The Ultimate Smugglers’ Notch Resort Review

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Our family decided to take a trip to Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Vermont over spring break. What a week it turned out to be! Despite a snowstorm turning our usual 5.5-hour drive into a grueling 7-hour trek, the journey was undeniably worth it. Here's a look at our fantastic experience at Smugglers Notch.

We stayed in the "Villmarksauna" unit, which was perfect for our family of three. The condo was spacious and well-equipped, providing all the comforts of home.

Skiing Adventures

Smugglers Notch is a paradise for families, especially in winter. The beautiful mountains, abundant snow, and a wide range of activities kept us entertained all week long. None of us are avid skiers—I've never skied, my husband grew up skiing, and our son Eli had a few lessons beforehand. To get Eli comfortable, we signed him up for Smugglers' award-winning ski camp.

The camp, running from 9 AM to 3 PM with lunch included, was fantastic. The instructors were patient and friendly, helping Eli learn how to ski down the mountain almost immediately. He loved it so much that he begged to go back the next day. By the end of the camp, Eli could safely ride the chair lift and enjoy skiing.

Inspired by Eli's progress, I took a beginner's lesson. The 2-hour session was amazing, covering everything from putting on ski boots to making turns. By the end of the week, I was confidently skiing on the bunny hill.

We skied about four days out of our seven-day stay, easily loading our Notch cards (required for everyone) via text messaging with the resort's concierge. It was a blast!

Fun Zone 2.0

FunZone 2.0 is a gigantic indoor play space for kids. The first floor features a small arcade, obstacle course, and laser tag. Eli loved the Jurassic Park-themed game.

Arcade

The second floor is a huge indoor play space with table games, mini golf, inflatables, Legos, blocks, and bounce houses. We spent a good hour here every other day, giving Eli the chance to run around and make new friends.

Second floor play space

The FunZone also has a small café on the first floor that sells pizza, chicken tenders, fries, and more. Perfect for refueling after a fun session upstairs. There’s an outdoor mini golf course too, but it was closed due to the cold weather.

Refuel Cafe on the first floor

Swimming Pool

We hit the swimming pool every evening. Though technically outdoor, the pool area is covered and heated. The hot tubs were a highlight—one for adults only and one for families. Eli loves hot tubs, so he had a blast in the family tub. The pool also offers life jackets, floating devices, pool noodles, swim goggles, and toys, which we very much appreciated since we had not prepared any floating devices or swim goggles for Eli. We played water basketball, water football, and raced each other at the pool.

The view from the hot tub

There is a lifeguard onsite at all times and they are also wonderful.

The swimming pool also has a changing area and a shower, which came in handy to change into dry clothes before stepping outside into the cold mountain wind!

Activities and Events:

Smugglers’ Notch has various activities and events throughout the week. Most of them are included with your stay and I highly recommend trying out a few with your family - we had so much fun! Here are some activities we enjoyed:

Sled Making Contest: Families are invited to make a sled out of recycled cardboard, which the resort provides. There are also variety of arts & craft materials available, like markers, scissors, and construction paper. You get about 30 minutes to make a sled with your family and once time is up, you take your sled outside and race each other down the bunny hill. We crafted a crocodile-inspired sled named "Crocky," out of recycled cardboard and materials. Eli won first place!

“Crocky” the crocodile sled!

Family Bingo Night: After dinner, everyone gathered inside the cafeteria space at the resort and participated in family bingo night. We played varieties of different bingo games (who knew there were so many versions?) for various prizes. This was Eli's first bingo experience with a large crowd and he had so much fun! We won chocolate bars and candies, while others won bigger prizes like arcade cards and Smugg's merchandise.

Magic Show: Namely, “Markos’s Magic Show,” was a fantastic one-man magic show offered to guests once a week. The magician was fantastic, well-engaged, and had funny jokes for everyone to enjoy. Eli got to volunteer in the magic show, which had him so excited.

Tubing: Tubing is offered a few times throughout the week, but we only got to participate on our last day (there’s just too many things to do!). Despite some snow melting, the staff ensured a fun and safe tubing experience. Eli definitely loved this experience and it is a no-frills fun for the whole family, especially for those who are not skiiers!

Off to the magic carpet!

Dining

While the resort has multiple restaurants, we mostly cooked in our condo's fully equipped kitchen because Eli is a picky eater. We did try the takeout pizza, which was surprisingly good. There's also a Ben & Jerry's shop at the resort, but we visited the nearby Ben & Jerry's factory instead and never got to try the one at the resort.

Convenience Market

Convenience market at the village

At the “village” of the resort, there is a small convenience store where you can stock up on a few grocery items, OTC medicine, candies, ice creams and souvenirs. We were actually surprised at the variety of things available for purchase in this small store. We were able to pick a few things during our time here including beer, popsicles, and bandaids. The prices were not outrageous and were content with that.

Bottom Line

A week at Smugglers Notch flew by, and we wished we had stayed longer. The resort's mix of skiing, activities, and amenities made for an unforgettable family vacation. We’ll definitely be back next winter to make this a cherished family tradition!