WilloughVale is still a mid winter treasure of warmth and hospitality in northern VT. We stumbled on it 18 years ago and made the trip from PA just to return.

We (a couple from Boston) came here for a weekend away in January and loved it. The cabins were the perfect place to relax - enormous tub, gas fireplace, great kitchen, even better view of the lake and a cozy feel. The Inn is also close to several great snowshoeing trails, which made for great excursions. Roy, the innkeeper, was incredibly helpful and let us borrow snowshoeing poles and coffee essentials that we had forgotten to bring. We'll definitely be back.

My husband and I are new empty nesters and the Christmas Spirit was sadly lacking in our newly empty home. For the first time in 30 years of married life, I didn't put up a Christmas tree! We made the decision to 'go away' and I contacted the WilloughVale Inn & Cottages through the Trip Advisor website. We know the area very well, Lake Willoughby being one of our absolute favorite destinations, however we had never had the good fortune to stay on this incredible property.
The Trip Advisor site listed the cottage availablity as open for the month of December, so I started making plans. Unfortunately, I heard back from the Inn a few days after our inquiry through the TA site that the cottages were completely booked for the Christmas week. Such utter disappointment. The Innkeepers had no idea that the Trip Advisor site was so out of date and were looking into it. However, we were put on the top of the "Santa List" in case the unthinkable happened and someone cancelled.
One week before Christmas, and after we had given up our travel plans altogether, I got a call from an angel named Theresa, from the WilloughVale Inn. She felt so bad for us, that she gave up "her own living quarters" to accomodate our wish to stay in one of the cottages during Christmas week. How awesome is that!!! Needless to say, I sailed into action, making my list and checking it twice to be sure we had everything ready for checking in on Christmas Eve.
Upon arrival we were greeted in person by this Christmas Angel and I knew right away this was going to be a great week.
We are staying in the Songadeewin Cottage (Songa for short) and could NOT be happier. We have an unobstructed view of one of Vermont's most beautiful lakes from a perfectly designed wall of glass. (My camera was set on the tripod in front of the sliders the instant we got here and hasn't moved since!) It snowed the entire day and into the night and next morning (yes, I am humming "White Christmas") so Christmas day dawned white, cold, and stunning.
Did I mention I hung our stockings with care and even set up a little Christmas tree? Oh yeah, it's perfect!
The gas woodstove is the perfect compliment to a roomy and comfortable living area; the kitchen is nicely set up for intimate meals so of course we took advantage and had one. Christmas breakfast by firelight (even with no kiddies around, up at 5am on Christmas just felt right) is highly recommended!
We are currently on day 3 of our week and could not be more relaxed. We have family in the area so visiting and inviting them to our Christmas cottage is so wonderful. Tonight, we are making dinner for 6 and while I may have to borrow a thing or two to compensate for the added couple, I am so looking forward to entertaining in this lovely and most comfortable place.
Although our week is not nearly over, I couldn't wait to review for all of you...this is absolutely a 'destination' vacation spot, summer/fall/winter does not matter. I will add another review at the end of the week with the local attractions we've managed to see and local eateries we tried...so stay tuned.

My boyfriend and I live in the city and were in DESPERATE need of a weekend getaway to get our sanity back. After searching everywhere, I chose this inn based on price and the fact that we could stay in a cabin with a jetted tub and fireplace. Let me tell you, this was the best decision I've ever made! The pictures on the website do not do the cabins justice in the least bit! The cabin we stayed in was the Conley and it was gorgeous! The kitchen has everything you'd need and more! It comes with pots, pans, and all sorts of silverware and stuff as well as the fact that it has dark wood flooring and cabinets. The living room was so cozy! we had a giant tv right next to a gas fireplace that kept in perfectly toasty all night. the furniture is made to look like it's made of wood but it's super comfy! And the view of the lake from our giant glass door was breath-taking. We sat and had breakfast there every morning! The master bedroom has a super comfy queen bed with ANOTHER glass door to the deck with the same breath-taking view. It also had a television and an in-room jetted tub. We could comfortably both fit in the tub at it was super relaxing after our long day of travel. We went during the quiet season so it was pretty affordable and very very quiet so we didn't get any traffic noise or interruptions. Overall, this was the most relaxing and peaceful weekend away I have ever taken and we will definitely be back again!