You can’t go wrong with Vermont. It’s beautiful, has many dog friendly trails and parks, and friendly people. Over the Fourth of July break, we planned a trip to Basin Harbor in Vermont, a Forbes recommended pet-friendly resort, for a break. While Vermont was great, Basin Harbor wasn’t fantastic. More details below.
Our trip started with a small hiccup. Due to weather conditions, our United flight departing our small airport in the Michigan was deprioritized for landing in Chicago, the hub we were connecting to. After the departure time was changed for the 3rd time to being 90 minutes late, we made a decision to cancel our flight and drive two hours to Detroit to fly with Delta instead.
The Plane
Our single flight to Burlington International Airport (BTV) was on a CRJ900 (9E). Nomii’s expanded carrier fitted perfectly below the seat in First Class and once the plane was in the air, I could open the expandable side of the bag and gave him more room to stretch out. However, he still chose to be curled up into a ball as he slept through the flight – that’s his preferred sleeping position 🙂
BTV is a mid-size airport and so easy to get around. The rental car stations were just outside arrivals and the parking garage is connected by a skybridge.
Review of the Resort
Basin Harbor was just a quick hour’s drive away from BTV.
As mentioned, I booked Basin Harbor because it was reviewed well in a Forbes article on luxury pet friendly resorts. Well, if you do not expect perfection after paying almost $1k a night, carry on. If like me, you look for good quality accommodation, attentiveness, and consideration, here are reasons why I rate our stay at Basin Harbor just past average at 3 stars:
What I love
1. The pet friendliness – patio and outdoor dining options meant my beloved pooch doesn’t need to be left alone. Water for the dog was served together with our tea and coffee at breakfast. There are so many doggy guests that you don’t feel out of place.
2. Dining options – good quality and variety at great price points.
3. Activities and Estate – very lovely grounds for walking around and where possible, dogs welcomed. We enjoyed the cruise we took around the lake and the many walks, including on trails, on the property.
What disappointed me
1. False advertising?? – I booked the Pawish package and the webpage says it comes with a bunch of trinkets including collar, leash, travel bowls, a charm, and amenities. At check-in, I was handed a small box containing 2 doggy biscuits, a poop bag and a piece of printed pet rules. There was nothing else in the cottage for my dog. The next day, I called Front Desk and described what I received, and the response from Greg was “That’s it!” Nothing riles me up like false advertising does so I emailed the concierge who handled my reservation and was told it was a misunderstanding. Someone came by to drop off the leash, collar, dog bowl and another little box with 4 doggy biscuits, another poop bag and 2 pieces of badly cut paper printed with the pet rules. No sign of the charm. Never mind. We don’t need another souvenir…but I wished the items were at least nicely presented in a bag or something and made to feel special.
2. Stench in the cottage – we were placed in an extremely rustic, dark and dingy cottage that had a bad stench in both toilets. We arrived in the evening and were too tired to do anything. The next morning, when asked by Front Desk how our stay was going, I mentioned the smell and the person made a face but did not offer to look into it. So I emailed Concierge who sent someone to look into it. The person came, acknowledged the bad smell, sprayed disinfectant, and told me to call again if this doesn’t solve the issue. Of course it didn’t solve the issue. Once the smell of disinfectant dissipated, the smell was bad and I informed the concierge. Nothing was done and by the 2nd morning, I couldn’t take it anymore. I escalated the matter to the resort’s 5th Generation Host who finally offered to move us to a different cottage. This other cottage is brighter, more spacious, better located, does not have a stench, and I’m told is in a different rate category. So beware that paying close to $1k a night doesn’t guarantee a great cottage.
3. Disappointing dog beach – off a rocky patch at an incline, some dogs probably enjoyed it but there were sharp rocks around and not inviting. I didn’t see any dogs swimming off the dog beach.
It is obvious Basin Harbor is a beloved family tradition for many based on our conversations with other guests. However, for us as first timers, it was not easy. Other than the issues above, they assumed we knew where things were and how things work, and instructions on where to meet for the cruise, for example, was vague – the email was missing the location and needed clarification. There were also no introductions to the various facilities. We feel 100% like outsiders…which even prompted thoughts as to whether we were assigned the poorer cottage because we’re not regulars.
I don’t know what the Forbes award winning travel writer saw that prompted him to include this resort in his list of luxury locations – that’s not a word I would use to describe the resort. Maybe the price? Basin Harbor feels, at best, like an extra large, family run, middle-of-the-mill playground.
It is a historic hotel with some fascinating historical tales and artefacts. Just note that history has a smell that’s sometimes bad, and roughness around the edges.
After Thoughts
So I posted my review to TripAdvisor and the resort responded that because it was a busy period, they were limited in their ability to change cottages for us, rushed to correct the gap in the Pawish package, and that I should have called to reserve a cottage instead of booking online. Well, I’m just sharing my experience and people can decide for themselves.
Dog Chapel
One of the days, we made a day trip to Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury to visit the Dog Chapel and Stephen Huneck’s Art Gallery. Huneck designed and built the Dog Chapel as a tribute to human’s spiritual bond with dogs. Many leave messages and photos of their departed dogs in the Chapel, making it a place full of love and sadness. I guess it’s also fun to see who your dog is playing with over the rainbow bridge.
On the grounds of Dog Mountain is a swimming pond and several trails you can walk with your dog. Leash is optional on Dog Mountain. Nomii’s recall is not reliable – he rockets back but runs off again – so he was on his leash all the time.
Huneck passed in 2000 but giclee prints of his work are available for sale.
Life with Nomii 
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