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Check here for the latest info on what's happening at the Highland Lake Resort!

LATEST ADDED FEATURES! (Updated 8/1/07)

NEW WAY FOR GUESTS TO ARRIVE!

We recently had a helicopter arrive at the Resort to pick up and drop off passengers. The pilot stated that the area behind the Conference Center was PERFECT for safe landings, and was going to let other pilots know of its availability. So... if you wish to arrive by this means, give us a heads-up and we'll be glad to have you "drop-in"!

NEW CUSTOM-BUILT PLAYGROUND

We had bought the slide, swings, "rock" climbing wall, and hardware, but waited for the new, improved, SAFER pressure-treated lumber to become reasonably priced. Visible from all rooms, and with a great view of the lake for the kids!

NEW ICE MAKER

The old one served us well, but kept breaking down. The new one has a larger capacity and should keep working for a long time.

FREE HIGH-SPEED WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS

Many people have asked for it, and we have listened! Now you can access high-speed wireless internet from your own room. Coverage is strong, bandwidth is good, and the system is currently FREE!

PLENTY OF NEW PAINT

We've repainted about seven of the guest rooms and re-papered several Executive Rooms. We've also been adding new bedspreads, curtains, and black-out liners to various rooms. Finally, we totally stripped the paint off most of the old farmhouse, the office, and the Conference Center barn, caulked, and repainted the buildings. We also redesigned the entry way to be lighter and more inviting to our guests.

Past notices of updates and changes:

HEALTH SPA BUILDING IS DOING WELL!

Since buying the Resort in 1997, I've wanted to replace the old building foundation beside the barn that was used as a rudimentary "rec room", as well as for storage. Well, it's finally done! We built a NEW building in 2004, with almost 50% more space, a larger game room, separate exercise room, hot tub room, sauna, massage room, plus changing rooms and restrooms accessible from outside. There are 24-hour vending machines and ice for our guests, and a new coin laundry. We're quite excited about our new facility, and the fact that it is heated AND air-conditioned to make it useable all year long! Check it out by clicking here

NEW ACCENT LIGHTING DOWN BY THE LAKEFRONT
A long-time goal of ours, we've now run electricity down to the picnic area by the lakefront. The area around the stone fireplace is a great gathering place at night, but all the roots and trees made it sometimes treacherous without a good flashlight. No longer! We have placed low-voltage, subtle light (mere 7-watt, amber fixtures) in strategic locations to make it safer and more inviting. Plus, there's now an electrical outlet by the lake for music, PA systems, etc. for special events (NOT for disturbing the peacefulness of the area, though!)

ALL EFFICIENCY ROOMS NOW HAVE NEW KITCHENETTES
Over the past few years we have been upgrading the Efficiency Rooms. Well, they finally all have new kitchenette units, all with stoves and ovens, fridges, sinks, and all utensils. We've also redesigned the rooms to make for more "walking around" room, while keeping the queen and double bed arrangements in each unit.

ROOMS IN THE "UPPER" BUILDING HAVE TOTALLY NEW BATHROOMS
This was a project that we've longed to do for ages! Several years ago, we took the Executive Room bathrooms down to the studs and put in new ceilings, floors, showers, vanities, mirrors, shelving, plumbing, and other amenities. It was a lot of work (and cost), but well worth it. By 2005 we'd redone the rest of the upper rooms as well.

EXECUTIVE ROOMS HAVE BEEN REFURNISHED
We've replaced the original furnishings in the Executive Rooms with amoires, desks, nightstands, new headboards, and fully-extending "wall-away" recliners. We've also redone 2 of them entirely, with new walls, paint, and wallpaper. And, we've added a sixth Executive Room with a KING bed, in response to your requests.

EXECUTIVE ROOMS HAVE TOP OF THE LINE PILLOW-TOP MATTRESSES!
After adding air-conditioning, remote-control TV's, and, now, coffee-makers to ALL rooms, we realized that we no longer had as much of a difference between our other rooms and the Executive Rooms. Originally, the Executives were going to have all the features that business and "up-scale" travelers wanted-- at a mere $10 more in price. They still have a fridge, microwave, and "wall-away" recliner, but we felt they needed more. So... again asking our guests what they wanted, we went out and bought two BRAND NEW, PILLOW-TOP MATTRESSES for each of four Executive Rooms. Four Executive Rooms now have EXTRA-LONG (same length as a King)DOUBLE beds, one has a QUEEN and an EXTRA-LONG TWIN, and one has a KING BED! These new "Presidential Suite" mattresses are the best that Serta makes, and the response from our guests has been tremendous! (We also took the opportunity to eliminate many of the older mattresses in our regular rooms.)

ALL ROOMS NOW HAVE IN-ROOM COFFEE-MAKERS
On the plus side, we have wired all rooms to have coffee-makers in them. Now all guests will be able to have hot coffee first thing in the morning. On the negative side, we are discontinuing the summer continental breakfast. We had to decide whether to keep the breakfast and charge our guests more per room to cover the growing costs, or to keep our rates low and stop the breakfast. Since most guests said what they really needed was coffee to get going in the morning, we decided to at least provide them with in-room coffee.

NEW 2-PERSON SWING DOWN BY THE LAKEFRONT
Comfy, cozy, and a great place to cuddle while watching the sunset.

DOCKS HAVE BEEN REINFORCED AND CAN HOLD MORE BOATS
We've moved the docks out another 8 feet, lowered the height of the main deck, and thereby created docking space for more, larger boats.

PARKING LOTS EXPANDED, RE-DESIGNED, AND RE-PAVED
The old design of the rear parking lot made it difficult for guests in rooms 113, 114, and 115 to park. Many times, guests would have to park on the lawn or found themselves parked in by others. Also, the driveway to the "lower" building could be a muddy, rutted nightmare! The new rear lot allows everyone a nice, safe, well-marked parking space. In the front, we've added some more "turning room" by the office and more passing room by the upper building. Finally, we've re-graded the lots and put down a new subsurface and topcoat on ALL paved surfaces. No more huge puddles or jarring bumps!

ALL ROOMS NOW HAVE INDIVIDUALLY-CONTROLLED HEAT
It took a complete replacement of the piping under the rooms in the upper building, plus wiring in thermostats to each room, but you now have control of your heating needs. Before, all rooms shared a heating zone with other rooms, so that one person might be a bit too warm while another might be too cold. One option was to add those "through-the-wall" heat & A/C systems that so many motels and hotels have. However, we have never enjoyed the noise or the inability to really "set and forget" such blowers. Therefore, we re-plumbed the current system and created separate heat zones for each room. Now you'll have full control of the quiet, efficient, forced hot-water baseboard heat for your room. Of course, the lower rooms always had separately-controlled electric heat, so now EVERY room can be under guest command!

ALL ROOMS NOW HAVE REMOTE-CONTROLLED TV's
Bit by bit, we've been adding remote control TV's to the upgraded rooms. While the old TV's were in great shape, and TV watching isn't why one should stay with us, nonetheless we knew that guests liked the convenience of having a remote control beside them. Therefore, we've replaced all the TV's with new ones. And, we now have almost 15 new channels for our guests' enjoyment, for a total of 60 channels. We want you to enjoy all the outdoor activities and the many area attractions we have to offer, but know that you'll have to spend SOME time in your room!
AIR CONDITIONING NOW IN ALL ROOMS
Each year we've added more air-conditioned rooms to the resort. In 2000, we put in all new wiring circuits to accomodate A/C in the lower building! Although these rooms still have their ceiling fans, and are still under the trees, you'll be all set for the half dozen days each summer that could use air conditioning.
TENNIS COURT RESURFACED
Those pesky cracks have been filled, the posts straightened and re-topped, a new net installed (with a new crank to tighten or loosen it), new paint and lines put down, and new racquets purchased. Tennis anyone?
DOCKING SYSTEM UPGRADED
For those of you who used to dread walking out on the "bobbing" finger docks, we've invested in new permanent supports to make them rigid. No more timing your steps to the waves, or feeling as if you're going to teeter over the edge. Also, a new swim float was anchored off the beach as of the summer of 2001!
OVER $12,000 INVESTED IN IMPROVING THE WATERFRONT
We always had one of the nicest waterfronts on the lake, with the right balance of trees and open views to make it just beautiful! But, with our large expanse of lawns going down to the lake, there has always been a question about controlling run-off into the water. Also, the original straight, asphalt road offered a direct line for run-off, and was in very poor shape itself! So, working with the Lakes Environmental Association, and helped out with some federal grant monies, over $12,000 has been invested in adding "rip rap" (a way to protect the shore from erosion), creating new drainage ditches and dry wells, and remaking the roadway into a meandering, gravel drive. The driveway by the boat ramp, often a muddy mess when it's wet, has also been rebuilt. We're proud to invest in the preservation of the waterfront and the health of Highland Lake!
DELUXE SUITE A HIT!
The "Housekeeping Apartment" was remodeled as of the first week of July, 1999, and guests have made it our most popular room since! It was always a great room, with the fireplace, full kitchen, and picture window overlooking the lake. But now it's truly something special! We have repainted and papered the rooms, put in new carpeting in the living room and bedroom, new vinyl flooring in the kitchen, tile in the bathroom, added a recliner plus a new queen-size sleeper-sofa to the big room, redecorated the bedroom, and ADDED A TWO-PERSON JACUZZI TUB TO THE BATHROOM! This is a great place for a honeymoon, anniversary, birthday, or just a romantic getaway! Look for pictures on the RATES & POLICIES page!
PRIVACY INCREASED BETWEEN CONNECTING ROOMS
If you had stayed in one of the "lower" rooms before, you might have noticed that the doors between connecting rooms didn't offer a great deal of privacy. For people who booked an "Efficiency Suite", this wasn't a problem, but if strangers in an adjoining room were at all loud, you would have easily heard them. Luckily, most guests will abide by our request to keep noise down in the morning and at night, but we weren't happy with the situation.
Now, however, the problem has been solved. We've added a THIRD door between the rooms, creating another 4 feet of dead air space. What a difference it makes!
"LOWER" ROOMS REMODELED IN SPRING, 1999
We had put off installing the new doors until we were ready to remodel the rooms. Well, we have! On all rooms, the old wood paneling is gone, the walls have been lightened, new wallpaper and/or borders are up, the bathrooms now have GREAT lighting (no more dim flourescent lights), all rooms have new carpeting (and most bathrooms new vinyl flooring), and many have new, custom-finished furniture! Instead of being the RUSTIC rooms, these will be the newest!
ACCEPTANCE INTO ONE OF THE MAJOR AUTOMOBILE CLUBS!
As of 9/30/98, the Highland Lake Resort is the only motel in Bridgton accepted by "One of the Major Automobile Clubs" (unfortunately, unless we pay a major fee, we can't say their name!) And, due to the new renovations and upgrades, the Resort has received a "2" Rating (unfortunately, because of the original design that had many rooms with just a shower and no tub, we will never be able to receive a higher rating overall, even though many of our improvements would qualify us for one). This means that you are assured that the Resort exceeds the minimum standards required for acceptance by the nation's foremost travel review organization.

NEW CONFERENCE ROOM
October 1, 1998 was the opening of the new Overlook Room conference center. The old barn which houses the office was once a restaurant, and the space has now been renovated into a BEAUTIFUL room with 30' of picture windows overlooking the lake. In addition to events, the room will be used for the in-season continental breakfast and for evening relaxation during the winter.

The room has approx. 1,000 square feet of space. This can hold a modest-sized wedding reception, reunion, or special event. Anticipated capacity for a stand-up reception is 100 people, and we have the tables and chairs for a formal banquet of 76 and theatre-style seating for 84. The room also includes modem and video hookups, a fireplace, a sound system, and access to an open air deck. Several excellent caterers are available for food service, and the staff at the Highland Lake Resort includes two people who have coordinated weddings and events professionally.
NEW QUEEN BEDS
We listened to our guests, and many of you said you wished we had more queen-sized beds available. Double beds don't always "fit" people over 6 feet tall, and many couples like the extra room that a queen bed offers. Since we do need to have two beds in every room, all Efficiency Rooms now feature a queen bed along with a double bed, one Executive Room has a queen and a single, and the Deluxe Suite has a queen bed and a queen pull-out sofa. Before, we had just two rooms with queen beds, and most rooms had a double and TWIN (now 2 doubles).
BUSINESS CLASS ROOMS
Five rooms have each been upgraded with a recliner, 4 cubic foot refrigerator, a 1000W microwave, and a 4-cup coffee maker. A phone with dataport (for use with a computer or fax) is available if needed.
24 HOUR PHONE SYSTEM W/ VOICEMAIL
A new phone attendant system was added in the end of 1997. Now, guests can make and RECEIVE calls at all hours of the day or night. Before, the office had to be open for routing in-coming calls. Also, callers can now leave a personal message in a guest's own voice mailbox for greater accuracy and privacy.

Also added during our first year of operation were:
Cloth bathmats. No more paper mats stuck to your feet, or puddles on the floor.
Fitted bottom sheets. Don't you hate it when you pull out the top sheet and blanket and the bottom sheet comes untucked? Or you wake up with your feet on the mattress and the bottom sheet around your knees? Well, we've invested in dozens of new fitted sheets to eliminate this annoyance.
FREE local calls, 800 calls, and credit card calls. We're here to make money on renting rooms, not charging you for phone calls!
New shower heads. Adjust the strength to your own preference.
AM/FM radio alarm clocks. Go to sleep to music, listen to the morning news, or control your own wake-up.
Toll-free Reservation Line. Now you can make your reservation with no cost to you for the phone call! Just call 1-800-797-5301.
Pedal boat. A cute little thing. Just the right size for 2 (or even 2 1/2) people to take an easy ride around the shoreline.