Hotel Reivew

Bear Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast
3249 Main Street
Bethlehem, NH 03574
(603) 869-2189
Five Stars
Hotel Photo
Date of Visit: 02/22/2013

My boyfriend and I decided to book the Bear Mountain Bed & Breakfast for a mini trip. We wanted to get away for a night (somewhere with a lot of snow) and enjoy some winter activities like cross country skiing and snowshoeing before the end of the season.

The Bear Mountain Lodge was rated one of the 10 Most Romantic New England Inns by Frommers. It also has been awarded one of the top 10 Bed and Breakfasts in New England by Bedandbreakfast.com in both 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.

Appearance

Bear Mountain Lodge is a beautiful place. Situated on 26 private acres, you pull up the driveway to a beautiful rustic looking lodge which is decorated in a mountain cabin theme. Every room in the lodge is decorated consistently in the log cabin theme: I loved it!

The views from the great room are absolutely stunning. There are panoramic floor to ceiling windows which are great for taking in the views of the White Mountains. There is a deck for relaxing during the summer months. We opted instead to soak in the hot tub while watching the snow fall down; what a treat!

There are comfortable couches next to a wood stove where you can just sit and enjoy the views. It feels like your own personal mountain vacation home. The setting for the lodge is so picturesque because of its location on private wooded land. There are on site snowmobile and snowshoe trails too which provide for a scenic winter setting.

The lodge is completely spotless (the innkeeper will ask you to take off your shoes when you arrive to keep the floors clean). Everything you need is available (be it a beer bottle opener or a mug for your coffee).

Amenities

There are plenty of amenities at this bed and breakfast which make up for the steep prices. My favorite amenity was the on site snowshoe trails and provided snowshoes. It was so convenient to step right outside the door and go snowshoeing.

This was our first time snowshoeing and we really enjoyed the experience. We loved not having to worry about renting shoes and returning them the same day.

Downstairs is a pool table and bar area; this was a fun place to have a drink and play pool after going out to dinner. My one complaint was the early closing time of 9:30pm. The lodge seems to be catered more to an older population, however, if you are looking for a quiet weekend then your age shouldn't matter.

In the great room, there is free Keurig coffee, tea, and beer/wine available 24 hours a day. Innkeeper Carol puts out homemade cookies and brownies in the afternoon; we enjoyed a cup of coffee and some brownies after being out in the cold snowshoeing.

Another fun feature was the Scrabble, Chess, and Checkers games which are situated right next to the windows. Playing a game while taking in the gorgeous views was a great way to start our morning.

The breakfast was one of the only disappointments of the trip. I had the impression before arriving that it was made to order, however, this was not the case. It was a two course pre-arranged breakfast. Mike did ask us if we had any allergies but forgot to ask if we were vegetarians.

Unfortunately, we couldn't eat the sausage so our breakfast was smaller than expected. The stuffed crepes with blueberry sauce were tasty although we would have liked some potatoes or eggs on the side. The first course consisted of a small fruit dish. Not the big breakfast I was expecting and definitely not enough to fill us up before our big day of cross country skiing!

Free WiFi is available, although due to the thickness of the logs it will not work well in your room. This was not a problem for us as we just brought our tablets and laptops into the great room (where the views are better anyways). Plus, we didn't plan on spending all that much time on the internet.

Hotel Photos

  • Bear Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast Hotel Preview
  • Bear Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast Hotel Preview
  • Bear Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast Hotel Preview
  • Bear Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast Hotel Preview
  • Bear Mountain Lodge Bed & Breakfast Hotel Preview

Price

We paid $220 for 1 night in the Moose themed room. There are 4 rooms available on the first floor which offer your basic amenities, and then there are 5 rooms on the second floor which offer more advanced amenities such as fireplaces, jacuzzi tubs, and steam showers.

Room rates vary based on room selection and season (fall foliage rates are more expensive). Check the Availability Calendar for current room rates. The price is a bit steep (especially if you stay for multiple days) however there are plenty of amenities and the gorgeous views are absolutely priceless.

Room

We reserved the Moose Hollow Room, which was located on the first floor. We loved the views of the surrounding forest and mountains.

The room did not have any fancy amenities, but was stylishly decorated in a moose/log cabin theme. My only complaint was the tiny flat screen TV on the dresser (smaller than my computer monitor!).

There is no fridge or microwave in the room, however, you can use the public fridge in the great room.

Final Remarks

Bear Mountain Lodge is a wonderful stay in the White Mountains if you are looking for a relaxing, romantic getaway. This is a great quiet inn with helpful innkeepers, fantastic views, plenty of amenities, and easy access to outdoor activities.

Check out some things to do in NH