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The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel Dixie Notch, NH 03576 |
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The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel is a magnificent 15,000 acre private
estate located high in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Since 1866,
The Balsams has been welcoming resort guests to Dixville Notch and
providing them with all-inclusive American plan hospitality. Today
guests visit during two distinct seasons of the year. In winter The
Balsams Wilderness is known as "one of the twelve poshest ski hotels
in the world." During the summer this classic destination resort
provides guests with 27 holes of golf; tennis; swimming in a heated
pool and a private lake; boating and fishing; annotated trail systems
for walking, hiking, climbing and mountain biking; a natural history
program with guided tours; three rooms of live entertainment; plus,
a variety of events to include lectures, parlor games, concerts, movies
and night club shows. The choice-of-menu table d'hote dining celebrates
a award-winning cuisine and wine cellar renowned in the resort
world. The Balsams American plan is the ultimate vacation. One rate covers it all from early morning exercise to the last dance of the evening. Guests freely enjoy the facilities, programs, and accommodations that are provided with personal care by a staff which outnumbers guests. Guest service at The Balsams is considerate and friendly. The Balsams has operated continuously since opening as the Dix House - a rustic and charming twenty-five room inn established by local innkeeper, George Parsons. Built just after the Civil War, the original inn honored the name of the town's founding father and first landowner, Colonel Timothy Dix. A ptriot of the American Revolution, Dix lost his life in battle during the War of 1812. His attorney and business partner, Daniel Webster, took over Dix's land holdings in 1813. Webster sponsored the town's first settlers, the Whittemore family. These hardy pioneers shared their hearth and home with the wayfarers on the old Coos Trail through Dixieville Notch. Weary travelers were refreshed by the Whittemore's home-style hospitality. Their quaint, personal kind of innkeeping was a common style of accommodation on the early New England Frontier. This generous family-style accommodation of overnight guests evolved naturally into a more sophisticated destination resort hospitality - soon popular throughout the land and known as "the American plan." In the late 19th century, the White Mountains developed into a summer resort mecca for the burgeoning number of urban dwellers who sought respite, relaxation, recreation, and renewal from their workday lives. In his 1869 White Mountain Guide, S.C. Eastman cites an earlier explorer's prophetic description - Dr. Jackson…speaks of the Dixville Notch as more Alpine in its character than any other pass of our New England mountains, and predicts that its grandeur will yet make it a place of large resort. In 1895 a wealthy Philadelphia inventor and industrialist, Harry S. Hale, purchased the Dix House (where he had been a longtime summer guest) and renamed it The Balsams. Hale's creative spirit was prolific, and he steadily expanded and enhanced the resort's facilities and accommodations. Under Hale's able direction, The Balsams was soon accorded "grand resort" status. By 1918 Hale realized his final vision for The Balsams with the completion of the Hampshire House - still called the "new wing." This elegant addition effectively doubled the overnight capacity of the resort to 400 guests. Today full-house guest numbers remain unchanged. There is no condominium or second home development on the property - at The Balsams, a guest is the focus of attention. Since 1866, the resort has had only six owners. The current hosts have been in place since 1971. As former seasonal employees, they practice a distinctive style of hands-on management. Staff members are largely native to the area and have many years of experience here. They oblige guests with friendly, considerate service. Unlike modern hotels, each guest room at The Balsams has its own ambience. The décor throughout the hotel is gracious, and planned carefully in keeping with New England tradition. The Balsams has been recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America's treasured historic hotels. The managing partners measure success by the rate at which guests' return. Guests cite three primary reasons why they "come home" to the Notch so frequently: (1) the value afforded by the all-inclusive American plan; (2) the capable staff and courteous service; (3) the superb food. Dining at The Balsams is a priority of guests and staff alike. Chef Phil Learned, CEA-ACC, one of the four managing partners, pursues the traditions of American plan food service and concentrates on the quality of each guests' meal. Chef Learned's menus are international in scope but traditionally American in execution. He features fresh native fruits and vegetables, meats and fish. The culinary brigade numbers more than 100 dining and kitchen personnel. The Balsams culinary apprenticeship program is recognized to be among the best of its kind. The apprentices and professional chefs regularly bring home prizes and medals from regional, national, and international competitions. Three choice-of-the-menu meals are complimentary to registered guests for each night of the stay. Since 1897, golf has been a favorite guest activity at The Balsams. Legendary golf architect, Donald Ross, built upon the resort's early experiment with golf by designing The Panorama 18-hole course in 1912. Ross personally supervised the construction of this 6,804 yard layout high on the western side of Keyser Mountain. The course is a scenic masterpiece. The holes flow naturally over the mountainside and feature Ross' signature elements, such as: deceptively wide fairways with few level lies; small roundish greens, frequently domed, and devilishly difficult: and fescue-walled sand bunkers that serve more as visual obstacles than as actual hazards. This golf course is unforgettable yet it presents a new experience forevery golfer. Guests talk about it all year long. The 9-hole executive course, The Coashaukee, is right next to the Hotel and makes for a perfect quick warm-up round or a just-right challenge for beginners and high hacicappers. A golf shop and PGA professional staff can be found at each location. Golf programs include a seasonal golf school, individual instruction throughout the summer, occasional golf clinics, tournaments, and contests. The facilities and services include a fleet of power rental cars, rental clubs, cleaning and storage, a wide selection of equipment and clothing for ladies and gentlemen, a practice range and three practice greens, and a magnificent full-service club house. Please, inquire about tee time reservations and special requirements regarding children on the course. A dress code is maintained for all golfers. Play on both courses is complimentary to all guests. The Balsams also has celebrated its centennial season of tennis as a major guest activity. The 1896 summer brochure pictures several guests enjoying "tennis on the lawn." Today there are three well-maintained red clay courts located on the grounds. The USPTA professional staff offers a host of programs and services including tennis clinics, private instruction, racquet rental and repair, match-making services, tournaments, and occasional exhibitions. A comfortable and full-service tennis shop, where fashionable clothing and equipment are on display, is situated right next to the courts. Court time may be reserved after arrival. A dress code is maintained for all players. Play is complimentary to registered guests. Larger than Manhattan Island, The Balsams resort covers more than twenty-five square miles and varies more than 2,000 feet in elevation. The rugged terrain ranges from sheer 800 foot cliffs to rolling countryside. The professional trailmaster and staff maintain a marvelous network of trails for walking, hiking, climbing, and mountain biking. The bike trail system includes over 50 km of well-marked and non-motorized annotated trails. The foot trail system offers over 40 km of scenic trails, safe, well-marked and annotated. The bike shop offers a knowledgeable staff; equipment for rent or sale, expert repair service, and overnight storage. Mountain biking guided tours are conducted regularly. Trail use is complimentary to registered guests. Wildlife abounds in this neck of the woods. The Dixville notch region features an extraordinarily diverse ecosystem. The staff naturalist offers a comprehensive program for all levels of interest and ability, including: casual walks, exhilarating hikes, and challenging climbs; outside and inside group discussions and learning sessions; picnic tours; bird and moose watches; and stargazing. The focus is always on the rich natural heritage of this northern forest area. See the wonders of bears, deer, moose, peregrine falcons, loons, and the great American bald eagle. Learn about the dynamic geological and archeological origins of Dixville Notch. Discover rare wild flowers, boreal plants and the great diversity of trees growing in the wilderness all around. Enjoy the beauty of The Balsams gardens. Natural history programs on these 15,000 acres are complimentary to registered guests. Camp Wind Whistle is a professionally managed program of supervised events and activities for young guests ages five to thirteen. Safety, fun, and adventure are in store for every camper. The program operates from breakfast through dinner, seven days a week throughout the summer social season. All guest campers participate within peer groups and follow exciting daily schedules of age-appropriate activities, such as: hikes, games, crafts, tours, scavenger hunts, farm visits, picnics, family events, sports, boat rides, swimming, nature programs, movies and much, much, much more. Most activities are based at the children's playroom and playground areas. Attendance is voluntary for each morning and afternoon session. Campers may choose to dine with their counselors in the dining room. As a special attraction for een younger children, ages three and four, Camp Wee Whistle operates for a limited period at the beginning of the summer social season. Children's programs are complimentary to registered guests. Lake Gloriette is a 32-acre spring-fed body of water that has reflected and enhanced The Balsams image perfectly since its development in 1898. The lake is regularly stocked with trout, and guests may flyfish without a New Hampshire license. A fleet of rowboats, canoes, and paddleboats is available for guest use. Swimming in the lake is bracing. A large outdoor heated pool is located at lakeside. Lifeguards and waterfront attendants are on duty during operating hours. Additional activities and facilities at the waterfront include badminton, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, croquet, bocce, shuffleboard, and bicycles. Use of all waterfront facilities is complimentary to all registered guests. Every day an ever-changing selection of activities and events is posted by the energetic recreation staff. Guests are often eager to see what they will find on the daily list. A host of activities, games and contests, family events, tours, crafts and culinary demonstrations, and wine-tastings are offered. There are several shops and boutiques at The Balsams and many more in neighboring communities. The billiards parlor, the supervised game room, the library, and the television room all provide particular pleasures for guests. Of course, numerous nooks and secluded spots can be found easily for reflection, reading or quiet conversation. Whatever the choice of activity, it is complimentary to registered guests. At The Balsams there are always more things for guests to do than time to do them. There are three rooms of live entertainment nightly throughout the summer social season. Guests frequently have to choose among a six piece orchestra and singer for music and dancing in the ballroom, a visiting professional nightclub performer, an upbeat combo in the lounge, cozy piano music on the patio, and a wide-screen movie in the theater - all that on most every night. Plus, there are after-dinner concerts, a chamber music program, visiting speakers, and lots of special events. Evening entertainment activities are complimentary to registered guests. |
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