Celebrating our 30th Anniversary at the Award-Winning (and socially distanced) Twin Farms in Vermont

My husband Liam and I celebrated our 30th anniversary last week, and we did it at the perfect resort: Twin Farms, in Barnard, Vermont. This special place was originally owned by author Sinclair Lewis and his wife journalist Dorothy Thompson and was awarded Hotel of the Year by Forbes in 2020. I’d never heard of Twin Farms or even visited Vermont before, but the pandemic made us look for a domestic, outdoorsy spot that delivered both luxury and natural beauty. We couldn’t have been happier with our choice. Here’s what I loved most.

The Cottage

Twin Farms is an all adult (16+) resort with just 20 suites and cottages. That means that even when completely booked (which seems to be always) there are no more than 40 guests on the 300-acre property. Ten of the guest accommodations are secluded individual cottages, all charming and completely unique. We stayed in Perch, a fantastical fishing themed cottage, situated under a canopy of trees next to a stream and beaver pond. The 1100 square foot cabin was rustic and luxurious with a screened in porch, wood burning fireplace, decadent linens, a fridge full of refreshments and a huge copper tub that took over 35 minutes to fill. Ah, for a city high-rise dweller like me, being tucked into a leafy forest without another soul in sight was pure heaven.

Here are some photos of Perch Cottage. I’m dying to see the other nine!

The Food

Food and wine is huge part of the Twin Farms experience, where farm-to-table cuisine occurs right before your eyes. A three night stay is expensive, but literally everything you could want to consume is included in the price. No awkward tipping or check signing. Just ask a staff member or dial the magical 125 extension, and whatever you wish for appears. Dinner, preceded by “cocktails and canapés”, is a seven-course tasting menu with wine pairings, thoughtfully tailored to each guest’s food preferences. You can dine in the restaurant or on the terrace for breakfast and lunch too, but Liam and I preferred to have breakfast delivered to our cottage so we could eat it in our robes on our porch. For lunch we took advantage of the staffs’ offer to set up picnics for us on the mountainside. We hiked one of the many trails up to a scenic spot and find a gorgeous table and perfectly packed picnic waiting for us (with wine, of course).

The Property

I never stepped off the Twin Farms property in the three days we stayed there. It’s simply gorgeous and there’s plenty to do year round. We hiked through the forest and mountain trails, paddle-boarded and lounged around a crystal clear pond, and bathed in the Japanese bath house called a Furo—an intense experience that was kind of like taking a very deep hot tub inside a sauna. We played corn hole on the lawn over cocktails and shot darts in the pub. I got a much needed facial at the spa and Liam had a massage. We took fitness classes that turned out to be just us and the instructor. We wanted to take a fly fishing lesson, ride the electric-assisted bikes and play mountain golf but we ran out of time. Other than the spa treatments, all these pursuits were included in the price. I’m sure a visit to Twin Farms during the winter would be a completely different experience when the activities include downhill and cross country skiing, ice skating and sledding.

The Privacy

The most luxurious thing for us was the privacy. Social distancing seems to have been invented at Twin Farms. We hardly saw other people except at dinner, and even then the tables were spaced for intimate chats. We mostly ate outside, but one evening in the dining room we realized that all five couples dining there were celebrating their wedding anniversaries—ranging from 16 to 52 years! It makes sense, because Twin Farms is a ridiculously romantic spot. A perfect place to connect with someone you love. I’m also a huge fan of the laid back vibe. Twin Farms shows that luxury doesn’t have to be fussy or uptight. Now that I’m back in Chicago I’m avoiding the scale but savoring the memories of those three beautiful days. And wondering when I can find a reason to go back!

Where are some special spots that you’ve discovered?