Indulgence at New Hampshire’s Church Landing.
New Hampshire hotel has it all
Businessman Rusty McLear has created a New England resort community almost from scratch, complete with four hotels of varying styles and budgets.
I say “almost from scratch” because McLear had a leg up; he built around one great natural resource: Lake Winnipesaukee, a long stretch of cold, clear water that has drawn tourists for more than 100 years.
Meredith, N.H., is a former textile town that has led a double life as a vacation getaway. The main draw has always been Lake Winni, a.k.a. the Big Lake, which is wildly popular for water-skiing, jetskiing, boating, fishing and paddling, as well as the basics — sunning and swimming. Still, Meredith Bay manages to be peaceful, because power boats have to go slower than 10 km/h, so there is no buzz of surging motors.
McLear started with one restaurant in an old mill, and over the past 30 years, his fledgling enterprise has grown to a mini-empire called Mill Falls at the Lake. It embraces four hotels, plus a shopping complex called Mill Falls Marketplace, as well as Cascade Spa, which unveiled new facilities this spring. McLear even bought the local Meredith gas station and spruced it up with a cute, colourful retro look to fit into his new touristfriendly landscape.
Church Landing is the newest and most deluxe of Mill Falls’ hotels. It’s at the heart of Meredith, but because its guest rooms, common rooms and spa face the lake, it actually is a tranquil resort with waterfront dining and gardens along the shore.
Church Landing’s accommodations are among the most sumptuous I have seen in New England, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. When it opened three years ago, Trip Advisor rated it among the most romantic hotels in the U.S. Perhaps it’s the four-poster beds smothered in thick duvets, so comfort- able and heavy that staying under the covers all morning seems like the only thing to do. If and when you surface, you might plan a private afternoon, curled up in the window seat.
Church Landing’s designers went all out with rustic-but-rich Adirondack-style décor (yes, the renowned New York log and birchbark style has crossed state lines into New Hampshire). The workmanship is superlative. The comforting colours of forest green, cranberry and bark recall the great forests outdoors. And McLear hasn’t overlooked any indulgence. In certain rooms, a flat-screen television will rise mechanically from a cabinet with the push of a button.
To keep pace with the beautiful guest rooms, Cascade Spa has been renovated in art deco-inspired style using lots of glass and marble. It has created signature services, such as the Cascade Massage, which features body and scalp rubdowns; the Lavender-Dream body treatment, a soothing and hydrating scrub and massage; and the caviar facial, which uses anti-oxidants to tighten and nourish the skin. And, again, the views of Lake Winni add a deep serenity factor.
Outside of the hotel, Mere- dith simply pulses with activity. You can rent all manner of water-sports equipment and craft on Lake Winni, but one of the most appealing options in Meredith is renting a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for the day. Laconia Harley-Davidson supplies bikes, equipment and maps.
Lakehouse is the hotel’s big, busy and friendly restaurant, also done in upscale summercamp style, with a wood-slatted ceiling, chairs fashioned from branches, and twigs and walls of cedar planks.
Lakehouse perpetuates the local theme, offering fresh farm-and-sea fare from suppliers, including Portsmouth Lobster Co., New Hampshire Mushroom Company and the Sandwich Creamery.
It serves hearty American cuisine featuring appetizers with international accents such as pork tacos, pizza with Gorgonzola, figs and prosciutto; plus side dishes of rosemary-roasted potatoes and creamy polenta; and main courses of cedar-brined pork chops, braised lamb, beef tenderloin, duck breast or vegetarian peppers stuffed with tomato cream, goat cheese and mushrooms.
It’s a challenge to imagine dessert after such fulsome fare, but irresistible at the same time. The chef ’s specialties are comfort-style bread pudding and apple crisp.
For all of Church Land- ing’s luxuries, McLear stuck to homeland values in construction, meeting the Madein-America Challenge. This is a series broadcast by Diane Sawyer on ABC World News that encourages Americans to buy products made in the U.S.A. According to ABC, during the 1960s, roughly eight per cent of purchases in the U.S. were manufactured overseas, while today about 60 per cent come from abroad.
“We are proud to say Church Landing is 95 per cent American made,” McLear said. “Everything, including the nails, the steel, the lumber and the bathtubs, are made in the U.S.A., except for some electrical panels and one elevator, which came from Canada.”