TL;DR

Historical charm: Gorgeous 200-year-old Vermont property with Conde Nast recognition.
Scenic location: Surrounded by Green Mountains, farmland, and forest.
Top-class hospitality: Excellent service with extensive grounds and local experiences.
Local immersion: Easy access to trails, farms, and regional attractions.
Check prices here

This Vermont boutique hotel is a gorgeous historical property and a recent darling of Conde Nast’s top New England hotels list.

A bit out of the way for Green Mountains tourism maybe but this 200-year old inn is still definitely worth the drive.

The entire town knows how beautiful the surrounding area is, and is leaning into a reputation for natural beauty.

You’ll be surrounded by gorgeous arable land, famed country roads, deep forest and all the friendly Southern Vermont mountains.

You’ll also enjoy the long-lived and top-class hospitality of an area well-versed in tourism. The property has extensive grounds, but also many opportunities to experience the local area.

What are the rooms like?

Number of rooms: 42 rooms in Main Inn and Annex (Tavern and Village).
Historic decor: Antiques, period textiles, floral wallpaper, and lacy bed skirts.
Room types: Queen, Two Doubles, King Rooms, and Suites with consistent amenities.
Modern comforts: TVs, individual climate control, Bluetooth speakers, cozy bathrooms.
See each room in detail here

Rooms are either in the Main Inn or the adjacent Annex, listed as Tavern and Village rooms, respectively.

We prefer the Main building for the novelty, but the comfort and amenities are equal.

Each room is slightly different in size and decor (historical property), but the room types are consistent.

You’ll start at Queen and Two Double rooms, with more spacious and luxurious options in the King Rooms and Suites.

The decor is generally historical, a charming combination of antiques and period textiles; floral wallpaper and lacy bed skirts make everything feel like Thoreau might be right next door, trying to ignore the running water and electricity.

To Thoreau’s everlasting chagrin, all rooms feature modern amenities like TVs, individual climate control, Bluetooth speakers.

Bathrooms are country-style but cozy, with mildly patterned tile, Gilchrist & Soames amenities, and comfortable robes, if you desire.

What are prices like?

Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Farm-to-table: Year-round barn pub, seasonal tavern, and cozy bar with local ingredients.
Local ingredients: Grafton Village Cheese, local beef, fish, mushrooms, and comfort food.
Resort amenities: Morning breakfast, coffee service, and lobby refreshments included in resort fee.
Active facilities: Sunlit fitness room, game room, tennis/pickleball courts, Kona bicycles, seasonal pond swimming.
Local adventure: Access to Grafton Trails for hiking, swimming, disc golf, and mountain biking.

You’ll be welcomed with a taste of the town’s Grafton Village Cheese, an exceedingly Vermont move that is nonetheless highly appreciated.

Dining is, unsurprisingly, farm-to-table, including a year-round barn-turned-pub, a seasonal tavern and a cozy bar that is often reserved for private parties but opens to the public when available.

There’s a heavy focus on cheese, as there should be, with local beefs, wild mushrooms and some lovely fish dishes.

It’s pretty close to comfort food, with a solid selection of salads and fresh options for lighter eaters.

There is a resort fee, which includes each morning’s country breakfast, coffee service, and the refreshments available in the lobby each afternoon.

Facilities include a small fitness room that gets plenty of sunlight, unlike the typical fitness basement you’ll find in more conventional hotels.

If you like less conventional exercise you’re also all set. There’s a game room with billiards and ping-pong, courts for tennis and pickleball, and Kona bicycles. The property’s pond is open for swimming seasonally.

You’ll also be able to take advantage of a partnership with Grafton Trails, an area set up for hiking, swimming, disc golf, and mountain biking.

Some access is complimentary, other includes rental or pass purchases, the hotel will be happy to provide details.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Quaint town: Small Grafton town with farmland and local attractions.
Nature & activities: Hiking, swimming holes, State Forests, Green Mountain National Park, Hamilton Falls.
Local culture: Nature Museum, McWilliam Covered Bridge, charming downtown streets.
Car required: Driving highly recommended to explore surroundings fully.

Grafton is a small town surrounded by farmland, and as such has a delightful selection of both nature and food-related activities.

The hotel is happy to connect you with opportunities to explore, but it’s not super hard to do yourself.

It’s car country, and the drives are worth it. You’ll see everything Vermont has to offer: the rolling fields, the easy rivers, the inviting mountains.

The Nature Museum is within Grafton, ideal for kids and kid-like adults. Historically-minded visitors will enjoy the McWilliam Covered Bridge, just one among many covered bridges in the area, less than 5 minutes from the center of town.

We recommend a trip out to some local swimming holes and whole lot of hiking. There are plenty of State Forests nearby, as well as Green Mountain National Park.

Hamilton Falls is a half-hour drive, an excellent introduction to the landscape.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“I stayed at the Grafton Inn after a day spa visit to St. Anne’s. The Inn is very quaint and more like an airbnb in that there is no reception area. The check-in was easy and exactly as explained. The room was beautifully decorated, clean and spacious. I would highly recommend as a cheaper alternative to to staying at Ste. Anne’s….”

“What a cute little inn! The room was very nicely furnished with lots of attention to detail and the bed was very comfortable. We loved walking across to the road to the Lass and Ladle as well….”

Some things guests didn’t like:

”The only criticism would be that the internet was poor, otherwise a comfortable bed and well appointed room….”

”Property was somewhat difficult to find, a bigger sign at the drive would help as it is separate from the office. Also we did not know we would have to take luggage up a very tall flight of stairs….”

Read all the reviews right here