Hotel Fauchere

It’s often said that Pennsylvania is a microcosm of all of America — one big city on each end, and three hundred miles of farms, mountains and small towns in between. To look at the exterior of the Hotel Fauchère, in Milford, which looks straight out of American Gothic, you’d think you’d found the Platonic form of the rustic Pennsylvania farmhouse. But venture in and you’ll find a boutique hotel that’s a lot more contemporary and cosmopolitan than you’d expect, defying any concept of rural America as a somehow backwards “flyover country.”

This is a part of Pennsylvania perhaps best known for affordable family fun, but the Fauchère has a decidedly upscale vibe. The renovation halved the number of rooms, thereby doubling their average size, and most of the change is in the bathrooms, which are lavish and spa-like, stocked with Kiehl’s toiletries. The look is conservative contemporary-luxe, but the fixtures are modern, right down to the massive feather-topped beds and the radiant underfloor heating.

The artwork is largely local, much of it from the Hudson River school, which is a massive step up from the usual hotel décor. And though you don’t often think of Pennsylvania as a culinary hotbed, the Fauchère’s restaurant and patisserie (that’s right) are first-rate. Behind the cocktail bar is a massive photo of John Lennon and Andy Warhol, which should give you some idea of exactly how urbane this rural getaway is — traffic permitting, you’re well under two hours from New York, making the Fauchère a surprisingly apt choice for an escape from the city.