almc

I've been getting some great feed back on a recent post about a great getaway weekend without the kids....but I do have one more questions after being advised of the Berkshire area and lenox....is there a main street area (some what like manchester, vt) that would have a great inn to stay...like in the middle of it all???...so can walk around town...or are things spread out???...we really aren't b&b people...liked red lion..is that near center of town, read about cranwell (is it pricey?) and the Village inn..looked like very small rooms...looking for place to relax and possibly watch (tv needed) a movie without kids interrupting (l & 3 yr old at home)....anyway...any good suggestions..sounds like a great area...thanks amy

djkbooks

Lenox has many full service inns. The Village Inn is right in the center of town (yes, there is a lovely main street in Lenox) with a nice dining room, terrific afternoon tea, and a pub downstairs. Not sure about TV's though. Be sure to check this out when you inquire about reservations as many B&B's and Inns in the Berkshires do not have TV's in the bedrooms.

Start with http://www.berkshireweb.com/themap/l...ging/menu.html

almc

thanks for the info about the village inn...have you stayed there before...certain room you liked??? Just wondering?...amy

OliveOyl

The Red Lion is in the center of town, but in Stockbridge, not Lenox, and it's on Main St. Cranwell is away from town in the middle of no where...well not no where, but it is not in town. Red Lion is pricely, more so than Cranwell. Stockbridge has more going on than Lenox, but for that very reason, some people really prefer Lenox.

almc

if you had to choose where would you stay...don't mind busier area...might not be so bad this time of year??
amy

OliveOyl

It's busy year round--an easy getaway from NYC. I prefer Stockbridge for just walking around, looking. It's Main St was painted by Norman Rockwell, in his picture of the same name. If you opt for the Red Lion, although it is pricey, it is not elegant, but I love the hotel none-the-less. I grew up in the area, lived there until finishing college, and now love to go back to stay. When we do, we choose Stockbridge and stay in the Red Lion. Lenox is just a little too quiet for me.

OliveOyl

By the way, your heading says Lenox, CT, but you realize both Lenox and Stockbridge are in MA, right? The Berkshires are ONLY in MA...that is the name of the county. Areas of NY and CT close to the border look similar, and can partake of the popularity, but can't qualify for the name "Berkshires".

almc

oops..sorry yes i did mean ma...so many getaway ideas they are getting jumbled...spoke to hubby...thought he might like to ski..is there a good ski place in berkshires...maybe even slope side lodging...thanks amy

OliveOyl

Brodie has base lodging. I haven't skied there in a zillion years so can say more about it, good bad, or ugly. I worked on the ski patrol at Bousquet in Pittsfield, now surpassed by the other areas, but still in operation. Jiminy Peak was another popular area, but Brodie now is probably the biggest of the areas in the Berkshires.

mclaurie

Was just having a look on Luxurylink.com to see if there were any interesting weekend ideas for you. Found this 3 night package at the Weathersfield Inn in Vt.

http://luxurylink.com/index.phtml?rd....phtml?id=1646

It says minimum bid is $405. For 3 nights+breakfast +lift tickets+++ I think it sounds interesting. If you decide to bid, make sure they have availability when you want to go BEFORE you bid. Also might check whether 2 nights are possible if 3 is a problem for you.

As to Stockbridge vs Lenox, I defer to OliveOyl but I find the Red Lion fine for dining but not sure I'd want to stay there. For skiing info look at berkshires.org

mclaurie

Amy, here are links to previous posts you should read.

Village Inn, Lenox
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34448611

Restaurants in Berkshires including Red Lion
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34439964

I can second the reco for Old Mill Inn in South Egremont for dining. You might check out the Weathervaneinn.com also in S. Egremont as a place to stay. Not luxurious but cozy.

I'm not a skier but isn't Great Barrington the ski place in the Berkshires??

OliveOyl

Gosh mclaurie--no no no--don't defer to me!! This sort of thing is so personal, everyone with their own style...and this is especially personal for me because of growing up there and the Red Lion being the be all to end all. Now, as someone was commenting, it's the Wheatleigh (or Blantyre--one of only two Mobil 5*'s in MA). Yes, Wheatleigh is easily over $1,000 a night by the way and Blantyre isn't even open for much of the year. I doubt I'd have much in common with anyone there! Red Lion is just very nice old memories for me and the rooms were probably the least value for the dollar, but it's still the place we stay when we go back-- terrific location in the midst of everything. I do like the public spaces especially in the winter with the big fireplaces going, and the beautiful wide front porch with rockers is fine any time of year for people watching. Do you stay in the area ever and do you have a favored spot?

bm

Brodie is no longer open for skiing. They closed down ski operations last year. Jiminy Peak is probably the largest ski area in the Berkshires....

DanB

I live in the Chicago area, but I grew up in Lenox. I've been back several times including last year. The countryside around Lenox is unbeatable, but to me, the downtown just isn't a big deal. Manchester Center, VT, Woodstock, vt. Litchfield, CT (I think thats the town) much prettier. I think downtown Stockbridge is prettier too.
There is a place I'm dying to stay at in the Berkshires. More in the middle of nowhere, but the rooms with the whirlpool in the Barn are right up my alley.

http://www.oldinn.com/

OliveOyl

Brodie closed! Wow...I'm floored. What happened? I was looking at a ski site after I posted my last note and saw Jiminy had far exceeded Brodie in lift capacity, but it must be an old site as they still show Brodie as one of the resorts in operation. http://www.berkshireskiing.com/resorts.php3

By the way mclaurie...that "thumbs up" in my last note to you wasn't the emoticon that was supposed to come up. Sorry about that!

DanB

I've still got my Brodie season pass from 1975. I looked young for my age so I got a childs pass. Ninety dollars for a whole season of skiing.

bm

Olive...here is an article about Brodie from April '03.
http://www.snowjournal.com/page.php?cid=doc512

I used to go to Brodie night skiing while I visited my mother near Bennington. Neat place.

OliveOyl

That's incredible, bm. Brodie was the new shining star...Jiminy and Bousquet had been around forever, years and years prior to Brodie, antiquated equipment in comparison and were the tired siblings....yet look who survived! How weird. Thanks for the url.

Your inn looks nice Dan...I think we spoke a while back about both of us having grown up there, correct? I know it's beautiful, but still don't fully comprehend the huge draw it has for people from the city...outside of "the season", do you?

djkbooks

Both times we stayed at the Village Inn, the rooms were quite compact.

We've stayed at the Candlelight Inn many times, as we especially enjoy the dining room there.

We also enjoyed the Rookwood Inn in one of the rooms with a fireplace.

Candlelight and Rookwood are both B&B's. We are not B&B people either (we like modern plumbing, soundproof rooms, privacy, and not too intimate breakfasts), but enjoyed both these places.

OliveOyl

I've got a terrific picture of the Candlelight Inn we took one recent January just after a blizzard.

http://pages.prodigy.net/cmcdaniel/home/Lenox.jpg