Luxe Vermont: Equinox Resort and Spa

When I think of Vermont, I usually have log cabins, Birkenstocks, flannel, and canoeing in mind. If you prefer a comfortable mattress and down duvet to a cot and sleeping bag, or drinking a glass of pinot noir next to a modern fire pit to downing a Coors next to a campfire, then the Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester, Vermont is for you – and for us. We spent two nights there over Labor Day weekend.

Hotel Lobby - equinoxresort.com

Rooms in the main hotel go for over over $400/night, but we stayed for next to nothing courtesy of a Starwood promotion and my hubby’s business trips this summer.

The historic hotel, first opened in 1769, was recently redecorated by interior designer Geoffrey Bradfield. The resort has a few different properties, and our room was in the main hotel with a view of the back “yard”. While our room wasn’t large, I loved the design. Rich browns, pops of peacock blue, nailhead trim on the chairs and footstools, and a super-comfy bed with a fluffy down comforter. The new design of the hotel does a great job incorporating modern touches while paying homage to the property’s history. In our room and throughout the hotel, huge unframed canvases of old black and white photos of the hotel and past guests grace the walls.

Guest room like the one we stayed in - equinoxresort.com

The hotel offers lots of activities, if you’re willing to pay the price – like lessons at the British School of Falconry for $110 per person for 45 minutes, or archery for $90 for 45 minutes. There’s also a Land Rover Experience Driving School that will set you back $225 for a one hour lesson (per vehicle). I almost died when the bill for my pedicure came to $102!

Rather than spend beaucoup bucks on the resort’s activities and restaurants, we opted to have a very low-key and low-cost weekend and spent the time walking around the picturesque village of Manchester, which has loads of designer outlet stores and restaurants, and just lounging around.

As much as I complain about cold weather and the impending doom that is a New England winter, fall here is truly gorgeous. The leaves were just barely starting to turn this past weekend, but come early October guests at the Equinox and the other quaint inns in Manchester will be welcomed by this:

Equinox at the peak of fall foliage - equinoxresort.com

If you enjoy antiquing, the drive from Boston to Manchester (which takes just under four hours) offers lots of little antique shops along the way. This weekend there were tag sales everywhere. Mr. JC hadn’t heard of the term “tag sale”, so perhaps it’s a regional thing. It’s a yard sale, only not necessarily held in a yard. On the drive home, I spotted a gorgeous cabinet at a tag sale but the carful of golf clubs and outlet purchases (and the prospect of Brimfield on Friday) kept me from stopping.

I hope you all had a very nice Labor Day weekend and that the weather was as perfect in your area as it was in New England!