When I agreed to select the accommodations for a group of us planning to visit the Ashland theater festival, I was, frankly, a little nervous. What if I chose unwisely and then had to hear about it for the rest of the trip, including the looong drive home? Happily, I am here to tell you that, as wonderful as the Barking Raven appears online, it is even more fabulous in real life!
The inn is set in a beautifully restored vintage Cape Cod home, immaculately clean, and decorated with charm, wit, and artistry. Each morning we took a long walk around the surrounding residential area, where we enjoyed lovely views, vibrant fall foliage, and occasional deer sightings. The exercise enabled us to do full justice to Cheryl's lavish breakfasts, and we are still talking about her raspberry French toast, freshly baked scones and orange-date muffins, and a divine egg dish with feta cheese and herbs. You wouldn't have thought that we would then be able, later in the day, to gobble up all of her homemade cookies too, but, well -- we did!
The guest rooms upstairs are large and well-appointed, and best of all, have the most heavenly beds ever created. I didn't dare lie down on mine in the afternoon for fear I wouldn't get up in time to attend the plays. I think it was while we were all tucked up in our beds at night, listening to a light patter of rain on the windowpanes and glimpsing a shadowy moon through the trees, that I first began to wonder: Do we REALLY have to leave?
In the end, innkeepers Bob and Cheryl, so generous and accommodating in every other way, did not offer to adopt us, so we did have to return home. But we'll most certainly be back, and we absolutely wouldn't consider staying anywhere else. (P.S. Thanks, Bob and Cheryl, for making me look good to my friends!)
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