Back in the day, William A. Rockefeller Sr. built one terrific lodge for entertaining, fishing, and hunting in Upper Lake Saranac. “Big Bill,” as he was known to both pals and frenemies, fashioned his Great Camp in what later came to be called the Adirondack style- a pleasing combination of rustic and luxe.
Situated on 75 acres of verdant forest and pristine lake waters, Rockefeller’s original Camp Wonundra is now, The Point, a gracious, country house resort. The original four structures, built from native stone and logs, offer contemporary guestsa choice of 11 rooms, each one different with names like Evensong, Weatherwatch and Iroquois.
The Point doesn’t advertise, there are no signs to show the way, and drop-in looky- loos cannot be accommodated. We had made arrangements in advance for a visit and property tour.
We arrived at 2 PM for a late-ish lunch and were greeted at the gate by Megan,
the energetic, pretty General Manager. Buddy, apparently her second whip, was with her.Together, they guided us into the 30X60 Great Hall in the Main Lodge.
“Here’s where we meet for cocktails and an 8 pm group dinner.” Megan said
pouring us each a chilled flute of Tattainger Champagne.
“Group dinner?” My sis went into panic mode. “Uh, how does that work?”
Megan explained that when the property was full there might be 22 guests. Two
round dining tables, each seating 11 would be set with one “facilitator” from the resort at each. In the manner of all great party hosts, the facilitator sees that conversation is enjoyed by all.
“Hmmm,I imagine your clientele is quite sophisticated,” Sis remarked. “Do
guests really enjoy this? It sounds rather communal.” It was apparent that
communal suppers were not high on her list.
Megan gave an easy laugh. “Actually, people love it. We have such engaging
guests from all walks of life; We talk books, music, politics, sports, history. People
genuinely seem thrilled to dis-connect from their electronic appendages to relax andenjoy divine food and drink plus good, old fashioned interesting conversation. Loads of fast friendships have developed which may be a strong reason for our huge return rate.”
Buddy sort of gave sis a quizzical look as if to say, “who doesn’t like to meet new
fun people?”