We don't swim in your toilet...

February 21, 2006 3:57 PM

IndoorPoolFilter: Where can I splash about in the Northeast?

I've had an icky month. I am in a middle of a llllooong layoff, where I am being kept until June 30th (and have to stay until then if I want my severance package), and the rest of my nine co-workers were let go last week. It sucks. There is nothing I would like more that to leave NYC for the weekend, and shack up in a hotel with a cheesy indoor pool and hot tub. This doesn't seem like it should be complicated, but since I don't have a destination in mind it's difficult to navigate the travel websites. My specifications: no more than a three hour drive from NYC, less than $200 a night, as uncrowded as possible. Not interested in touristy places, but a scenic drive or some local color would be nice. Not interested in gym/lap/spa pools. I want the fake-waterfall kidney-shaped variety. Any suggestions?

posted by kimdog to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

You're going to have a hard time finding the classic "waterfall" pool anywhere indoors in the Northeast. However I would recommend the Clarion in Northampton Ma, about a 90 minute drive. The indoor pool probably has the requisite "cheese factor", no waterfall but a great fountain: pictures here.

Plus when you get bored of drinking and staring at the fountain, Northampton and surrounding area is way up there at the top of the list for "local color" in New England. For the perfect hot tub experience there is the East Heaven hot tubs where they will punp in your music of choice and will open up the skylight for you (even if it's snowing).You can scan this mefi discussion for more details about the area.
posted by jeremias at 4:41 PM on February 21, 2006

Your requirements and especially emphasis on pool-cheese made me think of the old Catskill resorts à la "Dirty Dancing," such as Kutsher's and Nevele Grande (né The Nevele). They've been hard hit by easy air travel and by the glitz of newer resort-casino complexes in Atlantic City and eastern CT, so I doubt they're overcrowded. And the area is only about a 90-minute drive from NYC.

Try the Jewish Alps — what's not to like?!
posted by rob511 at 5:05 PM on February 21, 2006

Strangely enough, I am going to a conference at Smith College in April. But I hadn't even started looking at hotels for that yet. Weird. Ok, so now THAT'S taken care of (doubling my pool pleasure).

And the waterfall wasn't exactly a requisite... I just wanted to convey the type of thing I was looking for. But the fountain rocks!

Keep em coming!
posted by kimdog at 5:08 PM on February 21, 2006

I'd recommended looking around the Hudson river towns - the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown is nice, and has a reasonable indoor pool . There's a fair bit of scenes drives and hiking around the area in the local parks (some of which used to be Rockefeller estates), and you can usually find a weekend get-away promotional rate. An added bonus is that you can get there via MetroNorth from Grand Central, plus a short taxi ride, if you're car-less.

By the way - Northampton is about 150 miles away from NYC, so jeremias's 90 minute drive time estimate may be somewhat unrealistic.
posted by bemis at 5:21 PM on February 21, 2006

The Catskills is IT.

The Nevele/Fallsview duo is perfect for you.

They do in fact even have a Waterfall, of the natural kind, a short walk into the grounds. And a nice big lake.
posted by TTIKTDA at 8:55 PM on February 21, 2006

Definitely too family-oriented/touristy, but for sheer cool factor, you need to at least be aware of Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. It has a waterpark INSIDE the hotel.
posted by FreezBoy at 5:58 AM on February 22, 2006