Comfortably situated in Franklin County, Massachusetts, you’ll find Historic Deerfield, an authentic 18th century village, lovingly restored and preserved. Just north of the town commons, you’ll encounter the beautiful Deerfield Inn. Opened in 1884 and listed as a National Historical Landmark, the inn has been pampering guests for 130 years now.
Deerfield Inn
Since 1987, guests have had the privilege of getting to know Jane Howard and Karl Sabo, the present-day innkeeper’s. A more personable pair you won’t find anywhere. Easy to chat with, you can see their eyes light up as they talk about the inn, their excellent staff and the town in general. After staying a few days, you’ll understand that their pride is well founded, as the place is a perfect extension of themselves.
From the moment you open the front door, you’re made to feel like you’ve just arrived at the home of a close relative. Everyone you meet is eager to do whatever they can to make you feel at home and at ease. Need sightseeing suggestions, a cup of coffee to-go or a button sewed-on, they’ll probably offer before you even have to ask.
Guests no longer arrive by stage coach, but the adjoining Carriage House still remains and was recently remodeled for guests comfort. Collectively, the Inn and the Carriage House provide 24 rooms with choices of twins, queens, kings and king suite. Each room has its own personality and charm. A number of rooms are child as well as pet friendly.
Our room
We stayed in room 143 – the Cora Carlisle room – named after the innkeeper in the early 1900’s who held séances to contact her deceased husband. Luckily, neither she nor her husband were evident during our stay. Quite to the contrary, we were extremely comfortable and slept oh-so comfortably.
Our room was a colorful play of cyan tones on the wallcovering and a pale green quilt set against stark white sheets and wide, white woodwork. A lovely, light floral wallcovering border was installed right below the crown molding at the ceiling.
A dark bronze metallic headboard blended well with the dark antique furnishings throughout the room. A most fabulous folding-top desk sat next to the bed with compartments for all your letter-writing essentials.
The bathroom was sparking white with a black and white shower curtain illustrated with men’s old shaving utensils. The soft and absorbent towels were as large as I’ve ever encountered. You’d be inclined to use one to wrap yourself up in if they hadn’t already provided you with a pair of wonderfully warm and comfortable chamois robes.
Common areas
At the end of the hallway outside your room, you’ll find a Keurig machine for coffee or tea any time of day or night. At the other end, there’s a compact business center for checking email, Skyping home or printing a boarding pass. Free, high-speed Wi-Fi was available and let Doug upload photos to his heart’s content.
Downstairs, wonderful big fireplaces await to warm you, or you might opt to sit and enjoy afternoon tea in the spacious reading room off the lobby. Head to the rear to find dining rooms and a most inviting tavern area. We were delighted to find that the bartender shares our surname and is one of many Bardwell’s in the Historic Deerfield area, where our forefathers settled in 1714.
Dining
Breakfasts are included in your room rate; but seriously consider also having lunch and dinner here. If nothing else, order a bowl of their Door Crasher Chowder.
Champney’s Restaurant offers a wide choice of farm to fork selections and everything we sampled was terrific. You’ll be dining among lots of locals, as 60% of their dining business is from those who live, work or go to school in town. In the better weather, you can even dine on the porch with your pooch.
For dinner, I had the house-made linguini, tossed with a marsala cream sauce, finished with basil-pistachio pesto and shaved pecorino. Doug loved his fish and chips, lightly breaded just like he likes them, served with Belgian fries and a tasty apple & walnut cream slaw. Doug even discovered a new favorite Sauvignon Blanc – Kim Crawford from Marlborough, New Zealand.
As we prepared to leave, and hugged Jane goodbye, we left already missing a new, but dear friend; one we’ll hopefully get back to see very soon.
The Deerfield Inn
81 Old Main Street
Deerfield, MA 01342
413.774.5587
https://www.facebook.com/DistinctiveInns
Distinctive Inns of New England
Deerfield Inn is one of the Distinctive Inns of New England (DINE), a consortium of 12 inns located throughout the six New England states. This collection of luxury inns and B&Bs are carefully aligned to offer distinctive surroundings and haute hospitality all within an easy drive of one another. Choose one or create an itinerary for either coastal or mountain inns. Either way, an extraordinary escape will offer bucket list accommodations. Visit www.Distinctiveinns.com for more information or follow DINE at https://www.facebook.com/DistinctiveInns.
We were invited by Distinctive Inns to review five of their inns. Watch for additional reviews of:
Deerfield Inn – Historic Deerfield, MA
Capt. Jefferds – Kennebunkport, ME
Manor on Golden Pond – Holderness, NH
Chesterfield Inn – Chesterfield, NH
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