Waitsfield, Vermont

Five rooms, one very long breakfast table

A restored 1840s farmhouse above the Mad River, run by two people who genuinely like having guests.

The house

It was a dairy farm until 1978

We bought Willowbank in 2016 with a leaking roof and a wood stove that smoked. Seven winters later there are new windows in every room, a library where the milking parlour used to be, and a porch that catches the last of the light around seven. The floors still slope. We have decided that is character. There are five guest rooms upstairs and one on the ground floor with a step-free entrance and a wet room. No televisions anywhere — but there is a very good radio.

Library with a wood stove and full shelves

Breakfast is at eight, and it is not a buffet

Everyone eats together at the long maple table. It is more sociable than it sounds, and if you would rather not talk before nine we will put you at the window end and leave you alone with the coffee.

What usually turns up

Buttermilk pancakes with syrup from the sugarbush behind the barn.
Eggs from the eleven hens, however you like them.
Sourdough, cultured butter, and whatever fruit the valley is doing that week.

Vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free breakfasts are cooked to order — tell us when you book and it is genuinely no trouble.

Guests have been known to move a flight around the pancakes. We are not apologising for that.

The Sugarhouse — $185 a night

Front corner room with two windows over the meadow, a queen bed and the deepest bathtub in the house. Sleeps two.

The Parlour — $165 a night

Ground floor, step-free from the drive, wet room with grab rails and a fold-down seat. King bed or twins, your choice when you book.

Ground-floor bedroom with a step-free wet room

The Hayloft — $210 a night

The whole top floor of the barn: sitting room, kitchenette, and a skylight directly over the bed. Sleeps four, so it is the one families ask for.

What guests write afterwards

★★★★★ 4.9 from 312 reviews on Verified stays, 2023–2025

★★★★★

We came for two nights and stayed four. The room was lovely but it is really the breakfast table that does it — we left with three new friends and a jar of syrup.

Danielle R. · October 2025 · via tripadvisor

★★★★★

Booked the Parlour for my father, who uses a walker. Step-free from the car to the bed, and nobody made a fuss about it. That is rarer than it should be.

Marcus T. · August 2025 · via google

★★★★★

Floors creak, the hill is steep, wifi is fine but not fast. Absolutely worth it. Bring boots in mud season.

Priya S. · April 2025 · via tripadvisor

Finding us

Address: 412 Mad River Road, Waitsfield, VT 05673
Phone: +1 (802) 555 0148
Email: hello@willowbankvt.com
Hours: Check-in 3:00–8:00 pm · Check-out 11:00 am

Two nights in the valley

Book direct and the second night is 15% off, November through April.

Check dates & book

Five rooms, one very long breakfast table

It was a dairy farm until 1978

Breakfast is at eight, and it is not a buffet

What usually turns up

The Sugarhouse — $185 a night

The Parlour — $165 a night

The Hayloft — $210 a night

What guests write afterwards

Finding us

Two nights in the valley

The Willowbank letter