This post and our hosted stay is in partnership with The Lodge at Woodloch. All opinions are my own. You can read my full Disclosure Policy here.
My husband and I usually travel as a family with our two kids which is truly one of my favorite things to do for them and with them. But it’s a rare occurrence for just the two of us to get away sans kids and reconnect. Like, VERY rare. So when the opportunity arose for us to be hosted at The Lodge at Woodloch in Hawley, Pennsylvania at an adult-only resort and the Universe delivered a very willing Grammie to us as a babysitter at the same time, I jumped at the chance.
This resort in the Pocono Mountains is stunning. I don’t think I’ve ever filled a post with so many photos. Below I’m going to share everything we love about The Lodge at Woodloch and some of my tips for planning your visit. If you’re looking for a place to reconnect with your spouse, get away for a girls’ weekend, have some fun with your mom and sister, or just pamper and refresh your own spirit, this is it. This. Is. IT.
Here’s a video tour of our stay, and be sure to read on to see more!
Inside The Lodge at Woodloch
You don’t even have to get into the building to feel at home. We were greeted at the gate with a “Welcome! I was expecting you a little later. So glad you made it a bit early!” We were also greeted by two deer just outside the front door and as an animal person I was already in love.
The view as soon as you walk into the lobby is just gorgeous. Go left to get to the check in desk, restaurant, and rooms. Go right to get to the spa, gift shop, and pools. It’s all very simply laid out and this is a cozy resort with just 58 rooms. We never felt like any spaces were crowded, nor did we feel like there was too much resort for us to be able to explore within a couple of days. It’s the perfect size.
The decor is rustic and woodsy. It’s fancy but not stuffy so you’ll feel comfortable and relaxed the whole time you’re there. In fact much of the time guests are roaming around in their active wear and spa robes. How’s that for comfort?
Our room was beautiful! We had a gorgeous view off our our veranda of the wooded area behind the resort. And this bed. Omigosh. I have NEVER slept on a hotel bed that was more comfortable than my bed at home, but this one is! And isn’t a good night’s sleep essential to resetting yourself?
The bathroom was also so nice with a double vanity, a private ‘water closet’ (which means the toilet was behind a separate door for added privacy) and the tiled shower was such a treat.
One of the main draws of The Lodge at Woodloch is the spa. This was a tricky place for me to snap many photos because people are walking around in robes in various states of bliss after their treatments (ahem, that was me, too!). This is the locker area where you can store your belongings while you’re at the spa.
I had the Lavender Garden Dream body treatment and it was heaven. I almost couldn’t walk when I was done, that’s how relaxed I was. Thankfully they have a special room for you to lounge in after your session to ‘come to’ so to speak! I highly recommend planning a spa treatment while you’re there!
Pass through the spa area to get to the hot tub that features these HydroMassage WaterWalls. If it looks like bliss, well, that’s because it is.
Just in front of the hot tub is the indoor pool. There’s an outdoor hot tub as well which gives you a gorgeous view while you’re relaxing.
Dining at TREE Restaurant
The Lodge at Woodloch is an all-inclusive resort (my favorite kind!) so your meals will be included with your stay. You’ll get three meals per day on-site at TREE restaurant, which we divided over 3 days: dinner on the night we checked in; 3 meals during our full day there; then breakfast and lunch before we checked out on the last day. They’ll work with you to arrange your meals around your travel plans.
Breakfast and lunch are at your leisure while the restaurant is open (7am to 9:30am for breakfast; 11:30am to 2pm for lunch). The dress code for these two meals is very relaxed. Many people dine in their fitness attire or even a spa robe. Feel free to just dress comfortably for breakfast and lunch.
And as you can see the food is gorgeous! Presentation is overshadowed only by the taste. Everything is simply delicious.
Dinner is served from 5:30pm to 8:30pm and you do need a reservation, which they will likely work out with you when you book your stay. The dress code for dinner is resort casual, and the website says that means no bathrobes, hats, or fitness gear. I would advise you to dress in pants and collared shirts for men, and dress slacks or a dress for women. I think ‘business casual’ is a better way to feel comfortable. We both wore shorts on the night we arrived and felt a little bit under dressed.
Your meal will come with bread, a salad, an appetizer, a main entree, and dessert. The first night we dined in the TREE restaurant, as the food was coming out we kind of thought the portions were a bit small. We were WRONG. They are perfect.
This food is all locally sourced and organic, the best quality and it really makes a difference in how satisfied you feel when eating it. Plus there are several courses so you get plenty of food without that sick stuffed feeling we have all experienced when you eat out.
Even the dessert is just enough for a taste of something sweet without being overkill. The chefs here really know what they’re doing! Not only is the food just amazing – honestly, it’s tastes so good but also makes you feel so good after eating a wholesome diet for a couple of days – but they completely nailed the portions.
Often when we travel we’re all looking for a late-night ice cream shop or something to munch on before bed. Neither of us even had the thought to want anything more after dinner. We both said as we were leaving that not only did we feel better for having eaten healthier foods for a couple of days, but we were inspired to go home and carry on with some better habits.
The Grounds at The Lodge at Woodloch
Our favorite part of our stay was the opportunity to not only reconnect with each other (with 2 busy kids, it’s not easy!) but also to reconnect with nature. The grounds at this resort are gorgeous. There are a variety of classes and activities offered to encourage you to try something new. We took a nature photography course together and really enjoyed it.
There are a variety of trails all over the resort. Some are paved and some are mulch so you can stick to what you feel comfortable with. It was HOT when we were there in June but I think we were still able to explore most of the grounds before retreating to the air conditioning.
Thankfully there are tons of trees that provide shade everywhere you go. Also, at check in each guest is provided with a water bottle so you can refill that as as often as you’d like and take it with you on your adventures. Just inside the lobby area there’s a room with cold water, ice, tea, and sometimes some yummy little treats. We visited there often to freshen up our drinks.
One of our favorite spots at the resort was on the lake. The view is amazing, particularly at sunset. Wouldn’t you love to grab one of these seats with a good book and listen to the birds while you’re reading? I loved hanging out on this dock.
On our last day there we decided to take a little kayak ride around the lake. I’m not super outdoorsy but the staff at the Lodge is so helpful and made it easy and fun. This was one of our favorite memories from our visit!
And as it turns out, I’m quite a good kayaker, thankyouverymuch. We spent time hiking, doing archery, and walking around with the nature photography course. You can really have as much or as little planned activity as you’d like. There’s no shortage of things to do and lots of opportunity to try something new and unique to you which always makes for a more memorable, inspiring trip.
Our evenings at The Lodge at Woodloch were spent watching the sunset over the lake, or in this hammock. I seriously could have spent hoouurrrss in this hammock. One afternoon I was lounging in here and two deer walked right past me.
Several guests gather around the fire pit each night and chat while rocking in the chairs. We met some really nice people and shared a lot of interesting stories and laughs with them. I was kind of listening in to see what everyone had to say about their stay and everyone had so many positive comments. No one wanted to leave! (If our friends from Sparta are reading, thanks for being a great part of our trip!)
Meet the Locals: Wildlife at Woodloch
Part of being immersed in nature is getting friendly with the locals! This was a highlight for us and while the Lodge’s policy on cell phones is to use them at a minimum, no ringer, we did spent a few minutes here and there sending these pics back home to the kids. This guy is so cute!
By the way, having a limited cell phone policy is a total blessing. You can’t possibly appreciate all there is available to you here if you have your face in a screen. (This is coming from someone whose job it is to have her face in a screen, so trust me on this one.)
One of the neat tips we learned in our nature photography class is that if you put your phone lens right up to the telescope, you can get a shot like this. There are so many neat birds (another class – bird watching!) on the property and they really create the background music for the outdoor adventures.
My favorite animals that we met were the deer. We saw two females together off and on throughout our stay. We did hear from one of the staff that a black bear has been visiting once in a while too, but we didn’t spot him! It was so neat to be able to get this close to them.
Learn More
I have jammed this post full of photos and info and I STILL feel like I have so much to tell you about The Lodge at Woodloch! If you’re like me and haven’t really made it a priority to get away with your spouse, just do it. Find a babysitter, enlist a family member and do it. This was SO good for us, and this setting made it the perfect place to disconnect from the outside world and our phones and laptops and reconnect with each other.
Every little thing here was totally on point: the spa, our room, the staff, the food, the classes, outdoor activities, all of it. I don’t really have one thing I wish were different, except I wish we could have stayed longer! This is a luxury resort which you’re going to see not only reflected in the quality of your stay but in the prices. However, I truly think it’s worth it every penny. All of your meals are included and this is like eating at a fancy restaurant 3 meals a day and we know how that can add up. Your outdoor activities are included, classes are included (a couple have an additional fee but it’s nominal). Some packages include a spa credit as well which I definitely suggest considering!
We left there feeling renewed, reconnected, and inspired to spend more time taking care of ourselves and each other. And that was after only a 2-night stay, which is just about the perfect amount of time (possibly 3 nights if you really want to treat yourself!).
You can get all the info you need for planning your stay at The Lodge at Woodloch on their website. Be sure to follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more gorgeous photos! We can’t wait to go back!
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