The Maple Leaf Inn
Route 12
Barnard, Vt.
800-51-MAPLE
www.mapleleafinn.com
What we liked most: The attention to detail at every corner: the stenciling on the walls, the heated bathroom floors, the champagne left for us on the TV.
What we liked least: That we didn't get to meet Janet Robison, who was away. (However, her husband, Gary, was extraordinary.)
What surprised us: The spaciousness of our room, especially at the relatively low price.
You know you're at the Maple Leaf Inn when . . . You find yourself being nicer to your mate than usual.
Rates: Seven rooms between $160 and $230. Includes gourmet breakfast for each night. Add $30 per room during foliage and Christmas holiday seasons, and on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, and Memorial Day weekends. Subtract $30 per room during midweek most of the year and on weekends in March, April, and May.
Summer Retreat room rate: $180
Restaurant: Elegant dinners available by arrangement. Ask when booking rooms. Also, there are several wonderful inns nearby that serve four-star meals, including the Barnard Inn Restaurant less than a mile from the Maple Leaf Inn. Entrees start in the $20s.
