Baked Apples and Wrap-Around Bath SheetsWeekend at the Fan House, VermontBy Suna Kanga
In New Zealand, our host had taken us for a midnight walk in the forest. In Paris, we fondly remember the landlady who taught us how to drink coffee from a huge bowl and babysat our children. In Connecticut’s Thompson village, where we booked several rooms during our daughter’s wedding, we think fondly of the generous proprietress who gave us the run of her large home and huge breakfasts. People help to make a lasting impression.
It is difficult to imagine the business woman switching roles from a promoter of luxury properties around the world to innkeeper and owner of a B&B where she now applies her expertise. The thought of two nights in a New England home amidst the wilderness of Vermont sounds heavenly. Before long, we arrive at Sara’s doorstep -- a 1840s restored home just 12 miles from the historic ski and summer resort Woodstock. From Boston, it takes us just three hours to reach her village, Barnard. Sara, sporting a sunny smile and bright apron, welcomes us into the heart of her home -- a Victorian kitchen with polished floors, antique wood stove, bowls of fresh fruit and colourful kitchen paraphernalia. Baking aromas waft around the spacious kitchen and there are trays of croissants ready for the oven.
While autumn, the “leaf peeping” season, is a good time to visit this atmospheric region, Vermont is a year-round destination for summer activities, skiing and world-weary folk. Depending on the season, she can help guests organize golfing, fishing in trout streams and lakes, boating, cross-country or downhill (alpine) skiing at Killington Ski Resort. Not far is Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire) and at Lake Champlain one can view a fine collection of early Americana and Impressionist paintings at the Shelburne Museum.
Just minutes away from Barnard is Woodstock, a historic holiday town. We spend a morning here, at America’s birthplace of the ecological and conservation moment where George Perkins Marsh, Frederick Billings and the famous couple, Mary and Laurance Rockefeller established the Woodstock Foundation 38 years ago. Today, the Billings Farm & Museum established to preserve the legacy of Frederick Billings, Mary’s grandfather, welcomes nearly a million visitors a year. It is also fascinating to tour the family mansion decorated with prized artworks for a peek into the past lifestyle of the rich and famous. After two rejuvenating days, we bid goodbye to the Fan House and Vermont. Sara’s eyes sparkle as she reveals plans for a second B&B. Amazing how life presents new opportunities when one is receptive to change. The taste of her feathery cheese soufflé lingers as we drive away… For more information: The Fan House, PO Box 294, Barnard, Vermont 05031. Website: www.TheFanHouse.com . Email: sara@widnesspr.com . Tel: 802 234 9096. Photo credit: ©Stan Phaneuf, N.Troy,VT |
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Hotels can be so faceless. During our travels we have stayed at some of the best, often enjoying luxury all the way. While we shall never forget that stretch limo pickup, pampering at spas, great meals and goodnight gifts, there is rarely a face we can put to the experience. B&Bs are more personalized and it is your host or hostess you remember when you recall a memorable stay.
Our recent stay at the Fan House, a bed and breakfast in Barnard, Vermont, is yet another gem of a memory. A telephone call to my friend Sara Widness during a visit to the U.S. reveals that she had left the urban thicket of New York for a secret pocket of enchantment in Vermont. When I first met Sara, she was juggling several accounts for her PR firm in Manhattan. Then 9/11 happened, she changed direction, moved to her vacation home in Vermont and transformed Fan House into a charming B&B. “Come and visit this beautiful region,” she says.
Although modest on the outside, the interior is a setting of understated, world-class charm! The dining room and living room are decorated with artworks and heirloom tapestries from her travels around the world. A corner nook lined with books serves as a library. The fireplace and classical music add warmth to the warm scene. The three elegant, air-conditioned bedrooms with en suite baths offer plush, high thread count linens, down comforters, Turkish wrap-around bath sheets and Bulgari toiletries. Travel & Leisure magazine had noted that the new Fan House “with pine floors, brushed steel bedsteads and Provencal fabrics” was one of the Best Places to Stay.
“This house is a replica of the one-time dwelling of author Sinclair Lewis -- now the exclusive Twin Farms resort just up the road,” she says. “Another interesting person who once lived here was Vermont artist Wm. B. Hoyt whose paintings now command five figures. A few years ago, some of his paintings fell out of the barn that was razed and these now hang in our bed and breakfast.”
For us, visitors from faraway bustling Singapore, this is a different world and just the place to enjoy nature and to renew energies in a cozy atmosphere of Americana. The B&B is a three-minute walk to Silver Lake in summer and the general store is just around the corner. At nearby Barnard Inn Restaurant, one of central Vermont’s best restaurants, chef/owners Ruth and Will serve handcrafted cuisine with fine wines in the dining rooms and hearty pub fare at Max’s tavern.
Fan House’s style and high standards come from passion, dedication and hard work, all of which are evident in good measure. We are full of admiration for Sara! Having vacationed in the area for several years, she offers guests a wealth of information in a concierge-style service which is a great asset when exploring a new region.
Breakfast with the other guests gives us an opportunity to discuss options for the day. The colourful table setting and the fragrance of fresh coffee, promote good cheer as we sit down to a lavish breakfast of baked apples filled with honey and raisins, fresh quiche, hot oatmeal, croissant with local preserves and fresh fruit. Conversation spans the joys of travel and the experiences of guests living in different parts of the country. A couple notes they are on a return visit to Fan House “because we enjoyed the hospitality of the gracious hostess.”