A Top-Rated B&B In The Heart Of Massachusetts's Berkshires Will Make You Think You're In England

While most of New England's prime real estate hugs its eastern coastline, from Greenwich, Connecticut to Kennebunkport, Maine, Massachusetts's Berkshire County offers a slice of affluence in the west. That's particularly true around Stockbridge — home of painter Norman Rockwell and the Norman Rockwell Museum — which encapsulates the quaint, bucolic New England spirit more than most, making it a vibrant Massachusetts getaway. Nor is Rockwell the only artist to set up shop in the region and draw inspiration from this gentle, forested subrange of the Appalachian Mountains. Writers like Herman Melville, Edith Wharton, W.E.B. DuBois, and Richard Wilbur also embraced the energy and tranquility that continues to make it a center of wellness today, as well as one of New England's most iconic fall destinations.

In Lee, just outside Stockbridge, the Devonfield Inn aims to tap this same spirit and channel it through its property. The centerpiece of the four-star bed and breakfast is the English-style country house that serves as the main building. It was built in the 1800s and retains much of the spirit of yore but significantly gussied up and modernized. In the main building's living room, a baby grand piano and wood-burning fireplace set the tune and tone, along with the library, sitting room, dining room, and seasonal sunroom — all warmed further by complimentary cognac and cordials. Outside the windows are landscapes that could easily feature in any Norman Rockwell painting, whether covered in forest green or snow white.

The Devonfield Inn subscribes fully to the traditional New England spirit, as displayed in furnishings, wallpaper, curtains, lighting, and the odd four-poster or sleigh bed that takes you over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house — albeit a very well-to-do granny. This breaks down to five standard rooms, five suites, a 200-year-old carriage house with four two-bedrooms and a private cottage. Several rooms have gas- or wood-burning fireplaces and whirlpool baths. Carriage units boast a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and outdoor BBQ. All can access the outdoor heated pool and birch-shaded hiking trails that lead to a private picnic area.

Perhaps the inn's greatest amenity is its location — a short distance from the Berkshire's top sights. Within a 10-mile radius is the Norman Rockwell Museum, Edith Wharton's home, Berkshire Botanical Garden, and Tanglewood, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home. So too is the quiet, romantic retreat in New England's rolling hills of Lenox. The Berkshire's combination of financial and agricultural wealth also feeds a robust dining scene, be it Vietnamese at Truc Orient Express Restaurant, farm-to-table comfort food at Cello, or seafood at Salmon Run Fish House. If seeking food for the soul, wellness centers are a stone's skip away from Devonfield Inn, too, including Canyon Ranch, the Kripalu Center For Yoga and Health, and Miraval Berkshires Resort and Spa.