Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada

Lake Tahoe

Home to the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid, New York, has been recognized as one of the finest American resort towns for well over a century and a favorite with Royal Holiday members for two decades. Filled with alpine charms and located next to beautiful Mirror Lake, the town is nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, and between the rustic ambience of the village and the majesty of the remaining Olympic sites, endless fun can be found. With opportunities for summer and winter sports alike, this year-round destination is the perfect choice for Royal Holiday travelers looking to unplug and take in the scenery.

Lake Placid Club Lodges, Royal Holiday’s local affiliate, provides all of the comforts of home along with everything the experienced traveler expects from a great resort. The lodges themselves come complete with HDTV and high-speed Internet, as well as full kitchens, while the surrounding resort provides access to a plethora of fun activities, from the Mirror Lake beach on the property to the nearby Mountain Golf Course. With rooms big enough for the whole family and impressive views of the mountains, Lake Placid Club Lodges provides the perfect venue for a ski vacation or summer getaway.

The village of Lake Placid, home to a scant 2,500 permanent residents, offers numerous attractions for travelers as well. Originally founded to explore iron ore deposits in the mountains, the town became a tourist hotspot near the end of the 19th century as city-dwellers sought to escape from the hustle and bustle of New York City. But despite Lake Placid’s lengthy history as a resort town, it remains deeply connected to its simpler roots, and the village center contains the kind of Adirondack charm for which the region is famed. The historic Main Street area includes a vintage theater and plenty of shopping opportunities, while others may wish to seek out cultural events at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. The village also boasts a thriving culinary scene, with restaurants like Boule’s Bistro, Saranac Sourdough, and Artisans dishing up delicious bites that are sure to bring a smile to any gourmand’s face.

However, Lake Placid is best known as a center for sports of all seasons. The two-time Olympic host town maintains numerous holdovers from that era, including the Olympic Center, where an on-site museum contains relics from the 1980 event while its enormous ice rink continues to delight skating enthusiasts. Skiers and snowboarders will want to check out Whiteface Mountain, a top ski resort and home to a number of world-class runs, while those Royal Holiday members looking to simply enjoy the views from on high might take a trip to the top of the Olympic Jumping Complex, which features a fantastic observation deck. The summer brings campers, hikers, and anglers to town, but for those looking for a more intense physical challenge, an official Ironman Triathlon takes place annually. The region is also famous among mountain climbers, and Royal Holiday members looking to join the Adirondack 46ers, so called because its members have scaled the 46 highest peaks in New York’s Adirondacks, may wish to set up a “base camp” at Lake Placid.