Twin Farms

Surrounded by 300 acres of farmland and wilderness, Twin Farms might be as secluded as you can get without leaving the Northeast. It also might be the region’s most luxurious resort. In some places that might mean a modern hotel complex, but in Vermont it means a few rooms in Sinclair Lewis’s old farmhouse, surrounded by a handful of cottages, all with interiors by the 20th-century eclectic traditionalist Jed Johnson (and, as of late, five more cottages sporting a more contemporary look by Thad Hayes).

The accommodations, in either style, are unfailingly upscale, with antique furnishings alongside a mix of impressive contemporary artworks and well-chosen folk pieces. Satellite TV and fast internet are there lurking just beneath the low-tech surface, stone fireplaces are universal, and the bathrooms are a fantastic blend of old-world charm and modern-luxe indulgence. Most hotel rooms trade off personality against comfort, but Twin Farms is proof that, for a price, you can indeed have both.

Some guests undoubtedly lock themselves away, but for the rest of us the Vermont countryside beckons. Even if it’s just a short walk to the spa for a massage, it’s a gorgeous walk, and the more ambitious will find no shortage of grounds to hike, or in the winter, when Vermont is at its most scenic, take a spin on snowshoes or cross-country skis. Fly-fishing, canoeing, any outdoor activity one can imagine, one can find here.

For most of the year the resort is adults-only, which lends it a slight grown-up summer-camp air. Then again the cooking was never like this when we were at camp. It’s probably the legendary service, though, that pushes Twin Farms over the top — you certainly can’t fault the landscape or the luxuries, but it’s the staff that’ll have you wondering why you ever go anywhere else.

Twin Farms is located 1h20min from the Burlington Airport.