Huttopia White Mountains — Hotel in Albany

lengthy but detailed review. Worth a read if you have never been!

To start, My bf and I just returned from our stay at Huttopia and I am going to give an honest, and blunt review some good, and some "eh" moments but nothing bad!

The staff is VERY friendly, overly friendly which is GREAT! We loved that from the minute I made the reservation over the phone to when we left! They were so nice! We rented a canoe close to closing time and they only charged us the $15.00 standard rate because the next time slot was 4 hours but they closed at 8:00 so that was awesome of them!

Secondly, this is all based off 0 research. So that is my fault! BUT, this campground (NH White Mountains) is not your "romantic getaway" type of place. This is a family oriented campground so if you are looking for some peace and quiet, this is not the place for you. There is a playground, pool, and other activities for children. This is your quintessential family fun campground. Lesson Learned.

The trappers are VERY VERY close together, so again, romantic getaway? Probably not for you if you are planning on having any sort of romance during your stay. Our trapper was directly facing another families trapper. It was VERY AWKWARD and felt like we were there with them for the trip. All that was separating us was a stream marketed as "brook" but in actuality its a slow trickling stream.

The security here seems to be very lax. When we got there they didn't ask for our ID's nothing. ANYONE could have gone to the front counter and say our names and they would have gotten into our reservation. After 8:00 all staff leaves and there is a phone at reception for emergencies. They basically tell you to call 911. I don't know how far back the property goes but you are not able to drive your car around the property. You have to park your car and unload your items onto wagons. We luckily were in a spot where we could drive the car as close to the site as possible while staying in the parking boundaries. If you are traveling with a family, PACK LIGHT AND EXPECT TO CARRY YOUR ITEMS TO YOUR SITE!

They give you a gate code to get in and out. You are able to leave and come back to the property as you wish which has its pro's and con's. We were able to leave for a late night dinner date and come back which was great. A con of that would be that access to the grounds is not very secure. Maybe that's the "living in fear" side of me coming out but you can never be too sure!

Do not pack dishes, toilet paper, blankets pillows etc. That is ALL provided. (LOVED THAT) Camping chairs, propane grill, picnic table ALL PROVIDED! We definitely over packed and did not realize they had everything! Utensils, Pots, Pans you name it! (I think that is where their high cost of "glamping" lies)

The other amenities were good, not great. Our bed was very creaky and rickety. I happened to get down and look at the frame and come to find out it was on wooden pegs. We felt a little duped when we got into the trapper and there was a bunk bed to the right, so I felt like we paid for amenities we didn't even use. A suggestion would be to offer family style trappers, and single use trappers with just one bed.

The airstream food truck is an awesome touch! We both got smoothies and they were TASTYYYY! A little pricey and odd ingredients for pizza and nachos for being a family friendly campground. Most kids don't care for spinach and feta? It was $14-$15.00 for a pizza and when she held up the pan to reference the size of the pizza I almost passed out. Think like a dominos medium pizza.

We paid about 310.00 2 nights and for that, I wish we were able to either check in earlier than 4:00, or check out later than 10 am but that could just be because we only stayed 2 nights? I'm not sure. I do know, that I paid $18.00 for a souvenir mug that is half the size of my yeti mug and for that, I feel a little off put.

Overall the experience was pleasant! We likely will not return due to the fact we are a single couple with 0 kids and it's not our vibe. BUT, Huttopia is PERFECT for...

We stayed for 3 nights, 4th of July weekend, family of 4 (kids are 6 and 9). We also do tent camping but were interested in trying a “glamping” tent. We enjoyed our stay and would go again, although I’m on the fence as to whether the steep premium cost was worth the only slightly increased amenities. It rained heavily 2 of 3 days so that’s what made it worth it on this trip. Our comments: this was not luxurious, if that’s what you’re looking for or you think “glamping” might be like. This felt exactly like staying at a campground but with some perks. we stayed in a waterfront “trappeur” tent. A canvas tent on a wood platform- but with plumbing and electricity. the beds and linens provided were basic. Not terribly comfortable. Cots with thin plastic mattresses and the kind of linens that remind you of sleep away camp as a kid. the bathroom is TINY but functional. About as roomy as a bathroom on a motor home or a boat. The floor gets wet every time you use the sink or shower- we used paper towels to wipe the floor dry after almost every use. I’m 5’-6” and my knees touched the opposite wall when seated on the toilet. Strangely, there was no hook (nothing at all!) to hang your towel in the bathroom?? Also, toilet seat cover would have been nice (but was missing) because there was a constant risk of things falling into the toilet in this tiny space. the kitchenette is handy. A sink with hot and cold water, a dorm sized fridge. Ceramic plates/ bowls/ mugs, drinking glasses, a glass pitcher, pots and pans, mixing bowl, cheese grater, bottle/ can/ wine openers, flatware, sharp cooking knives, a stovetop coffee percolator. A metal trunk to store your pantry food in. The chipmunks are bold and came inside our tent looking for food so make sure you don’t leave anything out!! the propane gas camp stove is outside on the porch. other furniture includes: indoor dining table w 5 chairs, 2 canvas camp chairs on the porch, a wooden picnic table. There are electric lights, electric outlets (for charging phones!) and a single overhead space heater that operates only on a 30-min timer. It took the edge off during cool summer nights but would not provide heat enough for spring/ fall nights. small trash bags, toilet paper, broom/ dustpan, sponge, dish soap, bar soap, shampoo and disinfecting spray are provided.

The beach is a nice place for kids to play in the sand and swim. Kayaks and stand up paddle boards available for a reasonable $/hr. The pool was clean & well maintained, surrounded by plenty of chairs and shade umbrellas. The lodge tent has foos ball, ping pong, extra large Jenga blocks, a tv (which we never saw on) and some books/ board games to borrow.

The airstream food truck serves a limited menu of crepes, paninis, salads, pizzas (dinner only), coffee, smoothies. The food was just OK, but it was convenient. The camp store sells toiletries, s’mores ingredients, firewood, t shirts. Most importantly, it also sells a nice selection of beer/ wine! The grounds are not fancy at all. Looks just like your typical campground. Sites provide partial privacy but are pretty close together- similar to your average campground.

We enjoyed live Celtic music on Saturday night that had all the adults tapping their toes and most of the kids up and dancing. We played (and won!) trivia on Sunday night, questions were geared for families and my 9 year old loved it. We enjoyed free fireworks on the 4th compliments of the local residents across the lake.

Things to bring: camp chairs (only 2 are provided) paper towels. Handy for sticky s’mores and for wiping the bathroom floor. if there’s rain in the forecast- three times as many socks as you think you need and rain boots. card games/ board games lighter, newspaper, and kindling for camp fires. It was really tough to get the campfire started in damp weather without dry kindling. flash lights or lanterns breakfast foods (do not count on the food truck). French press or small electric coffee maker. your own pillow (the ones provided are about...

Very clean, if you don't have your space heater in your room make sure to let them know you are supposed to have one (the other tiny had it ours in their vista) we used to take the chill off in the morning and when we showered. It does just run for about an hour. we stayed in the tiny house or vista. Loved the rack to heat your clothes on to warm them up. I didn't know how to use coffee press but we loved the tea pot and poured hot water over our coffee grounds. The pans and utensils are very nice. provided soap, body wash and dish soap, I brought some but didn't know they had it all. Very clean the large bed was very comfortable for me. my family who slept in bunk bed said the mattress a bit thin for her but she said she still did fine. I thought the kitchen should have more light I would bring a latern or something to read by there was light but just needed more light to read maps or books and things, my eyes are a bit old. The shower was very hot and very clean. Loved the bathroom sink -we had three of us showering and always had hot water. We use to camp in our younger days it was nice to be back out in the woods in a very nice tiny house. We loved it. I read about mice in some reviews (which we are in the woods people) I live in the country and still catch mice at my home they will find any small hole to get into. . I brought mouse traps and never heard or caught a one and everything was clean. But we did keep our food up high or in the refrigerator we didn't leave anything out. I did bring nite lights I'm glad I had those, I used one in the kitchen and the bathroom for family, so we didn't have to use flashlights. I did bring blankets. they had sheets and cover for the bed but I needed more to stay warm glad I had them. I did layer up but I always did that when camping. It's a lovely place and everyone friendly but do be prepared they have wagon trolleys for where you park to take your belongings to your vista and it can be a bit far with the amount of stuff we brought to stay, just want to prepare you we did fine but wasn't prepared for that. they had a grill and fire pit the neighbors built a nice fire each night they enjoyed we didn't build any fires or grill. But that's just me. I couldn't find a plug in the big bedroom for my phone to charge so I had to set up something for my phone for my alarm clock they only had a very high plug in that room next to the door. But I hung a jacket next to that plug and put my phone in the pocket of my jacket to charge up to that outlet but I wish there was an outlet close to the bed as in the bunkroom. It all worked out was a great fun adventure. We loved sitting around and getting to visit if we were in a hotel room it just wouldn't have been as fun. Great memories great times. Beautiful location. I hope this helps you prepare for your visit I know the reviews helped me prepare for mine. OH and beautiful Country, We did the Cog Railway up Mt Washington summitt, -got our tickets early-loved it! We did the flume gorge - got our tickets early and loved it! We went to Ben and Jerry's -loved it! went to Kascumgus highway I can't spell it but loved it, I saw so many beautiful sites do be prepared as you go into small towns there is traffic it's just one road in guys but believe me it's not like sitting on traffic on the highway as I do in MIssouri on Hwy 44 which that kind of traffic is misarable and you take your life in your hands on our highways, it's just everyone takes their turn kind of traffic and I had to circle in some areas to wait for parking spot to stop, we set out and found several covered bridges, and I loved the towns. several restaurants we tried, loved!We also did Mt Washing cruise on the lake, very peaceful and relaxing. just lots to do in that area...