Twin Farms, Vermont | 100% WOW

Everything about our stay at Twin Farms was an over-the-top WOW experience, beginning with the welcome amenities. A box of hand crafted chocolates. A bottle of Dom Pérignon champagne (for Virtuoso guests). Even a hand-cut Stave wooden jigsaw puzzle (no two puzzles or puzzle pieces exactly alike). Described as "the Rolls Royce of wooden jigsaw puzzles," these are quite challenging. I've posted a photo of the small puzzle we were given, and it took quite a bit of time to solve for two reasons. First, these puzzles have scalloped edges, not the typical straight lines. Second, there's no picture on the box. Stave puzzles are truly made for jigsaw purists.

view from Aviary (c) 2017 by David Ourisman

Each of the 20 guest accommodations is entirely unique. We spent our first night in Aviary, a contemporary two-story cottage nestled in the woods. Tall floor-to-ceiling windows pictured here offer this gorgeous view from the second floor living room. We moved to Treetop the next night, a more traditional cottage whose ceiling was support with a lattice of open-beam birch logs still covered in their white birch bark.

Besides the miles of hiking and complimentary activities (including skiing and other snow sports in winter), you'll truly enjoy the cuisine. All three meals a day — as well as cocktails, wines, and beers — are included in the price, and I felt the dinners were among the finest meals I have ever eaten anywhere. Truly gourmet quality, the chef uses fresh, organic, and as locally-sourced as possible ingredients, and the wine pairings at dinner were a revelation.

For more information on Twin Farms, please drop us an email.

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.