After a day of playing in the snow or strolling arm-in-arm through this winter wonderland, nothing is quite as romantic as retiring to your room at a charming and cozy inn or bed & breakfast and lighting a crackling, comforting fire in your own fireplace. Many of the region's B&Bs and inns have a few rooms with fireplaces, but here is my guide to 10 New England inns where you'll find a fireplace in each and every guest room.
Connecticut
1. The Elias Child House B&B in the northeastern town of Woodstock, Connecticut, is an 18th-century Colonial on 47 acres. It boasts fireplaces in each of the nine guest rooms. If it's not too cold to venture outside the warm confines of your room, head to nearby Putnam to explore the plethora of antique shops. For reservations, call 860-974-9836 or toll free, 877-974-9836.
2. All 18 rooms at The Inn At Stonington, located on the Connecticut shoreline in Stonington, feature fireplaces. This modern hideaway features televisions, voice mail and modem ports in each room--for those who can't quite get away from it all. Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos and the attractions of Mystic, Connecticut, are all nearby if you can tear yourself away from the glow of the fire. Call 860-535-2000 for reservations.
3. At the Lord Thompson Manor in Thompson, Connecticut, you'll find six luxury guest rooms with fireplaces, and you may just be able to imagine for a spell that you are the lord of this 36-acre estate. The manor house was built in 1917 as a summer home for Providence mercantilist John Gladding, and it retains its air of turn-of-the-century sophistication. Call 860-923-3886 for reservations.
Maine
4. Each of the six rooms at the Harbor View House of 1807 in Belfast, Maine, has its own working fireplace to help you fight off winter's chill. You'll have wonderful views of the craggy Maine coast from this Federal-style inn built in 1807. Between the fireplace and the down comforter in your room, you may never feel the need to venture outdoors once you've checked in, but the charming coastal town of Belfast is worth exploring, and you may even want to plan a day trip to Acadia National Park for outdoor winter recreation. For reservations, call 207-338-3811 or toll free, 877-393-3811.
New Hampshire
5. The Notchland Inn in Hart's Location, New Hampshire, has a dozen guest rooms, and each one has a wood-burning fireplace. This 1860s granite mansion is set on a 100-acre estate within the White Mountain National Forest, which means that you can spend a day skiing, skating or snowshoeing, then return to this cozy, romantic retreat for an evening of dreaming by the fire. Make reservations by calling 603-374-6131 or toll free, 800-866-6131.
