Though the most-expensive suites at this inn cost a whopping $1,400 a night, the Mayflower is often booked months in advance. Running streams, rambling stone walls, and rare specimen trees fill the country manor-style inn's 28 manicured acres. Fine antiques, 18th- and 19th-century art, and four-poster canopy beds define each of the rooms. The colossal baths have mahogany wainscoting, marble, and Limoges and brass fittings. The Mayflower's 20,000-square-foot spa has earned a reputation as one of New England's finest such facilities—treatments like antioxidant-rich violet facials and Moor mud wraps are highly popular. Be sure to dine in the superb restaurant ($$$-$$$$), where the changing menu might list Block Island swordfish with rosemary-white-bean stew and tangerine-glazed pancetta, or Kobe-beef carpaccio with Parmesan aioli. Pros: idyllic and perfected landscaped grounds, soliticious but relaxed service, outstanding spa. Cons: some rooms starting to show a little age, very pricey.
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