The menu, for example, was updated to include teen treatments. With the expansion came a host of changes. The front desk is often the first point of contact where guests experience the spa's top-caliber customer service. According to her, returning guests enjoy seeing the same faces year after year. 'We pride ourselves on our level of service,' says Brex.

According to Brex, much of that success can be attributed to the spa's staff. The relaxation area was designed to be spacious yet warm and cozy.Įven before the expansion, the spa was able to boast a repeat-guest rate of 70 percent. Increasing the square footage from 23,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet, The Spa at Topnotch now has 30 treatment rooms and an expanded spa boutique, which retails signature Topnotch spa products, yoga wear, and a variety of gifts. The multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation added 10 additional treatment rooms and a new full-service salon. Having outgrown its original spa, which opened 15 years earlier, the resort recently added a new wing to the existing space and renovated the old facility to match the new. Nestled in the Green Mountains, Topnotch Resort and Spa is located in the picturesque New England setting of Stowe, VT. Since Jet Blue began offering service between New York City and Burlington, VT, Topnotch has experienced a substantial increase in the number of visiting New Yorkers. According to spa director Samantha Cooper Brex, many guests hail from metropolitan areas, such as Boston, Montreal, and New York City. With a host of outdoor activities, it appeals to adventure-minded urbanites who want to take advantage of its natural setting.

That, combined with the comfort and style of the resort made for a pretty unforgettable stay that could easily become a recurring part of our annual Vermont getaway.Īll photos taken by Meredith Perdue for Map & Menu.Located on a 120-acre wooded estate in Stowe, VT, Topnotch Resort and Spa is an ideal New England getaway in the midst of the Green Mountains. I don’t know that in all of our travels, Meredith and I have ever been quite as comfortable with Orvis as we were at Topnotch. Not that Orvis needs any more of an ego boost, but at one point, a young guest walked by with her mother and proclaimed “That dog is horrendously cute!” Each of the resort’s restaurants had outdoor seating where dogs were welcome, and with the exception of the pool area, the entire property seemed to be open to its guests and their pets. Topnotch easily deserves its own spot on that list. When we arrived, Orvis was greeted with open arms and more than his fair share of treats.

It’s the reason that places like Hotel Fauchere, the Porches Inn, the Inn at Perry Cabin, and Palmetto Bluff hold such special places in our traveling hearts. Finding hotels that we’re drawn to aesthetically, that simply accommodate dogs of any size is difficult enough, but finding one that goes out of their way to be overly dog-friendly to our large-ish travel companion, and does so without ushering us around to the back door of a forgotten side of the hotel, is almost an impossibility.

If you’ve heard us mention it once, you’ve heard us mention it one thousand times – traveling with Orvis can present its fair share of difficulties. Stowe’s Topnotch Resort checked off every one of those items, with extra emphasis on the dog-friendly point, and after three wonderfully relaxing days spent there, I find myself anxiously anticipating a return trip in the future. A guaranteed route to the top of Map & Menu’s favorite hotel list is one that includes the following: a well-executed sense of design and comfort, a friendly and helpful staff, delicious food, and the willingness to embrace our furry buddy, Orvis.

Topnotch resort and spa in stowe