Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort — Hotel in Town of North Elba

Wedding review for anyone considering the venue. I have a million good things to say about the Golden Arrow and staff. From the first meeting onward, Alex, Erin and Natasha were amazing. They were always responsive and helpful for any questions we had throughout the planning process. There’s many beautiful places in Lake Placid for a wedding, but what really sold us was of course the beautiful gondola and LOCATION. Our guests loved being able to walk out of the resort onto the main street for additional dining, shopping, etc. There’s also plenty of parking at the resort and public parking all around it. We had our ceremony on the lawn, cocktail hour on the boathouse, and reception in the four seasons room. With just under 100 guests there was more than enough space without feeling overcrowded. They also had a suitable backup plan in the event of a downpour, but we were lucky enough to have beautiful weather. The bridal suite is extremely spacious with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Mirror Lake. They have curtains if you’re worried about guests looking in on you getting ready. There’s also a restroom inside the suite. Erin checked in throughout the day to see if we needed anything and answer any last minute questions we may have had. My husband and I opted not to do a first look, so our photographs did a great job keeping us separated before the ceremony as the resort is quite spacious. There are so many beautiful spots on the property for photos beyond the obvious lake/mountain views. Our photographer and DJ were recommended by the Golden Arrow. We were very happy with their familiarity with the resort and the staff as they have worked together on multiple occasions. This made for smooth sailing throughout the day. (Photos: Jeff Welt, DJ: MX Productions) Alex noticed the song I walked down the aisle to was a Foo Fighters song and when she took us out on the gondola played Foo Fighters music for us. It made it even more memorable and fun. The resort was very accommodating to dietary restrictions. We did a buffet and Natasha made sure everything was labeled accordingly. Erin made sure my husband and I got appetizers between photos and greetings. She also went above and beyond to accommodate my celiac disease restrictions. Natasha also made sure my husband and I got our drinks and dinner as guests were occupying much of our time. We had an amazing reception full on nonstop dancing, and when that ended we moved the party to the nightclub Roomers which is conveniently located next door. You can also access it through the resort as the buildings are attached. 10/10...

• The hotel response is telling*. With so many other options, would not recommend this one. Not so much for the issue we had in our room, but that they really didn't seem to believe us.

Hotel is an old labyrinth of add-on wings. The room was older, but clean and the bed was very comfortable....requested an iron & ironing board, and it was delivered very quickly. Pretty Christmas trees in the lobby. So, a couple stars for that. But: We had no hot water in our room, and spent loads of time and energy trying to convince the hotel staff of it - even though we explained that we were getting ready for a wedding and didn't really have spare time for this. Us: we have no hot water. Them: are you sure? - As though we couldn't puzzle out the single lever in the shower. Us: There is no hot water in the sink either. Them: Well, we'll need to send maintenance. Us: We need to get to a wedding - there is no access to the pipes from the room. Them: We'll send maintenance. - Meanwhile: A trip to the front desk and my husband convinces them to give us access to another room (shower worked flawlessly) - They still sent a random guy who wasn't maintenance, to our room to prove that there really was an issue - after being in our bathroom and running the water for over five minutes, the hot water kicked on - so he suggested that was the trick - and that the shower was hooked up backwards. Me: I tried that trick and once in the shower, got a refreshing blast of cold water in the middle of my shower, so not the solution - it would've been comical if we weren't trying to get to the nuptials on time...

Was it so hard to give us access to a room with a working shower? Did we really have to go down to the front desk and get all Karen to get access to a room with a functioning shower? At over $500 for a minimum-two night stay, I wasn't expecting that. SIDE NOTE - Once they gave us access they instructed us to stop at the front desk ON OUR WAY OUT to the WEDDING to return the extra key - just bonkers.

So make a note - if you are assigned room 436, maybe ask for a different room.

The wedding was great, and we were able to walk to Smoke Signals for the reception - but there are so many options in that village at this price point, I'd skip this one. Maybe the fancier lakeside rooms are great, but it doesn't seem they have patience for those in the...

We love visiting lake placid. We’ve visited a few times and the Golden Arrow really caught our attention while visiting “The coffee shop”, which is a must visit; with great coffee and fantastic views. On our 3rd visit, we made sure to try out the Golden Arrow. It has an ideal and extremely convenient location that is in walking proximity to almost everything worth visiting. Our room had a fabulous view of the lake, whiteface mountain etc… The free boat and kayak rentals were a great touch, and the private beach was also a welcomed addition. Really convenient. The adjacent hotel restaurant, Generations, was pretty tasty, however they were out of a lot of items on the menu. Even basic things like French fries, hamburger buns, tacos etc… all out of stock. We ordered burgers and weren’t even told the buns were out of stock until the food was in front of us. Fortunately the brioche substitute was tasty. They also never asked to take our drink orders. Odd. I digress. We got a lakeside room, 207 to be specific. Our main complaint, is abnormal, but needs to be mentioned. The toilet in room 207 is ridiculously high off the ground. I’m 5,10 and my feet basically dangled like a toddler when sitting on it. This toilet is so far off the floor, I struggle to imagine how anyone under 6’6 could possibly feel comfortable while taking care of business on it. My back is not 100% healthy and this abnormally tall toilet only exacerbated the injury due to its extreme height. My gf is 5’6 and no part of her feet could touch the floor while sitting on this throne. We have only stayed in room 207 and cannot attest if all rooms have skyscrapers for toilets. The propane fire pits were a great addition, but unfortunately the one close to our room wasn’t functional on our visit. However we think it was just a basic issue that the propane tank was empty. No big deal.

All in all it was a good experience, but if you plan on eating out a lot and stimulating your taste buds, make sure you’re prepared for the exit to be a “climbing” experience. We would absolutely consider visiting again, however we would like it if whiteface mountain was the only thing we have to climb...