Yesterday Montreal denizens, Michael and Sossi honored our Stowe bed and breakfast as their third stop on a one year tour (gratis!) of all Select Registry properties. They have a year to stay at as many locations as they want, each for one night – a Vacation of a Lifetime!!
They are one of three couples chosen at random among those who either have opened a rewards account or have stayed at a Select Registry property during 2013. The more nights you stay during the year, the more chances you have of being selected.
Michael is a retired police officer from the Provincial police where after being an investigator he now is credit director (F&I) for the past 8 yrs in a major automobile dealership in Montreal. Sossi worked for almost 25 years in the travel industry; even owning and operating her own travel agency. An extraordinary program and it was such fun to be with them even if only for a day!
The Garden Awakes. Undaunted, despite a winter for the record books, the Geraniums and Day Lilies emerge (picture) and soon will begin to add texture and beauty to the garden! Spring! We’ve removed several hundred pounds of sand from our driveway and parking lot (we have it hauled away for reuse), captured dozens of renegade branches that have escaped their trees, begun serious weeding and pruning, completed our normal, April “deep cleaning” of each guest room & shampooed rugs throughout our Stowe inn (yea Tony!). We’ve painted the interior trim around windows and doors, initiated a major change for the West Branch room, completed plans for a new exterior lighting system, and commissioned a new landscape plan for the front of the inn. Strategic mulching today and window washing, and opening the “Back Porch” with new rattan furniture, are on the agenda for tomorrow. Today we’re deciding about painting the inn! Temperatures in the 60’s this week.
Snow in March in Stowe is “The Best Time for a Vermont Ski Vacation” – but don’t take our word for it! Read these great TripAdvisor reviews from local Vermonters:
Flashback. Back in March of 2014 we wrote this: Well, the early estimate was 12 – 18 inches. But Wednesday night snows of 2 inches/hour brought the total to 18-22 inches of fresh powder. Temperatures Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be in the 20’s and 30’s. Perfect skiing conditions! Perfect Nordic conditions! Perfect snowshoeing conditions! (You need snowshoes in this snow!)
With roughly two feet of new snow in last week, the best skiing in Vermont is right now! Today: 42 miles over 116 trails. Highs in the upper 20’s. Ski depth average 40” on snowmaking trails; 20” on natural trails. 68 trails groomed last night.
For the rest of February and March, the Stone Hill Ski & Stay package provides lodging discounts (Sun – Thur) of 20% and lift discounts of 15%.
Boot and glove driers | washer/dryer | shuttle to the mountain | free snowshoes | toboggan run | outside equipment lockers | four fireplaces in the common areas | fortifying breakfasts | muscle relaxing Jacuzzi in your bath | king bed | fine sheets.
Snow. Twelve inches and still falling. (5:00pm) Vermont loves this. Skiing of course, but beauty, aye, beauty. Quiet. Slow motion. Soft. Unspoiled. A gift to remind us we are still children; that we still love to play.
Come. Now. We have a room for you. Warrrm. Fireplaces – bedroom and bath. Toasty bubbling water in a tub tuned for two. Ahhhh. Relax. King bed. Fine sheets. Watch it snow through the windows and door to the gardens.
Boot and glove driers | washer/dryer | shuttle to the mountain | free snowshoes | toboggan run | outside equipment lockers | four fireplaces in the common areas | fortifying breakfasts | muscle relaxing Jacuzzi | Stowe VT ski and stay packages with 20% savings.
Stone Hill Inn. Perfect for winter sports. Trip Advisor’s 2014 pick as eighth best Inn/B&B in the U.S.
Each year Trip Advisor examines the guest reviews of the many Inns and B&B’s in the U.S. (over 21,000), and using this data they create what they appropriately call their “Traveler’s Choice” awards. This becomes a list of the top 25 inns/B&B’s in the U.S. as rated by their guests.
Three months after we purchased our Stowe, Vermont bed and breakfast, in January of 2012, Trip Advisor notified us that Stone Hill had earned a ranking as the 16th best bed and breakfast in the U.S. based upon the reviews that our guests had provided over the previous 12 months. We were 16th! Stone Hill had never won one of these awards before.
Hard to imagine.
Of course we acknowledged the excellent efforts by the original owner and previous innkeepers, and simply worked hard to finish 2012, our first year as owners and without any previous involvement with the hospitality industry, with a goal of neither fumbling a good business nor tarnishing its reputation.
In 2013, our second year as owners and innkeepers, we realized that there was much about the hospitality industry that we didn’t know, and began to assemble a support team of marketing professionals: Whitestone Marketing, Jumping Rocks and Beth Campbell photography, Kelly Barkhurst Design, Stowe Area Association, and Tim Wilson from Bed&Breakfast.com.
This January we were again notified by Trip Advisor that we had earned another spot on their Traveler’s Choice top 25 list. This time we were #8 Our guests, because of their gracious comments, had given us a rating that resulted in our being the eighth best inn/B&B in the U.S.
Hard to imagine.
So we thank all of our guests who have been so wonderful and understanding during our first two years. We thank our team members who have picked up the pieces that we have dropped so many times. And we give thanks for our faith, for the gifts that we have been given and the opportunity to use them. We still have much to learn, and we go forward with a thankful heart, trying to embrace all that has taken place in such a short time: #16 B&B in the U.S. in 2012, and now #8 B&B in the U.S. in 2014.
With nearly a foot of fresh snow in the past 72 hours, the natural, unspoiled beauty of Stowe, VT has become magnificently dressed in whites to welcome snowshoers, skiiers, and all that love winter’s splendor.
Stowe skiers currently enjoy 88 trails over 33 miles of terrain given the fresh snow combined with the timely assist of $8 million of new snowmaking equipment. Ski depths average around two feet along snow-making trails while natural snow trails are between 6” and 18.” Stowe, with its new snow-making equipment, has enjoyed a significant advantage over other ski venues throughout New England this winter.
Some of these skiers have taken advantage of Stone Hill’s Ski & Stay Package, whereby lodging prices are reduced 20% for stays between Sundays and Thursdays. Lift ticket reductions of 15% complete this package. Stone Hill can also provide a 20% discount on all ski equipment rentals. Given a short walk down our hill, the Mountain Shuttle will take and return guests with their equipment directly to the mountain and back again to Houston Farm road at no charge.
Meanwhile, non-skiing guests with our complementary snow shoes are exploring the 9.5 acres at Stone Hill and other groomed local paths. Later, as guest head home from a winter’s day, a warm, double-Jacuzzi tub in each guest room bath beckons. Cold wet gloves and boots are now enjoying a few hours on the Stone Hill drying rack. In the morning they will be conveniently placed in the front hall. Wet clothes are quickly dried in the Stone Hill hallway dryer, and skis and snowboards can be safely stored in locked ski lockers just outside the front door. Around 5:30 pm, appetizers and the reception area fireplace provide an informal setting for those wanting to share their day’s activities and accomplishments before they head to dinner. Ahhhh. A good day!
Obviously, our Stowe, Vermont bed and breakfast is uniquely equipped to serve skiers, snowshoers, and all that enjoy winter’s beauty. Perhaps that is one reason why it has just been awarded a Traveler’s Choice award for 2014 by TripAdvisor.
Among more than 21,000 inns and B&B’s in the US, each year TripAdvisor selects the top 25. This year the Stone Hill Inn was rated 8th best in the U.S.
Posted in Area News & Events | Comments Off on Stowe, Vermont Receives Nearly a Foot of Snow
Laid-back luxury is the name of the game at this B&B in Stowe, Vt. Suites are spacious, yet intimate, with fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs and comfortable beds. Plus, breakfast here includes specialties like fresh eggs and orange-pecan waffles dusted with sugar, with a side of beautiful Stowe views.
For some travelers, a quiet hideaway with a cozy bed and luxurious amenities offers the perfect formula for a relaxing escape. But for those seeking a more unique experience, a bed-and-breakfast may just fit the bill. After all, many of America’s standout B&Bs offer personalized service, memorable meals and an inspiring story or setting that charms visitors time and time again.
Spanning across the country, from North Carolina to Hawaii, the 10 establishments featured on this list vary drastically in their locales and offerings. Some draw travelers with their gracious hospitality and thoughtful touches (like homemade biscuits and antique accents) while others are colorful seaside cottages that wow guests with their spectacular views. To help you discover the best of the bunch, U.S. News Travel has rounded up 10 of the nation’s superlative B&Bs.
Another 15th Anniversary Special! The First Stone Hill Inn Golf Package!
9:30 am. It’s gorgeous. 62° heading for 83. You’ve just finished Linda’s fab breakfast and today you want some exercise and fun. Golf would be perfect! Nah, it’s Sunday morning, and we’ll never get on; besides we don’t want to pay $115 each to play – the going rate.
Aye, laddie; you need the Stone Hill Double Eagle package! The Stowe Country Club is only four minutes away. Double Eagle has arranged for your starting time to be 10:30, what you requested! Your cart and range balls are all included and are waiting for you. The total cost including both of you, cart and range balls is $150.00. (I love this!)
It’s simple. The Double Eagle package is good for two rounds of golf – one for each of you (including cart and range balls). You email/call us a week in advance regarding which day you want to play and your preferred starting times. We set it up and provide vouchers which are waiting for you in your room when you check in! However, you may take advantage of the special golf rate of $75 even if only one of you wants to play – the package would only cost $75.
Want to play an extra round? It’s $75.00 each, per round!
Must stay at least two consecutive nights! Of course, your lodging is an additional cost.
They are one of three couples chosen at random among those who either have opened a rewards account or have stayed at a Select Registry property during 2013. The more nights you stay during the year, the more chances you have of being selected.
The Garden Awakes. Undaunted, despite a winter for the record books, the Geraniums and Day Lilies emerge (picture) and soon will begin to add texture and beauty to the 
So we thank all of our guests who have been so wonderful and understanding during our first two years. We thank our team members who have picked up the pieces that we have dropped so many times. And we give thanks for our faith, for the gifts that we have been given and the opportunity to use them. We still have much to learn, and we go forward with a thankful heart, trying to embrace all that has taken place in such a short time: #16 B&B in the U.S. in 2012, and now #8 B&B in the U.S. in 2014.
