Many vacation spots claim to offer true relaxation, but
closer inspection stunts promise with myriad outputs
shops, souvenir shops, heavy traffic similar to what
they were trying to make ecsape, and trendy restaurants that offered a lot of
attitude and very little food.
The Inn at Woodstock Hill in Northeast Connecticut
pristine town of Woodstock, avoid these modern day tourists
cheating just being himself. And in turn, you can be
yourself. Beautifully situated in the gentle hills of a
downtown with no traffic, gas stations and few shops, The
Inn at Woodstock Hill is like knowing that special,
once in a lifetime love: once you meet this romantic
vacation destination, you will surely come back again and again.
Just around the corner from the bustling full center
with a produce stand, a church and colonial houses (the
the idea of the city of a shopping center are rows of apple orchards), the
The placid Inn at Woodstock Hill could convince most
staunch business executive to slow down, breathe the
untouched air, and marvel at the wise old tall trees.
First, consider the nice and warm people who make the inn in
Woodstock Hill is such a special place. They just don’t tell you
to have a good time, but they are actually part of that experience
with a pleasant conversation and a kindness that is only known in a
It was earlier from New England. Make you feel part of
their lives, and that’s really weird at this hour-long fast food,
self-service society in which we live.
The Inn, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
stands majestically on Plain Hill. Built in 1816, the inn
It consists largely of a Federal / Georgian style mansion with a
garage and two sheds. Later additions were built on
the last half of the 19th century. In 1927, a caretaker
A cabin was built, with three rooms.
Everything you see here is really beautiful, the prototype of a
elegant country inn. As you drive through the circular driveway
Drive, you see the manicured gardens and you know that you are
in for a special gift. Upon entering the remarkable
renovated inn, the warmth of classic arches draws you
deeper in the heart of the stately establishment, to the
reception. Surrounded by floral wall and window.
scattered but well-located thriving plants and treatments
remember your grandmother’s house, suddenly you feel
feel more relaxed and start looking at the
comfortable-looking seating in the living rooms, bordered by
shelves of old classics (and also children’s literature
section) and newer versions.
The Inn at Woodstock Hill offers 22 beautiful rooms. We
I recently had the honor of staying in a room with a surprising
lovely 20ft tall ceiling, antique and period
reproductions and a four poster king size four poster bed. Big
windows provided wonderful views of the open land and
hills that beautifully frame the backyard. Later we realized that
There were also modern conveniences like cable TV,
videos, a phone and a computer jack, but none of that
we were very interested. We were strictly interested in doing
nothing, which is ultimately everything.
So comfortable was our nap that we almost forgot our
dinner reservations downstairs in what turned out to be a
Truly extraordinary restaurant. We walk through the elegant
curved staircase with red carpet (which was wrapped in tulle,
with just the right amount of ivy and floral accents to make
you feel like royalty floating down to meet your
subjects) directly to a charming little dining room with
candlelight, a fireplace and old world furniture. This was
the smallest dining room that was warm for a long time,
Unbelievably fine atmosphere and menu. We devour a little
crab cakes, as good as anything we’ve ever had in Maryland. Tea
Caesar salad mixed with fresh dark vegetables with a “just right”
Dressing room. After finishing a wonderfully warm
homemade bread, then we fell in love with the irresistibly
tender and tasty Long Island duckling with brandied
lingonberry glaze. The New York sirloin steak had maybe a
too much pepper, but that was not a problem, since the
The quality of the steak rivaled the best steakhouses in New
England. For dessert, we tried a fallen chocolate cake,
that we had instantly fallen in love with. Not in recent memory
we tried a chocolate so rich, but airy, with just the right
amount of raspberry sauce, designed ultimately to finish
in a matter of seconds for its incredible flavor.
After dinner, we left some of the food experimenting
the other rooms of the inn. The main living room still
most impressive period furniture, a roaring fireplace,
classic hardwood floors and large windows open to view
those hills beyond scenic Route 169. The main
the dining room is like a larger version of the smaller dining room
room, but probably more reminiscent of an old world hotel
dining room. Candlelight, soft music, polished silver,
beautiful crystal and fine linen are just some of the touches,
They complement the excellent food.
Before retiring for the night, we chatted for a while with a
manager who told us about the virtues of the Woodstock area,
also known as part of Connecticut’s “Quiet Corner.” Hears,
Also, as other Inn staff members are happy transplants
or residents for life. It was moving to hear someone
speak from the heart about the place they have chosen to live,
instead of giving a simple promotional talk. Like
the leisurely aspect of the inn, the staff speaks in the most
relaxed and friendly tone. You never feel an aura of
pretentiousness, which might be the case in such
historic and elegant setting.
We slept so well that night in one of the most comfortable places
beds that we know. Refreshed the next morning, we walked
down that memorable ladder one more time to have a
good continental breakfast, with fresh fruit, muffins, and bread
serving as quality offerings.
Then we rest a little longer in our room, signing hesitantly
and I promised to come back soon. Traveling home in
Scenic Route 169 – one of the most beautiful bucolic walks
in New England, gave us some fantastic last memories of
this underrated region, but in our minds, we wanted to turn
turn around and go back to the Inn at Woodstock Hill. Only
hours after leaving the inn, we missed him so much, in fact as
meet that special someone for the first time, and then
eagerly awaiting that second date. We can hardly wait
that second date, with a view to committing ourselves, forever,
frequent this classic New England inn.
The Inn at Woodstock Hill, 94 Plaine Hill Road, Woodstock,
CT 06281-2912. Phone: (860) 928-0528