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| Inn at Little Washington |
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Inn at Little Washington is the first inn to ever to receive AAA’s 5 Diamond Award for both dining and accommodation. The 34-year-old spot recently added a farmer-in-residence to its team, who converted 8,000 square feet of lawn into a garden offering seven varieties of cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard, cippolini onions, fava beans and 25 varieties of microgreens. Along with a new flock of sheep and a chicken coup, the inn also introduced a roundtrip, 18-passenger luxury coach transportation service taking guests to and from downtown D.C. for $100 per person, including champagne. The holidays are a particular treat here, as chef/owner Patrick O’Connell not only decks the halls with boughs of holly, but also applies his unique twist to traditional holiday favorites—think carpaccio of herb-crusted baby lamb with caesar salad ice cream.
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| Blackberry Farm |
Blackberry Farm is a 63-room resort (and a Relais & Châteaux member) located on 9,200 acres in the hills of the Smoky Mountains. While fly-fishing, white-water rafting, and mountain biking are all reasons to go, the food and wine program here is perhaps the most enticing draw. You'll find 180,000 bottles of wine, farm-to-table cuisine, and a cast of artisans, including a gardener, a butcher, a bee keeper, a larder, a cheesemaker and a preservationist (that’s code for jam-maker and canning enthusiast). Plus, every month chefs, sommeliers, and winemakers from around the country (think Hugh Acheson, Michael Mina and Sean Brock) head to Blackberry Farm to teach cooking classes, lead beer and wine tastings, and offer tours, like the upcoming Black Perigord Truffle tour. Now, there’s also a brewery on-site where guests can taste their way through the farm’s three new signature brews.
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| Meadowood Napa Valley |
Home to an impressive wine-education program and a Michelin three-star restaurant (one of only two on the West Coast), Meadowood sits on 250 acres in the heart of Napa Valley. Choose from among 85 cottages, suites, and lodges, most outfitted with fireplaces and terraces, with views of the forest, golf course, and croquet lawns. The Restaurant at Meadowood reopened this spring after a three-month renovation, and now offers a tasting menu as well as the Chef’s Counter Experience—15–20 courses customized just for them. During the holiday, the property teams up with Share Our Strength for The Twelve Days of Christmas, when a dozen chefs from around the country pair with a Napa Valley vintner to create holiday dinners and raise money to end child hunger.
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| Inn at Perry Cabin |
The benefits of the Inn at Perry Cabin's recent $2.7 million renovation included an apiary of five hives housing more than 80,000 bees—the honey of which is now incorporated into dishes at the restaurant, not to mention spa treatments. Joanne Effinger tends to the inn's six gardens (open for tours), including a kitchen garden, which grows herbs and veggies for the restaurant. This time of year, the inn's festive decorations include the state's oldest holly tree, a jazz band in the dining room, and holiday packages.
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| BEdford Village Inn |
Once the site of a working farm built in 1810, the Bedford Village Inn is now home to a AAA Four Diamond restaurant and a 14-suite hotel on ten New England acres. The on-site wine cellar has more than 8,000 bottles, which you can sample in the wine bar, Corks. Don’t miss the property's ongoing chef series which features cooking classes, cookbook signings, and special menus.
