became a haven for skiers heading to Bretton Woods Resort!
After a fun afternoon of skiing, Ryan and I journeyed to the resort and checked into our luxury room in the new expansion of the Presidential Wing. I featured a room tour on my Instagram story, which you can find in my New Hampshire highlight – and be sure to check out how amazing the view from our balcony was! Since our stay was on Super Bowl Sunday, after getting settled in we headed down to their Super Bowl party, which was complete with all the classic game day appetizers! Once the game was over, we went to Stickney's for a delicious dinner of Lobster Mac & Cheese and Filet Mignon! YUM! We also got to take advantage of both the indoor and outdoor pool areas before we checked out on Monday morning.
With beautiful mountain views, incredible restaurants, unique, cozy pubs, and a ton of amenities, the Omni Mount Washington is the perfect place to stay on your visit to the White Mountains. We will definitely be visiting again to experience it in the Summer and Fall seasons! I can only imagine how beautiful the property looks during fall foliage! Let me know if you end up visiting! xoxo. Alexandra
Our stay at the Omni Mount Washington Resort and our lift tickets at Bretton Woods Ski Resort were comped in exchange for the blog and social media coverage we provided. However, I am not being compensated for this post. Thank you to the Omni Mount Washington and Bretton Woods Ski Resort for hosting us!
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