Topnotch Resort

You know what makes an Old Fashioned great? Whistle Pig rye. And you know WHO makes a great old fashioned? Ricky the bartender at The Roost at Topnotch at Stowe. But the meal. Oh dear lord. A special twist on chilled vichyssoise followed by their legendary pork chop stuffed with local blue cheese. Truly one of the best dishes I’ve had in years. My husband and I returned after 45 years (yes) and the evening did not disappoint. Wow. Go there.

Another great stay at top notch. We love the pool, the tennis, amenities also love the indoor tennis option when it rains we take full advantage of being in such close proximity to such a wonderful biking and running trail. The food is always above average, although not excellent breakfast needs a little creative imagination.

It’s truly sad to see the steady decline of what was once an actual top notch hotel option in Stowe. Over the last 4 years there seems to be little to no maintenance and the hotel continues to decay. It’s unclear what the angle the hotel owners are taking with this negligence but I wouldn’t even rate this a 2 star hotel in its current state. There are major cracks in the walls on the room and scrapes and scars on almost every wall in the ‘resort’. The bathrooms are no short of gross. Every single aspect of the hotel is dated and it just seems like they have given up on this old beauty. The pool was also filthy; filthy to the point that my 6 year old son didn’t want to use it. The breakfast restaurant feels like I’m eating at an assisted living home. They have a lovely patio which goes unused and we were forever to eat indoors on an 80 degree day. I’m not sure who if anyone eats dinner at the restaurant or if it’s even open. I simply can’t see how this hotel can remain in business much longer and that’s really sad to say.

Top Notch was a little less than top notch. The complimentary tennis courts are unplayable and almost dangerous conditions. You don’t get any information on activities when you check in (like trails and fitness schedule) unless you ask so I didn’t even know fitness classes existed until my last day. Many parts of resort are really old and showing its age (missing handles, tiles falling off, doors damaged, etc) but some parts are really nice like restaurants. Staff is mostly really nice and helpful. Overall it was hit or miss and not impressive nor worth the price.

This place was amazing! Customer service was superb, location was excellent, parking was easy, hotel was gorgeous, indoor and outdoor pools were great, room was comfortable and clean, restaurants were all delightful. Seriously, we had a wonderful stay here. They have lots of board games (in great condition) and a shuffleboard table. There was lots of great areas to sit and chill -- both outdoor and indoor. Fireplaces were generally going for a nice ambience. Drinks from the bar were always good. All the meals we had were great. Power went out for a few hours during our stay (for the hotel as well as a lot of the area) and staff was immediately setting out lanterns, and checking on folks. Absolutely loved this place.