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Stowe, Vt. What many consider to be the best breakfast in town is served at the Gables, either under yellow umbrellas on the front lawn (facing a spectacular view of Mount Mansfield), on the front porch or on tables inside. Owners Annette Monachelli and Randy Stern are keeping up a tradition of fine food and lodging that has been The Gables' trademark for the past 25 years. Twelve guest rooms in the main inn and four in a renovated carriage house sport country furniture, antiques and homemade wreaths. All have private baths, most gleaming white and modern. The inn's prized Gables Suite offers a lace-canopy queensize bed, fireplace, sofa, TV and a double jacuzzi in a corner of the room. Much in demand are four spacious rooms in the air-conditioned Carriage House, which shows no trace of its motel-annex heritage. These come with cathedral ceilings, wood-burning fireplaces, whirlpool jets in the bathtubs, queensize beds and television, and more room than we could possibly put to use between a swim in the pool, reading on the lawn and a sensational breakfast the next morning. The occupants before us on a cool summer night had obviously used the fireplace; the inn goes through at least ten cords of wood a year. Top of the line are two Riverview Suites converted from a neighboring homestead. Each has a kingsize bed made of cedar fence posts with a split-rail fence for a headboard, a dual wood-burning fireplace shared by bedroom and living room, a convenience center with refrigerator and microwave, and a double jacuzzi tub. The upstairs suite with cathedral ceiling has a balcony off the bedroom and a deck off the living room. The wraparound porch off the main-floor suite faces the inn's pool area. A swimming pool and hot tub, and a large, comfortably furnished den and living room with TV are other attractions in this homey place. In winter the downstairs den becomes a cozy après-ski bar with a selection of beers and wines. Complimentary hot hors d'oeuvres accompany the beverages. As for that breakfast, it's open to the public, and some days the kitchen serves as many as 300. Aside from all the old standbys, one can feast on eggs benedict, kippers or chicken livers with onions and scrambled eggs, matzoh brei, or "Two on a Raft," poached eggs on an English muffin garnished with tomato and herbs served beneath a blanket of molten Vermont cheddar. In the summer a chef grills chicken and burgers on
the front lawn for a garden barbecue lunch – a popular break for
strollers and cyclists on the Stowe Recreation Path across the street. Fifteen rooms and three suites with private
baths. Summer and winter: doubles $83 to $190, suites $158 to $235.
Foliage: doubles $110 to $190, suites $225 to $235. Spring and fall:
doubles $78 to $115, suites $150 to $165. Breakfast daily, 8 to 10:30, weekends to 12:30.
Lunch in summer, noon to 2. (802) 253-7730 or (800) 422-5371. Fax (802) 253-8989. E-mail: Inngables@aol.com. For more information: www.gablesinn.com.
Material excerpted from Inn Spots & Special Places in New England, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2004. E-mail feedback to: Wood Pond Press Home
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