trip report: mayflower inn
No kid? No problem!
This year for my birthday, all I wanted was to pretend I was a guest at Lorelai Gilmore’s Firefly Inn. Behold: Mayflower Inn & Spa in bucolic, genteel Washington, CT. The rumor is that this charming hotel was at least partially the inspiration for Lorelai’s property on Gilmore Girls. SOLD.
Apart from my love of WB (CW?) dramedies, though, I had heard wonderful reviews of this spot for ages. It’s also only about a two-hour drive from Manhattan, making it a fairly easy one-night or weekend destination. Even the drive itself is beautiful — Litchfield County, CT is one of my favorite areas for house ogling.
Like all Relais & Chateaux properties, the decor, the service, and the food here are all outstanding. I was also especially impressed by the gorgeous grounds here, which include a lovely shaded pool and 58 acres to roam around.
The interior design was straight-up Connecticut traditional and I loved it so. I’m not sure if you can tell from this picture, but there were like three comforters on the bed, which is how I would like to sleep every night if my husband weren’t a human furnace. Also: canopy bed! Toile! Those fancy curtains that are made of really thick fabric! And I didn’t take any pictures, but the bathroom was huge and gorgeous.
Since we were only there for a night (we left Avvie with her grandpop!), I basically headed to the spa as soon as we pulled in. It’s rightfully famous in the area: enormous, beautiful, and the services are as good as what you would get in New York. I opted for an hour-long facial, while Mike took a dip in the indoor pool. They also offer workout classes gratis, which generally aren’t super taxing at a hotel facility, but my LORD was my barre class hard. It also ended up being a private, since the hotel wasn’t too busy that day, so that was a treat.
That night, we put on our finest for my birthday dinner in the main building — Can I just interject to say I love a good one-stop-shop hotel? Spa, food, grounds? Anyway. — The restaurant features farm-to-table American fare, which, well, when you’re surrounded by all these fertile New England fields, that’s exactly what you should be cooking. It was perfect.
We took advantage of our rental car the next morning to tool around a few Litchfield towns, including the home furnishings mini-mecca of New Preston. One night here was too short, but I’m glad we got to experience it!