The Equinox Resort in Manchester, VT is one of my favorite places to be, with or without kids. When it was just the two of us, I wanted somewhere to go to get out of Brooklyn and hike. I wasn’t in the market for a family friendly hotel. I just wanted somewhere with clean air and a slower place, and the Equinox is what we found. We didn’t know much; in fact, we didn’t even read any an Equinox Resort Vermont review. But you see, my husband knows how to work magic with points and Starwood/Marriott is one of his preferred groups.

Now, that was way before kids, and back then when it was just the two of us, it was amazing. It was nights sitting by the fire, sipping wine. Easy and difficult hikes through Mount Equinox, which was right out the back door. It was live music at The Falcon Bar and long, sunny days golfing. That was then, though.

These days? Well it isn’t just the two of us, so how has my relationship with this property changed? To begin with, the hotel has changed. Or I have changed. Or maybe I’d like to think this hotel and I have changed together. In essence it is still the same place, but the clientele seems quite different. Or at least I pay attention to different types of clientele. We used to just be a couple, and we’d see other couples all around. Now I see kids, families, spread out through the hotel. Is it them? Or is it me? Or maybe, just maybe, it really is both of us.

Family-Focused Amenities

In speaking with a member of the Equinox Resort Vermont staff in 2016, I was told that since a new manger came onto the scene, the hotel has been working towards having a more family friendly presence. What this means is that they are trying out a variety of new programs aimed at kids and that it’s important to ask what’s available to your children while you’re there. Some of these programs may be just during certain weekends, some seasonal, and others phased out or replaced.

One of the most important additions is the Equinox Explorer’s Club, designed for children ages 4-12 in all day or half day programs (this isn’t offered every day and the hotel recommends making reservations). The Club keeps little people occupied with a number of activities such as taking the kids to the Land Rover test track and let them drive the Mini Land Rovers on a special course. While we were there, the Club took the explorers apple picking. It seems the activities depend upon season and interest.

Update: During our most recent visit to the Equinox Resort Vermont in the summer of 2018, the Explorer’s Club wasn’t running. The concierge assured me that the intentions of the hotel were to have the Club as an ongoing option, but that they had a turnover in employees working with the program and had yet to find anyone they felt was qualified to run the program. So, I suggest reaching out to the hotel directly to see if the program is running and available if it is a must have in order to enjoy your time here.

One of the family-friendly amenities that the Equinox offers is, fortunately, still available. And that incredibly special item is a tee pee that is put in the room for the little ones to play. For my little ones, this means they each have their own bed. The hotel has 20 teepees and they don’t advertise them, so they’re usually available upon request. My little ones insist on sleeping in them, which is sort of amazing because they’re so excited to be in them, they actually are thrilled to go to sleep. And it stays sort of dark in there, so they actually stay asleep. On our last stay, during turn down service, they even each found a little chocolate on their teepee pillow.

Outside of sleep though, the hotel has perfect grounds for the little ones to get out whatever energy they have left from the day. In the back corner of the hotel grounds, right at the entrance to the Equinox Preserve, is a large playground with soft, rubber mulch surrounding it. When we’re staying, you can be guaranteed to see our three littles climbing all over it at least twice a day. By the third day I always think to myself they have to be over this playground by now. But guess what? They never are. And the beauty of it being set back in the corner? Our little people get to run through open spaces to get there. It’s been home to tag, picnics, and soccer.

And close to the deck, next to the fire, is an inviting grass courtyard. In the evenings we get a glass of wine, pull up next to the fire and watch our little ones get out those last, late evening wiggles before we pile them into their beds, or, in our case, their teepees.

On rainy days at the Equinox Resort Vermont, we’ve gone hotel exploring and found open spaces by the banquet rooms where our littles could engage in a bit of tag, but on those soggy days when we’ve needed a bit more, we take them to the indoor pool. It’s located in the spa, a separate building from the hotel itself. It’s lined with windows and comfortable lounge chairs, perfect for whittling away a rainy day or relaxing after a hike through the preserve.

The Rooms

The Equinox is a historic set of 16 buildings, the oldest of which dates back over 200 years ago. As such, the rooms are all a variety of shapes and sizes. This means, you can easily end up packing an entire family into a small room. Luckily for us, we have been here enough times that we request the same room each time, knowing that it is big enough, barely, for us all. (It’s also an upgraded room, so it’s a larger size.)

Along with the rooms of varying size, another part of the hotel that is slightly unpredictable is whether or not there will be a bath. While this may be of little importance to families with older children, for those of us with tiny ones who desperately need to bathe our dirt-crusted little ones, a bath tub is a necessity. When booking a room, I suggest you call ahead and request a room with a tub.

Finally, again a result of the age of the hotel, the hallways can be noisy. While the hotel does have signs placed throughout the hallways requesting guests remain quiet through specific hours, the truth of the matter is, this isn’t always possible. Once, pre kids thankfully, we stayed at a room right off of the main staircase on the second floor and all of the noise from the Falcon Bar below came echoing into our room. I’ve also noticed that there seems to be more early morning commotion in the hallways in the winter when families are getting up to take advantage of a full day on the slopes. Additionally, if you’re staying in a room overlooking the outdoor patio area, it’s possible to hear the music and chatter below through the windows. But, in our experience, the general warmth and atmosphere of the hotel more than makes up for the minimal impact of the noise.

Of note: The Equinox Resort Vermont just underwent a renovation in 2018.

Dining

The hotel itself has a two three dining options: the Chop House, the Falcon Bar, the Marsh Tavern, Dormy Grill, and the Colonnade. After spending ten years at the hotel and in the town, we’ve pretty much developed a pattern of where we eat and when. If you’re looking for us, you can usually find us at the Falcon Bar and the Marsh Tavern.

The Chop House is lovely, but not somewhere we tend to go with our little ones (even though the middle little pretty much eats steak 24/7) and Dormy Grill is on the Golf Clubhouse. While the food there is wonderful, I don’t think our broken hearts could stand looking out over the course knowing that we’ve almost entirely abandoned the past time in raising our little mischief makers. And the Colonnade? Well, frankly we’ve only ever seen it open for breakfast, which we normally eat outside of the hotel.

So why the Falcon Bar and the Marsh Tavern? Well, on any given early afternoon, we like to head to the Marsh Tavern and sit on the sweeping porch of the hotel. It feels regal. It feels slow-paced. It just feels right. We order a few snacks for our little ones (we always have a late breakfast because we’re slow like that), a few drinks for the big ones, and we pass the time until we head off into a late afternoon dip in the pool and rumble on the playground.

And the Falcon Bar? That’s where we head after dinner. We order a little selection of cheeses, a few glasses of wine, and maybe a chocolate or three. We head out by the fire, which may or may not have bar service depending upon the night, let the kids wander out to the grassy courtyard, and take a series of slow, deep breaths.

Summary of the Equinox Resort Vermont

Pros	Cons
Smores on Thurs-Sat (dependent upon Kid’s Club)	Some rooms are small (it’s an old building, so rooms are a variety of shapes)
Explorer’s Club (not currently running)	Loud hallways
A teepee in the room	Not all rooms have bathtubs
Feeding fish at Orvis School	No inexpensive, fast dining options for hangry children
A swing set	No indoor play area for children in the event of rain
An indoor pool	The falcon bar has music on the weekends and depending upon your room, you will be able to hear it
An open field for playing right next to central deck of hotel where parents can sit with a glass of wine and watch	No balconies (always a nice place to escape with a grown up once your trapped in the room because of sleeping children)
A number of hiking paths of different skill sets are right out the back door

 

 

 

Of note, the hotel allows dogs of all sizes on property, so they are all over the property (except the nice grassy spot off the deck). So, if your children are scared of dogs, there is a chance they will run into one. If they aren’t, like my kids, they will be in little-kid, doggy-loving heaven.

Additionally, because this hotel is located at the base of a mountain and so entwined with its surroundings, I have to specify that this review is based solely on the Equinox Resort Vermont as a late summer destination. In winter, the hotel takes on an entirely different feeling as families descend upon it as a basecamp for the surrounding ski slopes.

The Equinox Resort Vermont is a slow-paced, family-friendly get away in the mountains of Vermont. It never feels crowded and we always feel welcome, which is perhaps one of the main reasons that we’ve kept coming back, well over ten years. Our children feel special and we manage to find some time while they explore the beautiful spaces of the resort. Really, we all win. What makes a great family-friendly hotel for you?