The Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, Vermont, right over the New Hampshire border, is one those rare destinations with hundreds of reviews and not one that doesn’t give the place outstanding ratings.
Mobil has given it Four Diamonds, and Rabbit Hill belongs to the cluster of "Select Registry" inns.
OK, so what?
Well, so plenty. The bucolic setting (compete with white-steepled church across the small village lane) and lovely gardens matter only if the innkeepers care about their guests and show it. Many New England inns enjoy this kind of classic setting, but few inns have a Leslie and Brian Mulcahy who are there for their guests, and are not absentee innkeepers.
Each of the 19 rooms is special in the New England tradition.
Some have fireplaces, some have porches, some look out over the flowers and gardens, some have canopied beds whirlpool baths.
All have some rabbit motif worked in, of course.
There’s an afternoon tea, drinks at the bar at 5:30 and a nearly cult following of the maddening designed Stave Puzzles that keep the guests engaged. Some have actually had Stave design a proposal puzzle, so when all the pieces are in place, the message reads, "Will You Marry Me?"
Breakfasts and Dinners at Rabbit Hill come from fresh, local farm. We visited one and talked with farmer Bill who confirmed that Rabbit Hill Inn's chef, Matt, prefers only local produce: eggs, spinach, cheese, all from the farm.
As vegetarians we passed on the meat meals but enjoyed the Wolf Fish and fresh vegetable lasagna with homemade bread and the fresh herbs of the season.
The region around Rabbit Hill Inn, the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, is spectacular with the White Mountains in the background, but unemployment has hit some of the towns hard. You see it in closed shops and dispirited town centers. But Vermonters are still working artisans, making cheese, running wineries and creameries and crafts.
St. Johnsbury the nearest big town has a couple of interesting museums and sponsors some quality musical events.
So, if you’re traveling with kids 14 and older, go say “hi” to the Mulcahy's and very likely become a fan of Rabbit Hill Inn.
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