The Inn at Little Washington

One of America's finest country inns, this marvelous establishment is not so much an outstanding inn with a restaurant as it is an outstanding restaurant with outstanding rooms. Owner/chef Patrick O'Connell makes inventive use of regional products -- trout, Chesapeake Bay seafood, wild ducks, local cheeses -- for his fabulous fixed-price dinners (if you have to ask how much, your credit limit likely isn't high enough). For a real treat, reserve one of the two fireside tables back in the kitchen, where you can watch the master and his crew at work. The extraordinary 14,000-bottle wine cellar may leave you pondering before selecting from its 40-page list (trust the waiters; they know what they're doing even if you don't). Dinner reservations are essential.

English decorator Joyce Evans magnificently appointed the inn's rooms, and her original sketches are framed and hanging in the upstairs hallways. The two bi-level suites have loft bedrooms, balconies overlooking the courtyard garden, and bathrooms with Jacuzzi tubs. Antiques and Oriental rugs add warmth to the rooms, distinguished by extravagantly canopied beds and hand-painted ceiling borders. Some rooms are across the street atop the inn's shops: The old Mayor's House has been turned into a suite with its own garden, and five other houses provide accommodations, including the Rose Cottage, which has hosted former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper.

Facilities:
Restaurant; bar; room service

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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