BigT

Hi All,

I will be heading to the USA with my Girlfriend who has never been, we are flying into NYC and then off to visit some friends in Orlando. We then have a week to spare and am toying with either staying in the warmth of the Florida area or otherwise heading back into NYC and picking up a car to drive into Vermont. A friend has suggested there are some great little towns in the area and Burlington was one of them. So some advice, we have a week and it would be great to have some time in the real wintry, snowy weather and just enjoy driving around, visiting small towns and staying in some great, romantic and cozy hotels......

any advice?

We are in our 30's and enjoying good food, traveling and sightseeing. Not into the 'party scene'

Thanks a lot,

BigT

escargot

Burlington is a lovely area along with Middlebury, Vergennes, the whole mid-Vermont area is full of small quaint Innes and resorts. The furhter north you go the better chance of snow - The Trapp Family Lodge is a favorite during the holidays, as is the Balsams - and there are many more -

In Middlebury, The Swift House Inn and the Middlebury Inn (and the Waybury Inn) are all places we enjoyed when one of our children was in college in Middlebury until a few yrs ago. I miss the beauty of that area now -

You can also type into the search this forum bar at the top of the page things like "vermont" and "vermont innes and hotels" and "burlington" "mid-vermont itinerary" and / or "trip reports vermont" and you will see some great threads with lots of information.

Remember: real wintry, snowy weather is not guaranteed in New England for Christmas - and if you do get it, the driving can then be quite difficult for some - be sure if you do this you rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle or at least one that is good in the snow - and the further north usually the better chance of snow.... maybe you should fly home via Canada or Iceland - then you'd hit some wintry cities for sure !

janiekins

How about the town of Stowe and specifically the Green Mountain Inn. Stowe is a wonderful little town with great restaurants and shops. I stayed at the Green Mountain Inn and loved it there.

Hubster

Manchester Center may have the atmosphere you seek. It has a number of BB's and Inn's that have the traditional rustic New England charm.

kasperlie

Vermont is my favorite state! I live in Texas, now, but grew up in NY and NJ and most of my family went to Middlebury. The Waybury Inn B & B is absolutely fabulous (The Inn from the Newhart show).

Another really quaint town that is great at Christmas is Woodstock. I also agree with Manchester, although it's become a bit more touristy. I've also stayed in Quechee a the Quechee Inn (www.QuecheeInn.com) and it's close to Woodstock and is about as Vermont as you can get (big farmhouse).

Also loved Stowe. If you want to stay at the Von Trappe Family lodge, you will need to reserve way ahead of time. I also stayed at the Four Columns Inn in Newfane and loved it. Let's face it, you can't go wrong anywhere in Vermont. It's all beautiful and small enough to see a lot of it in a short perior of time!

Don't miss it. Have fun!

irishswampyankee

Agree with all the mentioned towns except Burlington which is a small city as opposed to a quaint town, just so you know. Good advice about 4WD vehicle. It could be 60 and raining, an ice storm, 20 below zero and sunny or a blizzard with very hazardous driving so be prepared for anything. Christmas week can get very crowded bcs the schools are out and people flock to the ski areas so you will need reservations.

ggreen

Manchester is also known for outlets - forewarned is forearmed!

SharonG

I'll be in Bennington Vermont with my sister at Christmas and we will surely be hitting the outlets in Manchester. Maybe I'll see you there.

BigT

Wow! thanks for all the great suggestions, i am off to make some bookings now. I have to say i cannot believe the prices, living in Asia one becomes very spoilt and taking into account the time of year it is quite expensive. Anyway, as always, you get what you pay for so off to make some bookings.

Thanks to you all. I will be sure to report back.

Big T

cheapbutnice2

a final vote for escargot's comments.I would recommend the Middlebury area with a day trip to Burlington.Try the Addison County Chamber of Commerce for more suggestions. There is now a chain there (Marriott?) so they may be a little lower when the College is not in-session.

BigT

So I finally sorted out reservations but it did prove a little difficult over the holiday season with so many places putting restrictions on during that time. Anyway we will be staying at the Three Mountain Inn in Jamaica followed by the Stone Hill Inn which is in Stowe and will no doubt get to explore the surrounds. Again thanks for all the advice and we shall be sure to post again on our return.

BigT

Hi all and a big thank you for all your advise, we had a wonderful; time in Vermont. Firstly, Escargot, your comments:

"Remember: real wintry, snowy weather is not guaranteed in New England for Christmas - and if you do get it, the driving can then be quite difficult for some - be sure if you do this you rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle or at least one that is good in the snow - and the further north usually the better chance of snow"

We did rent a 4X4 and thankfully so. The snow was awesome and i understand the most seen in December in Decades. We made it to the tiny town of Jamaica which was very quaint and the Three Mountain Inn was wonderful. Great food, very comfortable accommodation and a great springboard into Vermont. The trouble was that Manchester was so close and we only had 2 nights, we spent a full day in Manchester at the outlets but nonetheless it was fun and some great bargains after all those already obtained in Orlando!

The next day we left quite early and headed to Stowe stopping at the Vermont Country Store which i amazing and then hitting th I 89 which became treacherous due to ice and snow. many accidents and over turned cars, it really became a very tough drive.

Finally made it to Stowe and the Stonehill Inn which was wonderfully run, the rooms very very comfortable and really everything one could possibly wish for, I couldn't fault it or the owners, Amy and Hap. Great Job. We spent time in Stowe and the surrounds, enjoyed the snow and snow mobiling and generally relaxed and had some well needed R&R.

Thanks for all the advice here, muh appreciated and we loved Vermont and both the Inns we chose.

Cheers,

BigT

BigT

one more thing i forgot......

Simon Pearce at the Mill in quechee was a great stop for lunch. Fantastic views and a great meal.

Austin

Glad you had a great time and got to experience Vermont in it's snowy glory. It has been almost 40 years since I was there, as a child with my family. I'd love to do it again. One of these fall days...

skatedancer

thanks for coming back to report on what you did. We were also up at Stowe during Christmas, and it was great!

Dohlice

We're going to Stowe for the first time for my husband's birthday in February. Did you happen to take a sleigh ride? I'd love some ideas of places to eat in town while we're there.

skatedancer

I really liked Hen of the Wood, which is in Waterbury, so it's about 15 - 20 minutes from Stowe, if that's not too far. It's right near 1-89. It's in an old grist mill, very atmospheric and interesting menu using as many local ingredients as possible.

Dohlice

That sounds great, I'll check it out.

Fodorite018

Dohlice--We spent Christmas in Stowe several years ago and did the sleigh ride. We really enjoyed it! I can't help with restaurants since it has been too long, but I am sure others will give you up to date informatio.

BigT

Hi Dohlice,

for finer dining we really enjoyed MIchaels on the hill, about 6 miles outside of Stowe. Very nice food. http://telebody.com/michaelsonthehill/

we also enjoyed Blue Moon Cafe
http://www.bluemoonstowe.com/

and had a very nice lunch at the pub in the Green Mountain Inn, called the Whip http://www.greenmountaininn.com/thewhip.html

We also did a sleigh ride, it was at about 5pm so dark but i have to say i wasn't 'inspired' by it. It was a route around the back of the hotel and somewhat contrived. 20 minutes sitting on an open sleigh in the freezing cold being pulled buy a horse, i think there is far better things to do in Stowe. We really enjoyed the snow mobiles.

Enjoy Stowe...

BigT