Hidden Pond Resort

Positives: -- Gorgeous room in a beautiful setting. Lots of privacy -- a feeling like we were alone on the property. -- Excellent service, with the staff responding quickly to requests. We had a minor emergency, and there was an immediate response -- particularly impressive given how spread apart the units are. -- Great food. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals at Earth and at Tides Beach Club. -- The beach! Goose Rocks Beach is incredible, and it was such a treat to have beach chairs and umbrellas set up for us. Not so positive: -- This is not the place for you if you're hoping to hang out at the bar and have a great cocktail before dinner, at least on the main property. There's effectively no bar in the Earth restaurant -- and no bartender (the waitstaff mixes their own cocktails, oddly). The pool bars are minimal -- canned only at one, and with an inexperienced bartender at the other. -- The pools seemed a little sad -- little leaf-filled when we were there. And the restaurant sets up dinner tables around the adult pool, so it can feel a little odd sitting there in the late afternoon.

Unfortunately our trip did not get off to a great start. We were greeted at the front desk with a certain disdain for our early evening arrival. We don’t want to harp on the employee but she seemed to not want to have been there. The next morning we turned on the shower to heat up and briefly stepped away only to get in and for the water to be ice cold. When we asked for someone to come assess the issue we were told they would “come double check “ as if we made it up. When they came we were told there is not “unlimited hot water.” We maybe had the water on for 10 minutes total. There was also an ongoing granola debacle wherein we inquired about the complimentary granola that was missing from the room and were promised multiple times that it would be restocked to no avail. Then told they “ran out.” The night before we were leaving they brought two giant containers of granola and yogurt that there was no way we could have eaten. The whole thing felt like a Curb your Enthusiasm bit in the end. We did however love our meal at Earth!! So delicious! All in all it felt like a resort run by people who do not care about hospitality, but for this price it just doesn’t add up.

Absolutely heavenly. The forest is beautiful and like looking into a magical world. There are free bicycles, a heated family pool and adult only pool, fabulous restaurant, attentive staff, concierge to help you select everything from white water rafting, to skim boarding, to zip lining, moose safaris and historic ghost tours or fine or casual dining options. Best of all there is privacy and a sense of space and a luxury experience in nature. There are also lovely dark night skies where you can actually see the stars, bonfires and s’mores. We watched a beaver working hard to build his dam and saw the season’s first fiddlehead ferns. We will be back!

My stay at Hidden Pond, during high season, was terribly underwhelming. I encountered staffing deficiencies every step of the way. From the shuttle to town unavailable when needed during regular mealtime hours, to an absence of poolside staff to refresh the towel bin, to hunting down staff in the pool-adjacent restaurant to get a refreshment… the challenge to find help was relentless. On-site dining reservation availability was slim to none. The rooms were nice, however the overall experience was not up to par for the price point.

We had a wonderful time staying at Hidden Pond and eating at Earth! Everyone (staff) we encountered on the property was friendly and went above and beyond to make our stay memorable. Everything from our check-in with Shelle M. at the front desk check-in to check-out was top notch and I loved all the personal touches like morning coffee delivered to the apples and lemonade at check-out! We stayed in Sea-Esta and it was BEAUTIFUL! I didn’t realize Earth got so booked but Shelle made it happen for our Anniversary dinner. I would suggest making dinner reservations prior to arrival. I loved the robe so much I bought one!

I have to take a moment and warn fellow travelers about my experience with this company. After making reservations for 2 nights, we attempted later to book a 3rd to take advantage of an end of season celebration they promoted via email. This is where the enchantment wore off. Since I booked through my credit card company, they were not able to just add a day. This may seem crazy to some, but to them it is SOP. Their system can only book 2 day minimum, and since I already had 2 days and need only one additional, I was told it was not possible. Their solution was for me to cancel my previous reservation, which was $30 less a night and then they could book the full 3 days easy peasy, albeit at the higher rate. So, I changed my entire plans, including flight schedules, and called back to complete the reservation. During my call "Brian", whom I had spoken with previously, became confused. On my original call I had requested to extend my reservation leaving 11/3 to 11/4. Now in a moment of clarity, he informed me that they close for the season the 3rd. I requested a manager to discuss my dismay and was transferred to Lindsy, who was very apologetic but was not a manager, one was not on duty today. My only recourse was to cancel my entire reservation, included restaurant reservations and begin another search for somewhere that would match my dates and hopefully tell me correct information on the first call before more hours of my life are wasted.