Popular website MSN Travel recently released its picks of “The best all-inclusive resorts in the United States,” featuring 30 resorts around the country with Brooks Lake Lodge & Spa at the front of the list. As the article states “When does a vacation really feel like a vacation? When all-inclusive rates that wrap in food and fun activities mean you’ll only have to reach for your wallet once during your stay.” Brooks Lake Lodge agrees – and encourages guests to leave their wallets and cell phones behind as they enjoy the breathtaking outdoor scenery from the lodge’s location deep in Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest near Yellowstone National Park during activities and hearty gourmet meals next to a roaring fire.
The MSN Travel piece shared all-inclusive resorts from Vermont to Texas, Alaska to Wyoming, providing a surprisingly strong variety of options for travelers seeking a truly great all-inclusive experience. The article praises “romantic guest ranch” Brooks Lake Lodge as “one of the finest all-inclusive resorts in the U.S.”
The term “all-inclusive” applied to a hotel or resort can raise visions of crowds of people eating from a mediocre menu or buffet. At Brooks Lake Lodge, the maximum occupancy is 36 guests at a time, so there are no masses to compete with, and the 1:1 staff to guest ratio ensures a top-service guest experience. Meanwhile, the cuisine has a stellar reputation of its own.
All meals at Brooks Lake Lodge are included in an overnight stay, with the thoughtful, freshly made, locally sourced dishes created by the resort’s acclaimed Executive Chef Whitney Hall. Hearty Western breakfasts are followed by a lunch menu with such tasty offerings as the Sublette Sandwich, with breaded chicken served on a house-made biscuit with honey sriracha aioli, a Buffalo Basin Sloppy Joe on toasted garlic bread or the Pintail Salad featuring spinach with confit duck, goat cheese, pretzel crostini and house-made balsamic bruschetta. The decadent dinner menu includes Korean-style short ribs with a soy ginger glaze, crispy rice and roasted bok choy or peach wood-smoked brisket with braised seasonal greens and duck fat-roasted red potatoes. In short, guests are never hungry or underwhelmed by the lodge’s culinary scene.
Another scene that doesn’t underwhelm is the breathtaking scenery surrounding Brooks Lake Lodge, the backdrop to the many inclusive activities for guests to enjoy. Winter guests can enjoy snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice fishing or snowmobiling through nearly two million acres of varied terrain (snowmobile rental fees do apply). And in the summer guests can hike the stunning trails, fish in the lakes and rivers surrounding the lodge, canoe, compete at archery or enjoy a scenic horseback ride.
Relaxing and rejuvenating spa treatments are available for guests at the onsite Rocky Mountain Spa, which offers separately priced facials and massages and boasts an included-with-stay sauna, fitness center and enormous 11-by-17-foot hot tub overlooking Brooks Lake and the Pinnacle Buttes.
Immersed in pioneer-era ambience and its peaceful surroundings, the remote Brooks Lake Lodge — accessible in winter only by snow coach, snowmobile or cross-country skis — sits hidden away in Shoshone National Forest, but within easy driving distance to Jackson Hole, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Nature-rich outdoor activities and sumptuous accommodations combine for an indulgent escape in this easily reachable winter wonderland with an off-the-grid feel.