The Stowehof

A 46-room hilltop lodge in Stowe, built 1969 in Bavarian-revival mode, with a long valley view and the cult-classic status that comes from being the off-the-radar pick for Stowe regulars. The Stowehof was designed in the period when Stowe was establishing its identity as the Aspen of the East — a wood-and-stone alpine compound, low-slung and angled to make the most of the western valley view.

It is one of the few Stowe properties that hasn't been bought by a brand or pushed into "elevated mountain" minimalism. The result is a lodge that feels lived-in.

The setting

Stowe sits in the Mount Mansfield valley of northern Vermont, an hour from Burlington. The Stowehof occupies a hillside on Edson Hill Road, three miles up from Mountain Road and the village of Stowe. Stowe Mountain Resort is fifteen minutes by car; Stowe village is ten minutes. The drive from Burlington airport is an hour.

The view from the lodge is across the Stowe valley to the western ridges. In winter, you watch the lifts of the resort across the valley.

The building

A 1969 Bavarian-revival lodge — long horizontal lines, deep eaves, stone-and-timber construction, a spiral staircase, and an enormous stone fireplace in the great room. Public rooms include the great room (open to the valley view), a library, the dining room, the bar, and an indoor-outdoor pool deck. Materials are stone, hand-hewn timber, pine paneling, and wool. The aesthetic is cult-classic Vermont — alpine without parody, comfortable, and not redesigned for Instagram.

The rooms

Forty-six rooms across the main lodge and outbuildings. Categories include classic king and queen rooms, larger valley-view rooms with private decks, and a few suites with sitting rooms and gas fireplaces. Beds are kings or queens; bathrooms are tile, with recent refreshes. From-rates open around $345 in season — and that's a fair Stowe price, considering. Many rooms have valley views.

Food & drink

The dining room runs a contemporary American menu with strong Vermont sourcing — Cabot cheddar, Misty Knoll chickens, the local-cider-pour. Non-guests book the dining room. The bar — a long stone-and-timber room with the fireplace as the centerpiece — is one of the best Stowe drink spots in winter.

On the property

An indoor-outdoor pool with a hot tub, set on a deck looking down the valley. A small spa with bodywork. Tennis. Direct cross-country skiing on-property in winter. Hiking trails. A free shuttle to Stowe Mountain Resort runs in winter.

• Indoor-outdoor heated pool, hot tub
• Shuttle to Stowe Mountain Resort in winter
• On-property cross-country skiing
• Tennis
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Stowe regulars graduating from chain ski hotels
• Skiers who want a quieter base than Mountain Lodge
• Architecture readers who'll appreciate the 1969 alpine-revival bones
• Anyone for whom "lived-in lodge" is the appeal

Who it's not for

• Travelers seeking a contemporary boutique design
• Anyone who wants to walk to dinner — Stowe village is a ten-minute drive
• Pet owners (some rooms accommodate dogs; verify on booking)

Nearby

Stowe Mountain Resort is fifteen minutes north on Mountain Road for skiing or the gondola in summer. Stowe village has the Stowe Mountain Lodge, von Trapp Family Lodge, and the Trapp Family Brewery. The Long Trail and Smugglers' Notch are reachable. For dinner outside the lodge: Plate, Doc Ponds, and Solstice (at the Stowe Mountain Lodge) are the picks. Ben & Jerry's factory tour is in Waterbury, twenty minutes south.