My boyfriend and I were staying the weekend at Stowe Mountain Lounge and needed a hotel near the airport for one night. We've seen The Essex Culinary Resort on Jetsetter.com a few times and found a great rate for $88. We arrived around midnight and were put in 'The Mansion' part of the resort. The Resort is very cozy and doesn't seem to be as expansive as the pictures. It was however snowing, so most of the outdoor areas were blocked off due to ice. The cooking area was in one big kitchen area, amongst guest rooms. When booking, request not to stay near the classroom as the close proximity could be noisy. The pool is massive and is located in its own building.. We didn't have time to visit the spa but the setting seemed tranquil and smelled amazing. The breakfast buffet tasted fresh and was well priced. $17 for a buffet, coffee, and juice. Overall, this hotel was great for one night but there isn't enough to do to spend an entire weekend.

Note-the pillow top mattress was like sleeping on a cloud. Heavenly.

Four of us visited (2 couples) for a Fri-Sun visit in January for skiing. I don't ski, so this place was perfect for me. It turned out my friend and I stayed on Saturday while the guys went skiing, so we could take full advantage of not just the spa, but the outlets, which were about a 10 minute walk away. And boy did we take advantage of everything! After our morning of wonderful shopping, we went back, signed in at spa reception, and took advantage of the fitness center, pool and hot tub before actually having our massages. It was perfect! When the guys got back, we went back into the hot tub (kids went in for about 2 minutes before they remembered they were kids and don't like scalding hot water). That hot tub was just perfect! Big enough for about 8 people comfortably. The indoor pool was impressive, quite large, totally swimmable if you want to get your lap swim on. The fitness center was tiny, but the view was lovely. The treadmills were a bit out of date, but I can imagine that's not the most important selling point for a place like this. It worked, but wasn't the best. Then it was off to dinner at Amuse. The dinner was wonderful, though definitely expensive. The cheese plate... ugh! So good. Really, the whole day was a delight for all the senses! We had the brunch buffet, which was yummy, with a great variety, too. Anything from smoked salmon to french toast. I was a happy camper.

The rooms were even better than I thought that they would be. Everything was modern and super clean. The beds were a bit softer than I would have liked, but I'm sure others would love them. Really nice soaps, which I appreciate. And reception could not have been friendlier or more helpful.

Really all in all, the whole experience was delightful. I would totally go back, any time of year!

My huband and I were fortunate enough to be part of the "Downton Abbey Experience" last weekend for the Vermont Public Television Fundraiser. It was the ultimate experience in gastronomical pleasure and the Essex was the perfect backdrop. We drove in late Friday afternoon and the Essex was lit up like a snowy beacon, dressed in all her holiday finery. They really know how to make a weary traveller welcome with their polite staff, well appointed rooms and warm hospitality. Saturday night's arcade replete with the most delicious of meats, cheeses, breads, cookies and desserts was FANTATIC and the crowd rose to the opportunity with their level of enthusiasm, costumes and participation. The guests outfits were beautiful and everyone was caught up in the moment. The Sunday Brunch was out of this world and I am sure that no one who attended will forget this experience soon... Mrs. Pattimore eat your heart out...we have Chef's Arnd, Shawn and Christine.

We stayed a night at this lovely resort. We took advantage of side by side massages which were beyond excellent and ate at Amuse for dinner and breakfast. We also consider ourselves "foodies" and were very pleased with both the taste and presentation of our food (rib-eye steak and lamb shanks) and an excellent arugula salad with pumpkin and pepitas. We didn't get dessert but when we left Amuse, the staff had put out chocolate/cherry cookies which we grabbed and thoroughly enjoyed. The only negatives: a rather soft bed and a somewhat noisy heating system you cannot regulate. However, the location, ambiance, and amenities outweigh the negatives and we would stay here again in a minute.