We spent two wonderful days at the Millbrook Inn, skiing at Sugarbush and relaxing afterwards in the snug living room by the fire before having a beautifully prepared meal in the cozy and elegant dining room (with another fire). The menu was large for a small kitchen and everything was carefully prepared and served from traditional meat dishes to their other specialty, Indian cuisine. The appetizers and desserts were just as special. The lamb curry was a standout, as well as the Thai mussels and the chocolate mousse cake. The wine list is long, well chosen and very affordable. How can two people do so much and still be so calm and welcoming?

The Millbrook Inn is located on the road (Rte 17) to the Appalachian Gap close to Waitsfield, VT, and the Mad River and Sugarbush North ski areas. The slopes are invitingly visible from the Inn; the Long Trail runs along the crest of the nearby hills.
The core of the Inn is a mid-19th century Inn; a modern addition holds the additional bedrooms and the dining room. All bedrooms have country views and en suite bathrooms; they are charmingly decorated in keeping with the date of the original Inn. This is an Inn for special people with seeking a very special experience. The rooms are charmingly decorated cosy in winter, but with the possibility of air-conditioning on those impossibly close mid-summer nights; the beds are extremely comfortable however there are no TVs or radios and no in-room telephones. Calm and quiet prevails. Calm prevails, too, in the Inn’s public rooms; comfortable seating and time and space for reading (the Inn is generously stocked with books and with magazines reflecting the owner’s love of travel, food and outdoor sports) or for board games and jigsaw puzzles. There is a blazing fireplace for winter evenings and a large garden with mature maples, flowers, sun, birds, and nature generally, an outdoor breakfast area and lounge chairs for reading or just whiling away late, lazy summer afternoons.
The Innkeepers, Joan and Thom Gorman, fled the City decades ago and have lovingly created their and my idea of a little bit of heaven on earth. They are knowledgeable and generous with information and advice about hiking in the nearby mountains, walking on quiet country roads, swimming and excursions in summer and downhill and cross country ski-ing, snow conditions and skating in winter. In the spring and fall mud seasons Joan and Thom travel to faraway and not-so-faraway parts of the world. Their photo albums of the Annapurna Trail and Patagonia (etc.) are there for perusing before dinner. Their experiences are there for the asking.
Eating at Millbrook is another little bit of heaven: pure local ingredients predominate in Thom’s imaginative and wholesome mix of international-American and Indian cuisine. The menu changes with mood and season but not too rapidly and old favourites remain year after year. Our son grew to manhood on Joan’s Apple Brown Betty.