[ad_1]
As I write this the world is at a standstill, but most predictions about travel when we get the all-clear again say we’ll probably start with road trips to places not far from where we live. If you’re in the northwestern USA, put the Hartland Inn on your short list if you’ll be traveling through Idaho.
Located about an hour from Tamarack Ski Resort and only about 20 minutes from Brundage Mountain ski resort–two of the best ski values in the USA–the Hartland Inn is a popular base for winter fun. The inn offers fantastic ski and stay deals where rates start at just $82 per person for a motel room and an all-day lift ticket at Brundage. The summer is actually their busiest time though, when this New Meadows hotel is a base for people enjoying Payette Lake by McCall or exploring all the outdoor activities nearby like hiking, mountain biking, ziplining, or riding on the 84-mile Weiser River Trail that passes nearby.
A man named Colonel Edgar Heigho built the main house here in 1911 and you could say he built this whole town really. He was president of the P & IN Railroad and when the town of Meadows demanded what he felt was an inflated tax bill to bring the railroad to their town, he brought it to what was just an empty field instead and established New Meadows. In typical baron style, he bought up land and started businesses to profit from the new rail access and made out quite well. (The original town of Meadows did not fare as well…)
The original historic house looks very similar on the outside and on the inside the decor is a mix of typical bed & breakfast antiques with a nod to more contemporary times in the lounge/breakfast area. So in the downstairs living room you may be looking at velvet curtains and urns from the 1900s.
Head into the Stein & Stirrup Beer & Wine Bar area though and you can choose from two local craft beers on tap or a glass of Oregon wine. The soundtrack will be an album on the turntable and you can check out the retro snowboards mounted on the walls. Some are from the first few years of snowboarding, when Burton and others were still figuring out the optimal design.
This is also where guests who have breakfast included, which is those in this main house, get to dine on scrumptious goodies coming out of the kitchen. You won’t leave hungry for the mountains, the lake, or the bike trail after the myriad of savory and sweet items laid out on the table.
There are five guestrooms in the original house, four suites in the carriage house, then 11 in a much newer annex that are more like roadside motel rooms.
The 11 motel rooms are the lowest category and the simplest, but they each have a fridge, coffee maker, and microwave. With painted cinder block walls and carpet, they have one or two beds.
The five “bed and breakfast” rooms in the original building have the most character, furnished with antiques and each having its own unique look. Three of these have their own bath while two of them have a shared bath. All share a common sitting area that’s a great spot for reading a book while light streams in the big window at the center of the second floor. All have a TV, WiFi, fireplace, a robe, and supplied toiletries. These are the rooms where you can come downstairs for a breakfast feast in the morning.
The carriage house rooms are the largest, however, set up like big junior suites with a separate sitting area, fireplace, and kitchenette with microwave, sink, and fridge. This building is not on the street like the main house and is a tad quieter, plus it has some outdoor space.
Most of the fun here is off-property, whether that’s skiing or snowboarding in the winter or lake watersports and exploration of the rail-to-trail biking path nearby. There are some seasonal options on site though: an outdoor hot tub, a large backyard available for picnics or events, and a party barn available for rental.
Rates at Hartland Inn run $77 to $157 double most of the year, with some including breakfast. There’s usually a snowmobile deal and a ski deal happening in the winter. See more info and make a booking at the inn’s website.
Editor Tim Leffel was a guest of the Hartland Inn while researching several ski articles as a guest of Ski Idaho. As always, all opinions are his own.
[ad_2]
