The summer of 2022 has been hot. Like a step-outside-and-you-immediately-start-sweating level of hot. Can you relate? Now… imagine that instead of stepping out into humid stickiness, you step out into the warm sunlight and feel a crisp, low-humidity breeze. Imagine that the air is clean. You need long-sleeve shirts to be comfortable outside at night because the air is that cool and refreshing. Everything is green, because the sun hasn’t burnt it to a crisp. The skies are a breathtaking blue. Also… you’re at a killer resort with a water park, an award-winning golf course, and a jaw-dropping view. Imagine that the staff is phenomenal (like the song from the musical Annie, “I think I’m gonna like it here” level of attention and kindness). The cherry on top? This sounds-too-good-to-be-true-but-actually-exists-in-real-life summer getaway won’t even break the bank. It will cost you less than a motel room in Ocean City, New Jersey. Welcome, my friends, to Jay Peak Resort in Vermont.
Note: This is NOT a sponsored post. We just loved it there that much. That said, to the Jay Peak staff: Feel free to invite us back for a sponsored stay!
Prior to spending the July 4th weekend at Jay Peak Resort in Vermont, USA, we actually hadn’t visited Vermont yet with the kiddos. I actually hadn’t even been to Vermont since I was a kid. When I think about Vermont, my mind goes immediately to “skiing.” (And Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, obviously). Also, I’m not much of a skier… so to be honest, Vermont hasn’t been at the top of my bucket list.
Enter the middle of June 2022, and I was itching to travel. I began my deep-dive “where can we road trip to in a few weeks for the holiday weekend” search on the internet, and I stumbled upon ski resorts. During the summer! Huh… ski resorts in the summer? YES. As it turns out, many ski resorts offer fantastic deals in the summer, with all the warm-weather opportunities being on the side of a mountain bring with it. Ding ding ding! We were on to something. Except… I was not feeling most of the resorts I stumbled upon. Resort after resort, I would find pictures of rooms with dated furniture, poor reviews, and suspect dining options at/around the resort during the summer. That was until I stumbled upon Jay Peak. I was quickly sold, and booked within the hour.
We’re about seven hours by car from Jay Peak, but we decided to make a road trip out of our journey North, taking two days for the drive and making multiple stops. It’s not a terrible trek from Northeastern Pennsylvania by any means, although the further North you drive, the less you’re driving on what we think of as traditional “highways,” instead slowing down for what we think of more as “routes.”
The Rooms at Jay Peak Resort / Hotel Jay
We stayed in a one-bedroom suite, which was the perfect amount of space for our family of four. My husband and I shared the bedroom, and my kids slept in the living room, taking turns between the traditional couch (not couch bed) and the Murphy bed. (My kids have accurately determined that they can not share a bed without it turning into a cage match). Extra sheets for the couch were quickly delivered by the same person who checked us in, who was lovely. For a family of four, the one-bedroom suite is absolutely worth the price, and a studio would have likely felt cramped. With ski season in mind, our suite had tons of hooks for coats/gear, and a mud room. That’s right. Our bedroom suite had a mud room. We also had a small kitchen! The room was clean and well-appointed. The balcony was large, and ran the length of the bedroom and living room.
Did I mention the views are ridiculous? We sat outside to have our coffee every morning, and cocktails every night. We watched several sets of fireworks from our balcony on the 4th of July, and we even saw some Canada Day fireworks that same weekend!
There are several options of places to stay at Jay Peak, but we chose the Hotel Jay. (This is the building where the main check-in desk is located, as well as the pool and water park. The convenience of this building is huge, and I highly recommend you stay here if possible).
The breezeway (connecting buildings) provided cool views of the mountains. We imagined this would be awesome in the winter.
There’s a Family Room not far from the lobby. This would be a cool place to hang out if you’re with a big group, without being cramped in someone’s hotel room.
The Wi-Fi was even decent: 20Mbps+ up and down!. (Granted, the resort also had less guests than normal, and certainly less than in the winter… but these are still solid Wi-Fi speeds for a hotel!)
During the summer at least, Parking is easy! You leave your car in the lot right in front of the hotel. With everything you need right on site, it really is a nice experience to be able to park and leave your car alone for a couple of days. We parked on Friday and didn’t get the car again until Monday, when we took a drive to Newport. You can have some cocktails, and not worry about having to drive anywhere.
The Pump House Indoor Waterpark at Jay Peak Resort
We had a blast at the water park! We purchased our wristbands for the waterpark that same day, but I ran and did this immediately after coffee, which was 100% the right call. I was able to wait in line, sign waivers, etc., all while my kids and husband watched cartoons in our room. Score. When we were ready later that day, we waltzed right into the water park.
The water park is covered by glass, and natural light fills the space. There are several zones of the water park: several slides, a pool with a basketball hoop and rock climbing wall, a kids area, a hot tub, a wave-riding experience to test your boogie boarding/surfing skills, and a lazy river. (The lazy river was closed when we went, but there was still plenty to keep us busy). There is also a bar inside the water park, in the event that you’d like a cocktail. (These were our favorite cocktails at Jay Peak!) This was the first time we had been on water slides since we were kids ourselves, and we had SO much fun doing this with our kids. They couldn’t get enough of it!
We had a blast playing in the water (or having a cocktail by the water) with our kids. I’d highly recommend allocating at least one day to the water park during your stay!
The Outdoor Pool at Jay Peak
The outdoor pool is available to all hotel guests. The pool is fine and has a lifeguard on duty. It was a little chilly, but not unbearable. The floor of the pool is somewhat abrasive, and both my husband and daughter sliced their feet on the bottom of the pool, requiring some minor first aid.
Dining / Restaurants at Jay Peak
During the summer months, the dining options are still limited, but tasty! We’d recommend you BYOB to the hotel, as the cocktails were a bit more hit/miss (and expensive). You can either bring some beverages from home, or pick some up in Vermont. (Alcohol is fairly easy to find in Vermont. You can even pick up booze at the gas stations! This is not the case in Pennsylvania, where we are from).
The Clubhouse food was pretty good! I placed a to-go order on the 4th of July, which we enjoyed in the room after the kids went to sleep.
Miso Hungry was great. Honestly… this is the best ramen I’ve ever had. It was a hit with our entire family, and we made a couple stops here over the course of our trip.
The pizza place was ok… fairly typical pizza, nothing to get excited about, but fine if you’re craving it or want something fast. The website did not list as the pizza place as being open (even though it was), so do check if there’s no mention of it.
The Foundry was our favorite meal at Jay Peak. The food was awesome. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:
The Aerial Tram at Jay Peak Resort
The aerial tram was spectacular. The staff member who took us up the mountain in the tram was very friendly, and answered all of our questions. The views were incredible. (There are also a variety of hikes to/around the summit, but we did not attempt). They normally run the tram every half hour in the summer time, but on the day we went up, it was every 15 minutes. The attendant said this was likely because it was closed the day before (due to wind), and there was a wedding that night, so wedding guests may have prioritized doing this earlier in the day. It was $60 for all four of us, and we felt it was well worth it.
Jay Peak Merchandise / Supplies / Groceries
Although there is a grocery store in town, Jay Peak has a store on site with a decent variety of supplies, at surprisingly reasonable prices! We were able to snag yogurt, cereal, toiletries, and other things we thought of after we arrived. Additionally, they have fantastic merchandise! So obviously, we bought a ton of it, spending way too much money. Bear with me though… First of all, their designs were nier than most places we’ve been (National Parks, etc). The clothing has a Patagonia kind of feel… and Patagonia like prices. There are nice choices for styles and colors. We’ve never spent so much on souvenirs… but we all got hoodies!!
A Quick Day Tip to Newport
On July 4th, we spent part of the day visiting Newport, Vermont. Newport is a cute, tiny town about 30 minutes from Jay Peak by car. It’s situated right on the water, is quiet, clean, and has some of the best Thai food I have ever had! We brought some kites along for the kiddos, and flew them down by the water (…until one disconnected from the handle).
Husband’s Review:
“It was a beautiful setting, with a very nice suite and accommodations. There were nice color choices and material choices. A great balcony, and great view. Pleasant and friendly staff! There were plenty of things to do for all members of the family. The water park was great. I had not been on a water slide since being a teenager, and I forgot how fun they were. It was super fun to do it with our kids to see their reactions… Although it was less fun to run up three flights of stairs each time we did it… but it was worth it!”
One thing my husband LOVED about visiting Jay Peak in the summer: It wasn’t crazy crowded. Ski lodges in the northeast in the summer are an introverts paradise!! As an extrovert, I still could appreciate the quiet and calm, but it was truly restorative for my introvert husband, in a way that busier vacation destinations simply are not. To both of us, it felt like a truly relaxing weekend. Our extended weekend felt like a week!
Four Year Old Son’s Review of Jay Peak Resort:
“I thougt the water park was fun, and I loved it! I loved swimming. I liked the water slides… I had fun playing with the water slides, going fast was super fun. I liked the blue slide the best.” There was nothing he didn’t like about the water park or the hotel.
Seven Year Old Daughter’s Review of Jay Peak Resort:
“I liked it!! I loved the water park, and and the room was cool. I liked the unfolding bed, and the look of the room. My favorite place we ate was the ramen stand. I was scared at first by the aerial tram but then I loved it.” She said there was nothing she didn’t like about Jay Peak.
Kids Come With Rating of Jay Peak Resort:
Obviously, five stars!!!! We loved Jay Peak. Two months later, our kids talk about it all the time. “When are we going back to Jay Peak?” When asked what they did this past summer, “We went to Jay Peak!” It was a great family trip. If you’re within a day’s driving distance from Jay Peak, and you’re trying to figure out a vacation destination with gorgeous weather and an amazing view… Look no further.
