Where to Stay by Kim Knox Beckius
From cozy motor hotels and country inns to resort and condominium accommodations at the region's ski areas, lodging choices in southern Vermont are quite diverse.
Bennington Lodging
Bennington's motels and chain hotels offer value-priced accommodations for family travelers. The Bennington Motor Inn (143 West Main Street, 802-442-5479 or 800-359-9900, www.coolcruisers.net/bennington motorinn.htm) offers sixteen guest rooms and a central location from which to walk to attractions in town. The Best Western New Englander (220 Northside Drive, 802-442-6311, www.bestwestern.com), about a mile from the center of town, offers an outdoor pool and complimentary continental breakfast. With its indoor pool, complimentary hot breakfasts, and hotel-wide high-speed wireless Internet, the Hampton Inn Bennington (51 Hannaford Square, 802-440-9862, www.hamptoninnbennington.com), which opened in 2005, is a good choice for longer stays.
Manchester Lodging
In Manchester, lodging tends to be more expensive, and accommodations exude a bit more Vermont charm. The Equinox Resort & Spa (Route 7A, 802-362-4700 or 800-362-4747, www.equinox.rockresorts.com) is a famed, exceedingly family-friendly hotel that dates to 1769 and has hosted such distinguished guests as Mary Todd Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt. In addition to luxurious accommodations, you'll find unique activities, such as an Off Road Driving School, indoor tennis courts, an archery school, and the British School of Falconry, not to mention the 18-hole Gleneagles golf course and the Avanyu Spa, with its indoor pool and treatments that include the Mountain Man Facial and a maple sugar scrub.
The Inn at Willow Pond (Route 7A, 802-362-4733 or 800-533-3533, www.innatwillowpond.com) features colonial touches in its spacious guest suites; some have fireplaces. Manchester View (Route 7A, 802) 362-2739, www.manchesterview.com) has individually decorated rooms, including several spacious suites that can accommodate family groups.
You'll find more reasonable rates and free continental breakfast and in-room wireless Internet at North Shire Motel (Route 7A, 802 362-2336, www.northshiremotel.com), where you can borrow from an extensive library of games and movies to play in your room.
Places to Stay Near Stratton and Mount Snow Stratton Mountain provides several of its own lodging options including more than 150 one- to four-bedroom condominiums; the seventy-five-room, chalet-style Lift Line Lodge; and the 119-room Inn at Stratton Mountain. Call 800-787-2886 for reservations at mountain lodging properties.
The 200-room Grand Summit Resort Hotel (Route 100, West Dover, 800-498-0479, www.mountsnow.com/grandsummit.html) is located at the base of Mount Snow. The ski resort also has a variety of condominium and other lodging facilities available. Call 800-498 0479 for information and reservations.
Want to stay at a B&B while you ski? The Inn at Mount Snow (Route 100, West Dover, 802-464-8388 or 866-587-SNOW, www.innatmountsnow.com) serves a home-cooked country breakfast each morning and offers fourteen rooms and suites.
Southwestern Vermont Accommodations
Brattleboro is your best bet if you're looking for family accommodations in the southwestern corner of the state. Here, you'll find affordable rooms at chain hotels like the Hampton Inn Brattleboro (1378 Putney Road, 802-254-5700, www.hamptoninn.com) with its indoor pool, high-speed wireless Internet access, and free hot breakfast; or the Econo Lodge of Brattleboro (515 Canal Street, 802-254 2360, www.econolodgebrattleboro.com), which offers an outdoor pool and complimentary continental breakfast; kids eighteen and under stay free in a room with their parents.
JUST FOR PARENTS
The Four Columns Inn (230 West Street, Newfane, 802-365-7713 or 800-787-6633, www.fourcolumnsinn.com) is a romantic Greek Revival mansion built more than 160 years ago by local craftsmen who used hand-hewn beams and timbers harvested from local forests. Even if you don't spend the night, try to sneak away for dinner at the inn's much acclaimed restaurant.
If you're looking for more distinctive accommodations, Brattleboro has the Latchis Hotel (50 Main Street, 802-254-6300 or 800-798 6301, www.latchis.com), a thirty-room, 1938 Art Deco landmark that shares a building with a brew pub, two shops, and a theater that screens art and commercial films. Or consider The Putney Inn (57 Putney Landing Road, 802-387-5517 or 800-653-5517, www.putneyinn.com), a small country inn that welcomes all family members — pets included — and serves a hearty Vermont farmer's breakfast each morning.
