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Click for
historic photos of Cave Hill and
vacationers' memories
By
DANIELA ALTIMARI
Hartford Courant Staff Writer
June
6, 2008
Jun. 8--MOODUS -- A pair of overstuffed
photo albums, tucked in a corner of the dining room at Cave Hill Resort
in Moodus, tell the story of this summer retreat's glorious past. There
are black-and-white pictures of women in chaste swimsuits and bathing
caps lounging by a pool. A sepia-colored shot of a young couple steering
a canoe on a glassy pond. And page after page of smiling children
frolicking near a row of tidy cabins nestled beneath pine trees.
Back in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, Cave
Hill was one of many summer resorts that drew crowds of city dwellers to
the fresh air and wide open spaces of the Connecticut countryside. While
Budka's Camp, Mountain House, Riveredge and most of the other mainstays
of East Haddam's once-bustling tourist trade are long gone, Cave Hill
and Sunrise, its slightly more upscale neighbor, have managed to hang
on.
But even after booking our stay, I
wondered how this retro retreat would play in the 21st century. Could a
group of kids from the suburbs find happiness in a place with no TV and
no computers? Could their parents?
Happily, the answer is yes on both
counts. Our group of seven women and 13 children spent four days at Cave
Hill last summer. The kids know one another from school; we moms are
good friends connected through a neighborhood book club. (This resort is
a summer operation that's open from the last weekend in June -- this
year, June 28 -- to Labor Day weekend.)
For the kids, who range in age from
toddlers to 'tweeners, the appeal of the place was clear the moment they
saw the large in-ground swimming pool. There were lots of other
amenities -- a game room, tennis and basketball courts, a small
playground, a practice golf course, a lake with paddleboats and, of
course, a hill to climb and a cave to explore. The pool, however, was by
far the biggest draw.
Cave Hill also held some decidedly more
adult pleasures, chief among them sharing a bottle of wine and some good
conversation at a picnic table beneath the stars while the kids slept in
their rooms nearby. And it's a nearby escape -- a true plus at a time
when most of us are lamenting the high cost of gasoline and taking stock
of miles per gallon at every turn.
Other things we liked: the laid-back,
unstructured days; the warmth of the staff; the way the kids could
explore the 40-acre property without a parent constantly hovering
overhead; and the fact that breakfast and dinner are included in the
price of the room, which meant a break from cooking.
Because Moodus is only 30 miles from
Hartford, it didn't cost a fortune in gas to get there, and we didn't
have to endure the usual hassles of family trips -- the long airport
layovers, the traffic, the endless drones of "are we there yet?"
Be aware, though, that this isn't a
luxury vacation. Although Cave Hill calls itself a resort, don't come
here expecting Jacuzzis, flat-screen TVs, high-thread-count sheets or
any of the other trappings of an upscale hotel.
The accommodations are fairly spartan. We
stayed in one of the drab, low-slung, motel-style buildings; there are
also rows of cheerful red cabins, which at least have charm from the
outside.
Our room featured three beds, two twins
and a double. It was perfectly serviceable for my two daughters and me.
We appreciated the ceiling fans on hot nights, and the mattresses were
surprisingly comfy. When we first entered the room, we were put off by a
blast of artificial cinnamon apple scent, a situation remedied when we
unplugged the air freshener.
Good Grub, And Plenty
Mornings and evenings, the clang of a
cowbell summoned us to the sunny dining room near the entrance to the
property. Meals were served family-style and featured hearty Midwestern
fare, simple food and lots of it. The cooked-to-order breakfasts offered
a tasty choice of eggs, bacon, oatmeal, pancakes and French toast. Being
a bit of a food snob, I brought my own small flask of Vermont maple
syrup rather than endure the fake stuff on the table.
Dinners were also satisfying. One night
we enjoyed a chicken barbecue on the picnic tables outside; pork loin,
mashed potatoes and glazed carrots were served another night. The cook
cheerfully accommodated the vegetarians in our group, grilling up a
meatless burger brought from home and preparing a delicious baked
cheese-and-vegetable pasta along with the meat-based version for the
carnivores.
The wait staff -- especially our main
server, a sweet-natured college freshman this fall named Erin -- was
warm and friendly without the cloying familiarity you find at some
family resorts.
After dinner, another friendly staffer
named Josh offered to take all of the kids on a hayride around the
property, sparking squeals of delight as they piled into the
tractor-drawn wagon. Our visit also included several other low-key
activities: a nighttime marshmallow roast and a guided hike that was
gentle enough for the 5-year-olds in our crew. The kids loved trekking
up to the cave, which provided just a hint of mystery without any real
danger.
After four days at Cave Hill, it was easy
to see why families have returned year after year, their visits spanning
generations.
As we were packing up our cars, an SUV
with New York plates rolled into the parking lot. It was a family from
Long Island. The silver-haired matriarch, who was 63, told me she has
been coming to Cave Hill since she was a girl and now returns each
summer with her children and grandchildren.
Someday, perhaps, our kids will say the
same.
Informal weddings, day outings or company
picnics are welcome June 1 to mid-September at Cave Hill Resort. The
weekly lodging rate is $390 per adult and includes breakfast and dinner
daily. Children's rates range from $70 to $210 a week, depending on the
child's age. The resort also offers midweek and weekend specials. For
more information, go to
www.cavehillresort.com/.
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