Mt. Airy Casino Resort
Mt. Pocono, PA
Mt. Airy Casino Resort: A November 2007 article in Philadelphia Magazine outlines the beginnings of a new breed of Poconos resort with the arrival of Mt. Airy Casino Resort. Described as "Borgata-among-the-trees", and built with fieldstone, rich woods, terrazzo tile, and glass, this 200 room upscale hotel (with plans for another 200 rooms, plus home sites and townhomes) may be a windfall for the area.
But nearly gone are the quaint days of a quick drive to the Pocono Mountains for a weekend of hiking and romping in champagne-glass-shaped tubs. These days, the popularity of the area has resulted in "urban crawl" complete with a population explosion of New York commuters and retirees, traffic jams, spiraling taxes, increasing homogenization, plus gang activities like drugs, robbery, and drive-by shootings, and even a terrorist cell.
'08 Room Rates: Range from $140-$160 weekday, $220 weekend
Mt. Airy Casino Golf Course, Golflink Review: The 18-hole "Mount Airy" course at the Mount Airy Golf Club facility in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania features 7,123 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72 . The course rating is 74.3 and it has a slope rating of 140. Designed by Hal C. Purdy and remodeled by Dan Schlegel, ASGCA, the Mount Airy golf course opened in 2009.
'09 GolfLink Reader Comments: "Preparing itself to be a great golf course… You'd never know it just re-opened this year… Not quite the super-groomed conditions of the old Mt. Airy Resort course, but long past are the days when the resort boasted the finest course in the Poconos….Some of the old trees and brush have been removed or cut back… Big elevation changes and a very tough layout, may frustrate high handicappers… Tees on the par-5 16th were moved halfway up the fairway to prevent the cars in the parking lot from errant shots?!... Ads of a revamped course are a lie, it's in terrible shape, big disappointment from this course's former glory."
Where To Booze & Grub: PoconosBest.com says booze at the on-site Glass Bar, or Gypsie's Lounge & Nightclub. They also liked Red, the on-site steakhouse, Le Sorelle, the on-site Italian restaurant, Betty's American Diner, and the outstanding buffet.