Things to do / Travel Guide
You will be awed at the choices for a luxury vacation in the region made up of the two autumn-loving states of Vermont and New Hampshire. Surrounded by forests of maple, birch, and oak, meadows of every color of wildflower, gruff old mountains, and serene youth-imparting ponds and lakes, be ready to transport yourself to new levels of the high life. Secluded from the hustle and bustle of the everyday, and in the company of steepled New England towns, body and mind will rejuvenate in a thick of sensual colors and pleasure.
Luxurious Accommodation in New Hampshire and Vermont
The U.S. has seen no greater countryside opulence than at New Hampshire and Vermont resorts and country inns. Some are historic, while others are more recent creations. Either way, you'll be treated a full dose of New England charm, plus great and innovative food, and breathtaking accommodations.
Any description of the region's best of the best must start with New Hampshire's Balsams, in the scenic White Mountains, and Vermont's Twin Farms, in the rolling Green Mountains. These two establishments are simply some of the top places to stay anywhere in the country.
Balsams Grand Resort is one of the last of its kind, a Victorian resort founded in the Victorian era. On a blue lake below a verdant rocky mountain, the Balsams prominently invites, its red-shingled turrets gleaming in the sunlight. The view from across the lake is absolutely sublime! No two of the rooms are alike, while the suites are all thematically distinguished. Pamper yourself in the 1896 Suite or pick the Verandah Suite if you prefer a charming arts and crafts style.
At Twin Farms, there are just 20 lodging units. These rooms, however, or suites or cabins, are some of the most luxurious you will be lucky to encounter. The style is almost exclusively classical Vermont.
At the greatest of Twin Farms' selection, the Chalet cottage, you have access to a brick-laid fireplace, a Jacuzzi, a deck, and a Burgundian limestone flooring. And if you want anything, just call up the front desk and they'll take care of it. Want a picnic laid out on a hike to Mount Ascutney? No problem - and they'll clean up after you've left, too!
Luxurious Dining in New Hampshire and Vermont
And the dining! Ahh, the dining. Management at the Balsams Dining Room bills the atmosphere as a return to the Edwardian era. Even if you're not strictly nobility, the waiters will treat you as such, in their bowties and gold paisley vests. Dine on such masterworks as the pan-seared Atlantic scallops with pecan and potato hash, dessert on warm flan topped with blueberries.
The dining at Twin Farms is on par with the lodging. The cuisine is based on all local ingredients, with a creative and playful touch relentlessly applied. This is opulence at its most down home and natural. The dinners go on and on, with more creative surprises on the horizon just after the next bite. You've perhaps eaten truffles, and macaroni doesn't bite, but how about truffle-scented black macaroni? With rock shrimp and heirloom tomato concasse, it's only the appetizer. The decadence, assuredly, does not let up.
The great Vermont and New Hampshire cuisine dominates at other luxurious establishments, too. It's often of the French-Canadian variety, with special emphasis on seafood, poultry, and hearty meals. There's an establishment in Vermont's Champlain Valley called the Inn at Essex. But who are we kidding? With 120 guest rooms, and serving as the grounds for the New England Culinary Institute, it's nothing if not a playground for those who love good food - a culinary resort. Actually, that is what it bills itself as.
Of the dining choices at the Inn at Essex, two stand out: Sit down to be pampered at the Butler's Restaurant. Feast on white mushroom and truffle soup, pan-roasted duck breast with raspberry vinegar gastrique, and plenty of eye-popping desserts. The other option is to eat at Vermont's Culinary Theater. For this you plan in advance along with the chefs for exactly what you'll be eating on the appointed occasion. Let it be as elaborate as you wish, up to five distinct courses, and the chefs are yours for every whim you've ever dreamed about. High living indeed!
Luxurious Activities in New Hampshire and Vermont
A great advantage of staying in a mountain resort is the opportunity to take part in so many outdoors activities. While at the Balsams, the best of peaceful boating experiences can be had on Lake Gloriette; and fantastic golf is played on the resort's Panorama Championship Course, consistently rated New Hampshire's best public access course.
During a winter holiday, have the mountain nearly all to yourself, at the resort's ski facilities. Offering Alpine as well as Nordic ski, the Balsams has been named one of the “poshest ski hotels in the world.” Aside from the Balsam's skiing mountain, you can find luxury skiing in the region at Stratton Mountain, Vermont's highest peak. And aside from downhill skiing, you can find some of New England's best cross-country skiing upon well-groomed trails at Robert Todd Lincoln's estate, Hildene.
A luxurious trip is also about rejuvenating the body, the principle activity at the spa. In this regard, find all your needs met to indulgence at the Equinox Resort's Avanyu Spa. This esteemed establishment features both men's and women's packages, both of which can be customized for your particular needs. Highly recommended are the Avanyu Legend Treatment and the Spirit of Vermont Treatment. Aside from the spa, Equinox also features one of the country's best resort golf courses, Gleneagles.
For all of the lodgings, the dining experiences, the spas, and the skiing, the greatest part of a luxurious vacation in Vermont and New Hampshire are the places themselves. Wherever you go, the beauty of these two mountain states will follow; it's a vacation truly in the twin laps of luxury and nature. Allow yourself to indulge - and don't forget to pick up some decadent maple syrup!
Luxury Vacation Ideas in Burlington, Stowe, Rutland and the New Hampshire and Vermont mountains
Luxury-Vacations
|
|
|