Barnard
Vermont


The Experience

Sinclair Lewis and his wife, Dorothy Thompson, spent years entertaining luminary guests and family members at their 300-acre Twin Farms estate, and that celebratory, familial spirit still lives on. Guests can be found wandering the Barnard, Vermont, acreage in search of wild berries in summer, or schussing down the private ski runs in winter. Dog-eared books line the shelves of the library for quiet, stormy days spent indoors. Meals are still a social event, with decadent dishes prepared with local produce and served in a firelit room. And to recuperate from all that relaxation, there's a top-notch spa.

The Rooms

Each of the 15 rooms looks different from the rest, whether that means a four-post bed with a patchwork quilt and a tiled fireplace (Dorothy's Room); the clean-lined, Thad Hayes–designed, Alpine-style Chalet; or the Treehouse, a riot of interlacing birch beams and Adirondack twigs. Many of the rooms are designed to be booked as a unit—ideal for a family getaway. All have different themes and feel like mountain homes overlooking the rolling hills and leafy property. The latest addition is the Aviary, which features an in-room tub set next to a natural-stone fireplace and looking out floor-to-ceiling windows to the wilderness beyond.

The Service

All the details have been thought out—free airport pickups, nature-guided hikes, expert therapists in the spa, a world-class chef. And with a maximum of 30 guests, even the most personal requests, like a gourmet picnic in a quiet nook of the grounds, can be met.

The Highlights

Because this is a year-round escape in a winter/summer destination, there are lots of organized diversions to keep guests busy, even in the off-seasons. A fully equipped gym stays open 24 hours, and you can dip into the 104-degree Japanese furo tub to soothe muscles postworkout. A full-service spa emphasizes seasonal treatments such as a warming lymphatic drainage massage in winter and uses handmade Arcania Apothecary produces (a favorite with spa-junkies). Golf, tennis, ballooning, horseback riding, sleigh rides—and anything else you can dream up—can be arranged on demand. Or just take a stroll through the rolling hills, a treat no matter whether they're blanketed in powdery snow or blooming wildflowers.

-- Heidi Mitchell

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