What: This bucolic 300-acre Twin Farms in Vermont has a rich literary and luxury history: The rural estate of famed author Sinclair Lewis, the first American writer to win the Nobel Prize in literature, was lovingly transformed into an escapist boutique resort that has earned the highest Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award for 18 consecutive years. With a summer camp feel—summer camp for spoiled adults, that is—Twin Farms perfectly balances casual country charm and sporting activities with first-rate cuisine (customized for every guest), impeccable service (as unobtrusive or omnipresent as you wish) and just 20 art strewn and completely unique lodging options.
Where: Twin Farms is hidden behind an unmarked gate off a dirt road linking Barnard and charming Woodstock, the popular and historically preserved tourist town long supported by the Rockefeller clan and home to Vermont’s only national park. The resort’s “Beyond Inclusive” rates include private airport transfers from Manchester, N.H. or Burlington, Vt., the closest options, so you don’t have to worry about traversing Vermont’s Green Mountains on your own.
When: The idyllic retreat opened its first nine rooms in 1993, and added five additional cottages by 1996—the same year Twin Farms earned its first Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating it has held ever since. It’s a year-round destination with activities appealing to just about everyone: Late spring through fall is ideal for those who want to explore the surrounding countryside, but Vermont’s famed fall foliage season is the ultra-prime time for visiting. And for snow sports enthusiasts, winter is when to stay within the resort, with its elaborate cross-country and snowshoe trail network and private downhill ski mountain.
Why: Warm chocolate chip cookies delivered at 2 a.m.? A gourmet champagne picnic perfectly timed to meet you trailside during an afternoon hike? Vegan Kosher meals throughout your stay? How about an impromptu decision to learn how to ski? Not only are they all doable, these amenities are also included. A visit to Twin Farms is like a stay at the country estate of a billionaire friend—staff and all. The entire property becomes an extension of your room, for your needs, whatever they may be. Yet many guests find it hard to leave the custom cottages, each decorated in an elaborate theme, from alpine chalet to treehouse to fly fishing, and each stocked with art from the owner’s museum-quality collection.
Photos Courtesy of Twin Farms
