Families can enjoy a friendly game of outdoor laser tag at Steele Hill Resort.
Matthew Pitta, director of communications for the Davenport Companies, loves to see children’s reactions when they discover the Kahuna Laguna water park at the Red Jacket Mountainview Resort, one of the company’s signature properties. “Their faces light up when they see the water park — and Kiko the Monkey, its mascot,” Pitta said.
After 18 months of COVID-19 and staying close to home, New Hampshire families are ready to party — together. Facilities like Red Jacket in North Conway, and Steele Hill in Sanbornton are ready to help them, with packages ensuring every family member has a double scoop of fun.
The Red Jacket Mountainview Resort is the Gold winner in the New Hampshire Union Leader’s annual Readers’ Choice poll for Best Family Resort, and Steele Hill is the Silver winner.
Red Jacket
According to Pitta, the resort was purchased by the Davenport Companies several years ago. The chain, based in Yarmouth, Mass., owns and operates several Bay State properties, but the Red Jacket Mountainview Resort is their only holding in New Hampshire.
“Part of the success of the resort,” Pitta said, “is that it’s family-owned.” The current chief executive officer is DeWitt Davenport, grandson of the founder, and he comes into the office every day.
More importantly, according to Pitta, Davenport is attuned to guests’ concerns and often handles them himself. It’s a hands-on approach that goes over well in New Hampshire, Pitta said.
Though the resort was operating successfully as an inn, Pitta said the Davenports wanted to enhance the experience of entire families. A few years ago, they realized that “people were looking for more than a hotel room and a cup of coffee,” and they set out to make the Mountainview an experience.
Their largest project, and arguably their most successful, is their self-contained water park, Kahuna Laguna. USA Today named it one of the Top 10 water parks in a listing a few years ago, Pitta said.
Beyond that, they tried to tap into the natural environment around North Conway. “We have seasonal activities, such as visits with Santa or hayrides,” he said.
There are hot tubs, indoor and outdoor pools, ski trails in winter and hiking trails in the other three seasons. Dining options range from grab-and-go to sit-down dinners, and there’s even a tiki bar in the water park.
While the resort does not offer golf or tennis, the staff can recommend facilities “in the valley,” according to Pitta. And there’s shopping, in venues ranging from maple-and-cheese country stores to nationally known outlets.
The Davenport family is constantly improving its service to guests, according to Pitta, and before COVID they had undergone a $1 million renovation. They’ve also ratcheted up their dining options, with a new chef and an evolving menu with seasonal flair, he said.
But casual dining hasn’t been neglected, Pitta added. The complex has its own pizzeria and its own brand, White Mountain Pizza. “The kids love it,” he said, adding, “I love it!”
“It is a place,” Pitta said of the Red Jacket Mountainview Resort, “where families can make lifetime memories.”
Steele Hill
Ashley Pevine, marking coordinator for Steele Hill Resort, has an easy answer as to why families love the 500-acre complex. “Once you’re here, you don’t need to do much else,” she said.
The former dairy farm has stunning views of both Lake Winnisquam and Lake Winnipesaukee. Once there, the guests can splash in a summer outdoor pool or two indoor pools, including a hot tub and water slide.
There’s a playground, courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis, cornhole, laser tag and a nine-hole executive golf course. It’s suitable for dads and moms, but also for young people who want to learn, Pevine pointed out.
The property also boasts extensive hiking trails, which morph into snowshoe trails in the winter, according to Pevine.
A pond on the site does double duty for fishing in summer and skating in winter.
And the resort offers accommodations ranging from a standard two-bed room to suites that sleep eight.
When the Cotillo family purchased the resort in 1968, there was one main building, with a farmers’ porch circling it. Owner Ralph Cotillo saw the potential for the property and put in more buildings, a West Building at the very top of the hill and two South Buildings. He started a Vacation Club in 1978, capitalizing on the market for timeshares.
Though the resort caters mostly to families, it also has a thriving bridal business, Pevine said. But the families keep coming, lured both by history and special offers.
“They’ll say, ‘Oh, my grandparents were married here,” Pevine said.
Packages include setups like a winter cookies-and-cocoa party, coupons for laser tag or gift cards to the resort’s Hilltop Restaurant. And if all that togetherness becomes too much, the Tilton Outlets are a short drive away.For more information on the Red Jacket Mountainview, visit www.redjacketresorts.com. For more information on Steele Hill, visit www.steelehillresort.com.
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June 27, 2021 at 04:00PM
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'Fun-filled' is an understatement for these family resorts - The Union Leader
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