Fodor's Expert Review Field Guide

A new boutique enterprise just north of Stowe, Field Guide supplies a whimsically stylish alternative to the town's staid resorts and cadre of inns stuck in ski-chalet mold. Modern furniture, white woolen rugs, and rough-hewn wooden beams add texture and dazzle the eye in the unique lobby. In guest rooms, paper deer-head sculptures look down from gas hearths, subtle animal prints rest on beds, and nature-theme wallpaper calls out accent walls. In addition to the standard rooms there are cottages (with efficiency kitchens) and suites. If you have a group, consider the Trail Suite, whose spiral staircase leads to a loft bedroom with a view of Stowe's iconic white church. The on-site restaurant, Picnic Social, serves pub fare and delivers small-plate breakfasts—oatmeal, savory breads, and the like—to the rooms every morning. Dining spills onto the restaurant's deck in nice weather.