Archive for the 'Places to Stay in VT' Category

Vermont foliage viewed from my carriage house in Lincoln

In Vermont, foliage season is the time of year we all become connoisseurs of light. Especially after the autumnal equinox, we follow the sun’s progress closely and with a little bit of melancholy. The forecast this week promises a potpourri of light opportunities: sun, clouds, rain, fog, mist. I encourage you to check out the foliage in the rain and fog. Like suede instead of patent leather, the fall colors have a richer hue in subdued light.

There is no question where to see great foliage, it’s everywhere: in the North, head for the valleys; in Southern Vermont, head for the hills; in Central Vermont you get your pick. The question this time of year is not where to look, but where to stay. I can recommend great places to stay. I can even recommend great inns and lodging properties to buy.

As far as places to stay, there are excellent B&Bs in Addison County. The Swift House in downtown Middlebury is a favorite. And the Waybury Inn, east of town is good. But the most luxurious and picturesque is my place. I specialize in lodging properties and I love to host, so I’ve started renting out my ‘barn’ (Carriage House Apartment). It is beautiful, has spectacular views, and is about 15 minutes to Middlebury and 30 minutes to Burlington.

Take a look:

The light is terrific here anytime of year.	This is a view of the living room.	The “real bed” in my carriage house.

As far as Vermont B&Bs and lodging properties for sale, here are two as spectacular as the season:

Turkey Lane is a wonderful five-bedroom Tudor style home on Lake Champlain in Panton, VT. Pictured here is the Guest House with a wood stove. Click the image to see the full listing.	The Mill House is a spectacular riverfront historic family compound or Bed & Breakfast nestled on a knoll alongside the Great Falls of the Lewis Creek. Click the image for more details.

Looking at houses during foliage season in Vermont is a joy. Contact me for more. In the meantime, here is fun, interactive foliage forecaster.

Graduation Day will be here soon.

It’s almost graduation day. In Vermont this means many things: excitement, anticipation, hope, dread, pride, prom, and the first mosquitoes of the season. For the purposes of this post, graduation day means company from out of state, and lots of it.

Like many Vermonters, you may take stock in the universal truth that fish and house guests smell after three days.This creates a problem of etiquette. Of course the grandparents and aunts and uncles should attend Little Johnny Junior’s high school graduation in beautiful and verdant Vermont. And of course the family should be put up in the grandest style…in someone else’s house.

Enter the Vermont B&B. Vermont is famous for picturesque Bed and Breakfasts in the countryside (the bucolic middle-of-nowhere may be just the place for your loved ones to enjoy themselves and relax far away from the hustle and bustle). Vermont also has some great B&B’s in the middle of town. My two favorite in-town B&B’s are The Heart of the Village Inn in Shelburne and the Swift House in Middlebury.

The Porch at Shelburne's Heart of the Village B&B

The Heart of the Village is situated, just as the name implies, right in the heart of historic Shelburne Village. Surrounded by several great restaurants and art galleries, along with a quintessential Vermont country store and a local wine & coffee shop, your family will not want for much. The Inn is right across the road from the Shelburne Museum, and a short drive to Burlington. The Inn is under new ownership and has had a bit of a facelift.

Some of these restorations were a bit tricky, as the B&B is on the National Register of Historic places, but the Heart of the Village has a stronger beat today. The rooms are brighter, old carpets have been removed to expose beautiful wood floors. Each bed has a new box spring, mattress with posturepedic foam, so your family will sleep more comfortably.

The Bulrush Room at Middlebury's Swift House

Middlebury’s great in-town B&B is the Swift House Inn, right in the middle of town. This 20-room former governor’s mansion is Middlebury’s only classic Vermont country inn. The period rooms are all appointed with modern amenities.

Like the Heart of the Village, the Swift House has a terrific breakfast (excellent home-made granola). Unlike the Shelburne B&B, The Swift House has Jessica’s Restaurant. A culinary dream come true, Jessica’s is the centerpiece of the Swift House. The chef embraces fresh and local ingredients, the scope of the menu pleases all dietary styles and tastes. The Wine Bar at Jessica’s has won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Your family will be happy here.

The Whitford House B & B in Addison : remote and serene, but not too far away...

My out-of-town B&B recommendation is the Whitford House in Addison. Run by Barbara Carson, a marvelous cook, the Whitford House is in a terrific location halfway between Middlebury College and Lake Champlain. The location is beautiful indeed: views of meadows, fields, farmland, and mountains from every room. In season, you can take breakfast on the porch. The Whitford is serene without being too remote – it’s only 20 minutes to Middlebury.

This graduation season, build familial closeness…at an appropriate distance. Check out Vermont’s great B&B’s.

graduation image: deadlambchop.com

According to statistics from Smith Travel Research, Yen Lee for Travel Industry Blog believes the leisure travel industry may have bottomed out. Although the numbers are the lowest they’ve been since 2002, 2009 seems to have stabilized somewhat, with projections for continued stability in the US (numbers are on the rise in Europe).

What this means is that travelers are taking the time to research great travel deals – and are expecting great deals. This may be the perfect time to promote local travel – travel close to one’s home for the experience and luxury of travel without high costs of plane tickets and rental cars. People want to travel but don’t want to break the bank or put themselves in a precarious financial position just to do so.

Running a bed and breakfast or inn in Vermont is a perfect way to encourage local travel at a reasonable price. Travelers from Quebec, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Connecticut and of course, Vermont have easy access to the treasures the Green Mountain State has to offer with just a short drive. The luxury and peacefulness of staying in a Vermont inn, having a delicious, hearty breakfast, and gorgeous surroundings at a reasonable price is enough to get people out for  a few days, or perhaps if the price is right, a week or longer.

Check out some of our past blogs about starting, owning or improving your Vermont Inn or Bed and Breakfast. Or get in touch with us with any questions – we would love to hear from you!

The Heart of the Village Inn in Shelburne, Vermont is a gorgeous Queen Anne Victorian built in 1886. Occupied by only two families until the mid 1990′s, it was converted into a 9 room inn in 1996. The carriage barn, built in 1887, was also converted into guest rooms at the same time. Much of the origial building is still intact (doors, slate roof) and many original features in both the main house and the carriage house were updated to preserve the historic value and beauty of the property. You can read more about the history of the inn here.

The Heart of the Village Inn is in a perfect location for those looking to be near many Vermont attractions. Additionally, it is a short drive from downtown Burlington and Burlington’s International Airport. Shelburne itself has a lovely downtown location with many specialty shops.

The Inn is currently for sale and can be purchased either as a business or as a private residence. Contact Christine and John if you have any questions about this property.

To learn more about the Inn, visit their website, www.heartofthevillage.com.

An exerpt from the Ski Lodges: The Innkeepers of the Tradition of the New York Times Travel Section, Sunday, February 1, 2009

By Amy Virshup

To get to the top of the mountain at Twin Farms Resort, you can take a poma lift. But the better way up is the resort’s Alpina Sherpa, a souped-up snow machine and trolley that can ferry nine people uphill at a time. And the runs are guaranteed to be wide open: The resort, on 300 acres in Vermont, encompasses the former Ski Sonnenberg, a modest, six-run, 350-foot vertical ski hill, which it now runs as a private mountain. Guests seeking bigger thrills can head to Suicide six in Woodstock or the Killington Skyeship gondola. On site, the resort also offers cross-country skiing, snowshoe hiking and ice skating, all with equipment provided so you don’t even have to remember your skates. The resort’s 20 rooms, each with at least one fireplace, range from suites of about 1,000 square feet in the main 18th century farmhouse to individual cottages that, at the largest – the ski-in ski-out  chalet – run 3000 square feet. All have internet wireless access and satellite television and come stocked with coffee, tea, and snacks.

Weekend rates start at $1,300 a couple a night and go up to $3,000. Lower weeday rates are available through March 15 in honor of the resort’s 15th anniversary (from $900 to $2100 a night).

For that all guests get all meals, all beverages (including alcohol and wine from Twin Farm’s 26,000-bottle cellar), ground transportation to and from area airports (Burlington, VT; Lebanon, NH; or Manchester, NH) or to one of the nearby mountains if they want to go off campus to ski (Twin Farms doesn’t make snow so sometimes that can be a necessity). For breakfast the kitchen will, more or less, cook whatever guests want (and the morning’s juices include not just orange, grapefruit and cranberry but selections like mango, carrot, or papya). Those looking to be social can eat in the dining room; those looking for privacy can dine in their rooms or in front of one of the resort’s many fireplaces.

What’s not allowed? Children (except on special family weeks) and pets.

A recent New York Times article in the Travel Section missed a great deal that this energized, hip and beautiful Vermont city has to offer!

36 Hours in Burlington, Vermont

It is no surprise that Burlington, a city whose biggest exports include the jam band Phish and Ben & Jerry’s, has a chill, socially conscious vibe. But for all its worldliness — antiglobalization rallies and fair-trade products abound — Burlington has lately turned an eye to the local. The Lake Champlain shoreline has undergone a renaissance in recent years, with gleaming new hotels, bike and sailboat rental shops and parks with sweeping views of the Adirondack Mountains. But perhaps the strongest emphasis on local can be found in the city’s developing restaurant scene, where menus are now filled with heirloom tomatoes and grass-fed beef from (where else?) Vermont. And you’re practically required to wash it all down with a local microbrew.

Source: New York Times – 36 Hours in Burlington Vermont

For example, the article did not mention The Willard Street Inn, the Lang House as great places to stay the night. It missed the Skinny Pancake – an extraordinary creperie on the lake, Trattoria Delia and Pulcinella’s

For some of the best places to stay – see our list of outstanding favorites.