We’ve found it! The Pot of Gold is in the Mad River Valley!

November brought us 11″ (28cm) of snow for our Thanksgiving Day guests to enjoy and 60°F (15°C) weather a few days later. November also brought us this magnificent rainbow on the 30th. While we can’t guarantee you a rainbow or a pot of gold when you visit West Hill House B&B, Sugarbush or Mad River Glen, we can guarantee you beautiful scenery and warm Mad River Valley hospitality.

Christmas finery

Picture yourself doing your Christmas shopping and enjoying Christmas music in the quiet serenity of the green mountains of Vermont.

Saturday, December 3 marks the 13th annual Country Christmas Open House in the Mad River Valley. Over 30 local shops and services are offering special discounts which will make your pocketbook happy and may offer free refreshments which will make your tummy happy. Pick up a punch card at any merchants displaying the Participating Merchant sign then visit 5 businesses and have your card punched at each. When you leave your card with the 5th business it will be entered for a prize drawing. Check out the list of participating merchants and services.

On Friday, December 9 The Vermont Symphony Orchestra presents Holiday Pops “Fun and Games”  at the Barre Opera House, just under one hour from West Hill House. Favorite Christmas music with a twist as they take a look at the youthful side of the holiday. Fun for everyone. Tickets required.

Thursday, December 15 the Warren United Church will host the Vermont Symphony’s Brass Quintet and Counterpoint for a perfect mix of brass and voices to ring in the season. Free admission although tickets are required.(802-496-9714).

And of course the area also offers skiing and riding at Sugarbush, skiing at Mad River Glen, and cross country skiing at Ole’s and Blueberry Lake. Dog sled rides, sledding, skating, and moonlight snowshoe tours are just some of the other ways to enjoy a white Christmas in Vermont – oh and you can also curl up with a warm beverage and watch the movie White Christmas.

A Wilson Bentley snowflake photograph

OK everyone… IT’S SNOWING HERE TODAY! 

Time to think about getting those skis tuned up and making those ski holiday reservations.

Vermont photographer, “Snowflake” Bentley, was the first person to photograph snowflakes. Check out the website dedicated to his works.

Also check out our skiing specials.

Family join Jennifer and Mark for their December 2010 wedding.

Your wedding should be a very special day which expresses your style and personality, even if you are working with a small wedding budget. Small weddings are the trend these days as couples are opting for a more personal occasion with just family and close friends. Small and intimate weddings provide an opportunity for the couple to visit with each guest, to relax and enjoy the occasion, to really put their personal touches on the celebration, and for the families to get to know each other in a comfortable setting. To say nothing of saving money to put towards a wonderful honeymoon, a house down-payment or even towards paying off student loans.

If you have an intimate wedding in mind why not consider a B&B venue? Such a location can provide a dramatic backdrop for your own special touches. Whether an elegant country estate, an urban city-scape, or like ours, a mountain setting with meadows, gazebo, handsome red barn, ponds and gardens, there is a B&B sure to suit your taste.

You can have the memorable, intimate wedding of your dreams with memories to last a life time, without breaking the bank. Small is beautiful!

At West Hill House B&B we work with highly qualified, local wedding professionals to help you plan a stress free occasion. We have facilities for weddings from 2 to 80 people and we still have a few June and July 2011 dates available for wedding bookings. We pride ourselves in providing you and your guests with personal attention and excellent service, all in a restful country setting near Sugarbush in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont.

Remember these days?

Invite another couple or two other couples to join you for a gas-saving get-away at West Hill House Bed and Breakfast.  Make a reservation for 2 or more nights, pay on one credit card, travel here in one vehicle and take advantage of our B&Bs Kick Gas, Gas Saver Special.

West Hill House Barn reflection

My husband and I celebrated our 30th Anniversary with a 3 week New England vacation in October. It had always been my dream to see the fall foliage and experience the charm of New England and we were not disappointed.

We saw many beautiful areas but when people ask me what was my favorite part, I do not hesitate to respond. West Hill House in Warren, Vermont was tops! Our expectations were exceeded in every way. Peter and Susan made us feel like family the moment we arrived. We even did laundry in the newly renovated barn.

Their home is gorgeous, spacious and so relaxing. There are large areas to sit and enjoy quiet time or visit with wonderful guests. The grounds are stunning and the fall colors were absolutely vivid. We loved taking early morning walks and photographing all the beauty that we were surrounded by. My husband thought the golf course would be fun to try sometime.

Susan’s breakfasts were absolutely delicious and Peter spent a good amount of time mapping out drive routes for our visit. The surrounding area offers so many wonderful restaurants and things to see and do. We saw covered bridges and had fun at the Ben & Jerry’s factory tour. We ate one night at American Flatbread and waiting is half the fun. There are bonfires outside and people just enjoying each other. The food was made with organic ingredients and was fresh and yummy.

My only regret is that 2 nights was not nearly long enough and I was sad when it was time for us to leave. I keep telling my husband that for any occasion he can give me a gift certificate to West Hill House! I hope we can come back soon and I thank Peter and Susan for truly making our dream a reality.

Editor: An addition to Susie’s comments is that she is an exceptional photographer. She shared some of her photos with us and the one shown is a beautiful view of our barn from behind the Beaver Pond.

Breakfast in the Sun Room

From guests Jessica & David:

We spent a long Columbus Day weekend enjoying the fall colors and exploring the area. The West Hill House met every expectation of what we wanted in a New England B&B. Susan and Peter went out of their way to make sure we enjoyed our stay. The WHH B&B was very clean, very cozy and Susan’s breakfasts were delicious.

The number of guests seemed just right (it was full up at 16 guests) and we enjoyed making new friends. The woodstoves in the common areas and the gas stoves in the bedrooms added to the ambiance, along with the decorative lighting throughout.

We travelled with another couple and the four of us are planning to return in the winter for a ski weekend.The West Hill House is about a 5-minute drive from Sugarbush. (Editor – actually about 2 minutes.)

Relaxing in the Hammock

Editor:  As you can see from their photos, our guests enjoyed great breakfasts and some nice relaxation in the hammock.

Moose visiting West Hill House

In general moose, despite being very large, are shy and keep out of sight. So during our more than four years at West Hill House only a handful of our guests have actually had the opportunity to see one, and we have seen them near the property only twice. Also, fortunately, so far none of our guests have encountered one in the middle of a dark road while driving here, which can be a devastating experience, with the car and occupants often coming out on the worse side of the incident.

Having said all that, this May during breakfast all of our guests were treated to the fascinating sight of a mother moose and her offspring sauntering across the meadow behind the barn. Therese was quick off the mark with her camera and very kindly sent us the photo featured here. Click the photo for a larger image.

Ted King

West Hill House is delighted to be welcoming pro-cyclist Ted King.  Ted will be staying with us during his participation in this year’s Green Mountain Stage Race.

Ted is an Economics Major from Middlebury College, so while he currently lives in Spain he is coming back “home” for this year’s event in the Green Mountains.

He is a member of the Cervélo Test Team and was part of this year’s team in the Giro d’Italia.

Last year we were honored to have James Mattis, the 2008 US Pro National Champion, stay at West Hill House while he was competing in the stage race.  Check out our Cycling page for more details.

While your innkeepers Peter & Susan have never counted cycling as one of their activities we are passionate followers of the Tour de France each year. We really enjoyed watching the almost unprecedented excitement of the close contest in this year’s race between Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck.

Long Trail 100th birthday cake

To Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the start of the building of the trail, a month long Relay Hike up the entire Long Trail started on Saturday, July 17, 2010 with day hikes led by GMC Sections, board members, and local volunteers.

To ensure this is an end-to-end event, Prickles the Porcupine, the Trail Mascot, will be carried along each section and then handed off to be carried section by section all the way along the trail.

To mark the arrival of the Relay at the Lincoln Gap on August 2nd, West Hill House baked a cake. The arriving hikers enjoyed it along with water and soft drinks. Prickles of course had a photo op!