My wife and I visited the Windham Hill Inn for two nights in May, 2004. We were eagerly anticipating our stay after having browsed the Inn's extensive website, and I'm pleased to report that we were not disappointed: the Windham Hill Inn met or exceeded all our expectations.

We are nature-lovers, and so the location of the Inn -- at the end of a hillside country road -- was a major draw. The Inn succeeds in creating an air of serenity and natural seclusion thanks to their beautiful gardens and well-maintained trails (one of the shorter loops took us about 1 hour to complete -- without ever leaving the Inn's property!). Also noteworthy are the Inn's elegant but cozy common spaces; we enjoyed spending time reading in the library and tootling on the grand piano. One of the highlights was the clay tennis court, which took some getting used to for us uncultured "concrete-accustomed" types but compensated for any adjustments in play by offering up gorgeous views of the adjacent mountains.

As for the accomodations, we stayed in one of the smaller rooms at the inn, but we found it ample in size and we were impressed by the quality of the decor -- despite the rustic appearance, everything looked brand new. As for the food, the gourmet breakfasts were divine. We had Belgian waffles on both days, each time served with a different compote. Additional treats were the early evening sampling of local cheeses and the tasty snacks served during afternoon tea. Unfortunately, we weren't able to partake of the fare at the highly-rated restaurant as it was a bit beyond our budget at $50/person for the prix fixe. Other local dining options (a nearby pub-style place and a Swiss restaurant about 10 minutes down the road) were very good.

As young professionals just out of grad school, the Windham Hill Inn is the priciest B&B we've ever stayed at, but it was well worth the splurge. Our thanks to innkeepers Marina and Joe and the rest of the staff for a lovely stay!