Page 109 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2019 PORTUGAL

For many years, I’d heard about The Lodge
at Woodloch in the Poconos, but I’d always as-
sociated the Poconos with heart-shaped bath-
tubs, water parks and giant casinos; so, no
matter how great this resort might be, it
wasn’t on my go-to list. But a good friend had
just returned and wouldn’t stop raving about
it, so I went online.
The photos said it all: 500 private acres of
fern-carpeted forests, lush meadows, and
ponds with blooming water lilies. Guests could
choose from 35 daily activities such as
archery, birding, hiking, biking, pickleball,
kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and a
myriad of fitness classes. There were art
classes, cooking, baking demos, and wine tast-
ings. Woodloch had a farm with vegetable and
herb gardens and an orchard. The rooms
looked spacious, and the pool area was enor-
mous. There were indoor and outdoor lounge
areas, therapeutic soaking pools and a hydro-
massage waterwall pouring down into one of
the larger Jacuzzis. There was even a snow
room with real snow, an Arctic shower (a
wooden bucket of ice-cold water to be poured
over your body), and a salt room. One of the
main draws was the spa, offering 25 different
facials and 45 body treatments daily. I was
sold. I’d just have to stomach the fact that it
was in the Poconos.
Turns out, I didn’t know anything about the
Poconos. The windy roads leading to the re-
sort were surrounded by woods --- not casinos
or water parks. And once I arrived, I was de-
lighted to find that my bathroom did not have
a heart-shaped bathtub. My accomodation was
large and light-filled with a king-sized bed,
comfy armchair, desk, and glass doors leading
to the verandah. I turned the grass in front of
my veranda into one of the deer’s favorite
spots because each morning, I’d throw out
pieces of bread, enticing them to come closer.
The 13-paged weekly brochure of classes and
activities had so many choices, I didn’t know
what to do first, so I decided to take a walk
and get my bearings. Outside, I breathed in

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