14 Best Hotels in Central Vermont, Vermont

A slate-covered carriageway about a mile from the Killington ski resort leads to this popular off-mountain stay, a former executive retreat in two renovated A-frames. Guest rooms range in style from Colonial and Shaker to Mission, and six have gas fireplaces, and four have whirlpool baths. In the intimate dining room, you can order hearty mountain fare, cocktails, and plenty of Vermont craft beers.

In the Green Mountain National Forest, 5½ miles off a mountain pass on a dirt road, you'll find this secluded inn with lush gardens and a pond with a wood-fired sauna on its bank; there's lots to do if you're into nature: biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing on 43 miles of trails. Many guest rooms have views of the mountains, and all are furnished with antiques and quilts. The homemade chocolate chip cookies are locally renowned.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 1803 inn and its carriage house sit in the center of bucolic Middlebury near the college campus; the inn offers a delicious breakfast, bicycles you are free to use, and Adirondack chairs that are perfect for enjoying the grounds and views. Country-chic guest rooms, decorated with antiques and individual color schemes, are attractive, comfortable, and spotless.

You're likely to fall in love at first sight with the main 1828 three-story brick building here, the centerpiece of this 15-acre retreat, but wait until you see the spring-fed pond, which has a white sand beach with toys for kids. Many rooms have a fireplace or a Franklin stove—some have private decks or terraces—and the on-site restaurant, Ransom Tavern, serves up some of the best wood-fired pizza in the state.

Each room in this handsomely restored 1793 country home has Queen Anne–style furnishings and period antiques. The dining room's creative entrées include the house specialty: slow-roasted crispy duck; room packages that include dinner are available at discounted prices.

The 1814 Georgian mansion channels a classic New England style into three buildings on 4 acres of lawns and gardens. The largest and most luxurious rooms are in the carriage house, which include king-size beds, fireplaces, and jetted tubs, not to mention a steam room and sauna on the lower level; rooms in the gatehouse cost less but sometimes suffer from street noise.

This charming inn dating to 1840 is as authentic as it gets in Vermont. The guest rooms, put together by owner Sara Widness, an expert on luxury travel and a poet to boot, are adorned with tapestries, antique rugs, claw-foot tubs, comfortable sofas, and old bed frames, while the outdoor garden feels Edenlike at full bloom.

A Shaker-style round barn—one of only five in Vermont—is the centerpiece of this eminently charming B&B set among the hills of the Mad River Valley with resident ducks, squirrels, chipmunks, and songbirds that make it feel like a Disney movie. The rooms inside the 1810 farmhouse define the word "cozy," with richly patterned wallpaper, brass lamps, and rough-hewn wood beams in the ceilings—several have fireplaces and whirlpool tubs—and the kitchen and dining area feel more like home than an inn.

The best B&B in town has cheery, comfortable guest rooms in a central setting half a block from the heart of Brandon. Antiques fill the Greek Revival mansion's spacious common areas. All rooms are furnished with claw-foot tubs and handheld European showerheads, and the grand suite has a fireplace, a two-person shower, and a marble whirlpool bath.

This four-season resort hosts everything from cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on 37 miles of trails in the winter to horseback riding, tennis, and swimming and boating in the 740-acre lake throughout the rest of the year. A spa offers a full range of treatments, and the dining room and tavern have a casual, publike feel that benefits from recent renovations with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to mountain views.

One of Vermont's three Relais & Châteaux properties, the unique Pitcher Inn has it all including a supremely romantic restaurant and bubbling brook running alongside. The majority of rooms come with a rustic theme—ski lodge, trout, mallard, and more—that are manifested in impressive and stylish design, even an installed lift-ticket booth or a tree-trunk bed carved with fiddlehead ferns.

Many rooms in this immaculate motel have decks, and most have fabulous views of Ottauquechee River, which runs right along the building. The rooms are simple—a step above usual motel fare—with four-poster beds and wing chairs; rooms in the annex known as the Cape have hot tubs.

A night at the Woodstock Inn, one of Vermont's premier accommodations, is an experience in itself, with a location on Woodstock's gorgeous green that's hard to beat. Guest rooms are contemporary and luxurious, with country-chic furniture; white, subway-tiled bathrooms with marble floors; wood-burning fireplaces; and handcrafted bed frames. Amenities include the amazing spa (check out the eucalyptus steam room and cedar sauna), game room, tavern, the Red Rooster restaurant, and fitness center.

Let's just get it out there: Twin Farms is the best lodging in Vermont, and the most expensive, but it's worth it. Rates include all meals (some of Vermont's best), alcohol, and activities, and each incredible space is furnished with a blend of high art (Jasper Johns, Milton Avery, Cy Twombly), gorgeous folk art, and furniture that goes beyond comfortable sophistication.