We won鈥檛 sugarcoat it: resort in Barnard, Vermont is expensive鈥攁s in empty-your-bank-account-because-you-only-live-once expensive. But travel is for dreamers, right? And Twin Farms, set on an idyllic 300-acre plot in the rolling Green Mountains, is pretty damn dreamy.
Originally a working farm, the property was later purchased by Nobel-winning novelist Sinclair Lewis, who used it as a second home and party house at the end of the roaring twenties. The compound lives on as an art- and design-minded playground.
The accommodations include 10 cottages and 10 suites, the latter divided between the main house, the lodge and a farmhouse designed by renowned architect Peter Bohlin. Bohlin also designed our favorite structure at Twin Farms, a contemporary two-bedroom cottage named the “Aviary” (pictured below). Unlike the surrounding buildings, which have a rustic New England aesthetic, Bohlin鈥檚 950-square-foot cottage is a boxy, wood-and-glass wonder decked out with mid-century furnishings and a stone hot tub next to a fireplace.
The Twin Farms experience is all-inclusive and customizable, meaning you can make your trip relaxing (kick back in Japanese-style soaking tubs; grab a massage) or more adventurous (fly-fish and kayak in the warm months, hit one of the lodge鈥檚 six private ski hills come winter). You can also build menus around your culinary preferences and request guides for any of the onsite activities. In short, Twin Farms is the private, wooded escape of your (caviar) dreams.听
The Details: (from $1,450/night) vary and are based on double-occupancy. They include all meals and beverages as well as the use of onsite equipment and facilities. Children under 16 are allowed only during designated family weeks.