Our time at Lake Wallenpaupack, Poconos was extra special as we got to do it with my sister and some of our closest childhood friends who live in America. Not to mention my nephew and niece and friends kids whom we got to meet for the first time! It was the perfect blend of being out in nature while spending time with loved ones
Why we chose Poconos?
The Pocono Mountains is famous for its resorts, natural scenic beauty, 150 lakes including Lake Wallenpaupack (where we stayed), and the quaint, historical towns in the four county area. It was great for both adults and families with children, has a diverse range of accommodation from luxury resorts to camping. It has something for everyone in all the four seasons – whether skiing in winter or boating and swimming in the summer.
It was very easy to get to from New York, New Jersey, Boston and Pennsylvania and that’s where majority of our party was travelling from. Within 2-4 hours of driving distance, bit longer for families with children who might need more rest stops.
Prices are lower here compared to national parks in the upstate New York area. Also it was off-season in April so there was plenty of accomodations to choose from, many that had discounts.
After going back and forth between the Americans and myself, not to mention the number of people who kept joining the trip – some all the way from San Fransico and Toronto – we finally managed to find a 10 bedroom, 10 bathroom, massive game room, living room, dining and kitchen, secret room for the kids to play, huge balcony overlooking the lake, gardens and the best part was it right on the lake! We found this place here . There were 30 of us total, 10 couples and 10 kids ranging from 18 months to 9 years of age.
The owners even managed to make us feel at home by having a Sheffield flower-pot/box 🙂
Majority of our time was spent feasting on gourmet Bengali food made by one of the couples who came on the trip, BBQ one of the days, having several tea and coffee sessions, and drinking wine and other beverages!
Activities all revolved around the water – Ashique did some fishing, by himself and then with the kids. Wasn’t very successful in catching any but philosophized about the act of fishing and explained to others what it is really about 🙂 There was lot of basking in the sun and ‘chilaxing’ on the huge balcony while enjoying views of the gorgeous blue water
We went on a few walks, while the kids had their share of throwing sticks and stones in the water, dipping their feet in, was was icy! We heard that just the week before parts of it was frozen. Shama also had a go at wildlife exploration around the area. The secret room upstairs was a huge success with the kids and they all enjoyed the game room as well.
Most of the time, it was just wonderful to sit outside with your coffee or tea, gaze out into the beautiful lake, go down the steps to dip your feet in the water and hang out with friends. In Bangla we call the word ‘Adda’ 🙂
There were some serious matches of Cricket games played by adults and the kids. We turned the tennis court into a cricket pitch 🙂
It was great watching the next generation of kids having fun together. Most of us here grew up in Bangladesh but had left for our higher studies, for some of us almost 18 years ago. Few of us had been friends for more than 25 years!
It was a mission and a half trying to get them together for a picture. This is as close as we got, 7 out of 10, not too bad!
We also had the loveliest dog Lola to keep us company 🙂
And here is half of us on our last day before leaving, can’t wait to have another epic reunion like this again 🙂
While April was not an ideal time to go for doing lot of the summer activities such as boating and swimming, it was still warm for hiking, viewing wildlife, horse riding, and mountain biking. We chose to do none of the above(other than walking!) as it would have impossible to schedule something for a large party of 30 people with so many kids under 2. For us, it was definitely more about being able to be in such a beautiful place with friends. I would highly recommend this cottage by Lake Wallenpaupack for large groups – its perfect for having indoors space, outdoors fun, whilst enjoying stunning views of the surrounding area.
This post was written as part of #TheWeeklyPostcard blog link-up and #weekend wanderlust linkup
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What a beautiful retreat! Great scenery and very relaxing atmosphere. And all that great food that you are getting ready to eat… yummy!
Looks like a great fun and relax for all the family! 🙂
I wish my weekend looked the same 🙂
That sounds alike an amazing get together and what a find that house was. It looks like it was perfect for you all.
Beautiful view love to go there to relax and unwind
The views were the best! It really was such a lovely relaxing weekend 🙂
It looks like such a lovely place to go with the family!! Thanks so much for linking up with #WeekendWanderlust!
It really was a great place, especially for us being such a big group with lots of little children!
We loved the Pocono Mountains. My daughter used to go every year to a summer camp there. It’s a great place to take the family because their are a lot of activities for the kids to do. Also, I found outlet stores, so I did a little shopping. Thanks for linking up to #WeekendWanderlust this week.
Isn’t it such a great place! I can’t believe I had lived in Pennsylvania for 4 years and had never been! we absolutely loved it 🙂
Wow, 30 people??
Looks like a great place though! I’m glad you were able to find somewhere so nice for that many people.
Had to research a lot as mostly was finding two cottages next to one another but finally found this place! It was great 🙂
Oooh, the food! How lovely 🙂
What a lovely place, it seems like a perfect place to relax over the weekend. And that food looks delicious! 🙂