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A journey of real contrasts from the hectic avenues of New York City to the rocky coast of Maine. Ancient and contemporary history of America– from elegant white church steeples to glass skyscrapers. Driving through rural New England, we pass stately mansions and little fishing villages. Vermont’s wildflower prairies and Boston’s historic buildings come in turn before we reach Maine with its mysterious coves and beaches. In winter, this vast region becomes all about open fires, cosy quilts and birch woods blanketed in snow. With the arrival of milder temperatures, it is a delight to go hiking and enjoy outdoor activities and wonderful musical performances.
To give you inspiration, Relais & Châteaux presents the Routes du Bonheur: suggestions for travel itineraries that you can fully personalise according to your wishes and the experiences you would like to discover. Our consultants are available to help customise your route and assist you in making reservations at our properties. It is up to you to reserve any recommended activities on-site or nearby that might interest you.
*Total price provided for information only, based on accommodation for two people in a double room for the number of nights per property as indicated on this page, exclusive of recommended activities, properties that cannot be reserved online and restaurants.
Hotel and restaurant in town. Located on Manhattan’s sophisticated Upper East Side, The Surrey has won the hearts of style icons, tastemakers and art aficionados the world over. Just steps from Central Park, guests have access to luxury shopping on Madison Avenue, world-renowned museums and first-class restaurants. New York City’s only Relais & Châteaux hotel, The Surrey houses a collection of 31 original artworks by modern masters such as Chuck Close and Claes Oldenburg. Guests can relax with a treatment at Cornelia Spa, admire the skyline views from the Private Roof Garden, sip a cocktail at Bar Pleiades or savor a meal at Café Boulud. The French eatery directed by Chef Daniel Boulud is a neighborhood gem.
The Surrey has been voted the #1 hotel in New York City by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. ... Learn moreless
Restaurant in town. Jean-Georges Vongerichten has been described as a “genius” and a “great master of gastronomy”. At his legendary Manhattan restaurant, with its Zen-inspired interior, the French-born three-star Chef serves Thai-French fusion cuisine, updating the menu every three months. And the results are breathtaking: yellowfin tuna ribbons with avocado, spicy radish and ginger marinade, foie gras with sour cherry granola, aged balsamic vinegar and sorrel, Jean-Georges’s signature chocolate cake and vanilla bean ice cream… Every dish is given the finishing touches at your table. This final personal touch inspires the senses and brings the diner that little bit closer to the secrets of the Chef.
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Restaurant in town. At the edge of New York’s Meatpacking District, Del Posto’s owners Joseph and Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali have created a temple to Italian cuisine in this palazzo of mahogany and marble devoted to the pleasures of the palate. In a dining room decorated with columns and plush curtains, Chef Mark Ladner brings contemporary creativity to classic Italian dishes: truffled beef carne cruda with Grana Padano and watercress buds, and for dessert, fette biscottate with chocolate, mint, and candied bread. Songs by Gershwin are played on the elegant piano near the bar and the talented sommelier shares his knowledge with rum and amaro tastings.
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Restaurant in town. After the success of his California restaurant, The French Laundry, emblematic three-star Chef Thomas Keller brought his distinctive hands-on approach from Napa Valley to Manhattan. Keller works with remarkable attention to detail, not only in his cuisine but also in the presentation, mood and surroundings. In an elegant dining room overlooking Central Park, Chef de cuisine Eli Kaimeh interprets modern American recipes with a touch of French influence. Representative dishes include Oysters and Pearls, a sabayon of pearl tapioca with poached oysters and caviar, and Calotte de Boeuf Grillée. The culinary delights at Per Se will convince you that perfection does indeed exist.
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Restaurant in town. Nestled in the heart of Manhattan, Lyon-born Chef Daniel Boulud has become one of America’s most celebrated chef-restaurateurs. His reputation may be international, but his warm, welcoming style remains very personal. His mantra is to “prepare the finest American produce according to French culinary tradition.” Superb ingredients are skillfully combined, elevating rustic dishes to new levels of refinement, sophistication and pleasure. In Boulud’s masterful hands, the best American regional products, from Nantucket Bay scallops to Montana beef, are cooked to perfection in a restaurant where a contemporary décor is elegantly juxtaposed with striking neoclassical architecture.
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Restaurant in town. Gabriel Kreuther is a virtuoso of foie gras, whether it be tucked between two tender morsels of squab or topped with candied pecans. Alsatian by origin, Gabriel’s homeland is never far away: be it within a leaf of green cabbage, a savory kugelhopf or the restaurant’s stork motif. Having worked his way through the most renowned kitchens of Europe and New York, the chef is now at the helm of a lively restaurant that bears his name in the heart of Midtown. An array of dishes such as delicate frog’s leg beignets dipped in garlic and lemon broth flow in a constant stream from the open kitchen, plated on original tableware by an experienced and passionate team.
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Restaurant in town. In a superb, light-filled art deco dining room with soaring ten-meter-high ceilings and a view of historic Madison Square Park, this restaurant offers the perfect backdrop for iconic three-star Chef Daniel Humm’s sumptuous contemporary cuisine. His sophisticated creations, like the glazed Muscovy duck with honey and lavender (a treat not to be missed!) emphasize purity, simplicity and seasonal ingredients. The tasting menu takes diners on a culinary journey that highlights the agricultural bounty of New York, together with the food traditions that have taken root there, all executed with a gracious sense of genuine hospitality.
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Ten museums lining Fifth Avenue range from the Metropolitan Museum of Art with its global splendors, to the Jewish Museum and the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. Others are The Museum of the City of New York and Frank Lloyd Wright’s renowned Guggenheim. A recent addition, in a handsome Beaux-Arts mansion, is the Neue Gallerie filled with early 20th C. Austrian and German art and objects. For a restorative break, try the in-house Cafe Sabarsky, modeled on iconic Viennese cafes.
Amble along the popular High Line
Amble along the popular High Line, a former elevated railway reinvented as a green urban oasis, 1.45 miles long and fringed with wild flowers. Back at street level, contemporary art is on view at several galleries nearby in Chelsea. Or stroll around Greenwich Village with its brownstone houses, cool boutiques and coffee shops.
Madison Avenue Boutiques and Galleries
Standouts along this smart avenue are Tom Ford’s sleek flagship boutique; Berluti, the only U.S. outlet of the French bespoke and ready-made shoe line; and the elegant new Ralph Lauren womenswear and home decorating store. Special finds include Lisa Perry, for mod 1960s clothing and home decor in a converted bank, with jewelry displayed in the former vault; and, for readers, tiny Crawford Doyle Booksellers where personal service is a hallmark. For fine art, besides the Whitney Museum of American Art, several powerhouse galleries, such as Gagosian and Richard Gray, are intriguing to visit.
On the route
Storm King Art Center
Hyde Park : Storm King Art Center, in New York’s Hudson valley (in New Windsor on the west bank) is an open-air collection of over 100 large scale, mostly abstract sculptures by outstanding artists from Mid-Century to today - Louise Bourgeois, Alexander Calder and Mark di Suvero among them.
Lunch at the Culinary Institute of America
Visit the country’s premier training school for chefs and others in the hospitality industry - the other CIA. You can reserve a table in one of the five very good, student-run restaurants. The choice of cuisines ranges from French to Italian to the Americas as well as Certified Green farm-to-table fare. The CIA’s sprawling campus is on the east bank of the Hudson River, and is open to the public when classes are in session.
Hotel and restaurant on a river. Stroll among the pines and maples, watch the fireflies when night falls across the Vermont countryside, admire the star-filled skies in the moonlight… Welcome to Windham Hill, a romantic place where the summer nights offer up a magical spectacle and autumn reveals all the glorious colors of nature. At the end of a country road, in the heart of 160 hectares of unspoiled nature, this elegant inn offers exceptional views of the Green Mountains and a luxurious, meticulously tended flower garden. The elegant rooms and suites provide a haven of peace, and the cuisine showcasing seasonal produce from the garden is sure to delight even the most discerning of gourmets.
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Downhill skiing and winter sports at Stratton Mountain and Bromley ski resorts
On the route
Strawbery Banke
Strawbery Banke is a 10-acre waterfront neighborhood and museum in Portsmouth, NH, named by the first settlers in 1630. Spend the day exploring the Portsmouth neighborhood known for 400 years as Puddle Dock. Stroll through the centuries from the 1600s to the 1950s. Visit historic houses and learn about colonial life from the knowledgeable docents in period dress.
Le Menton Relais & Chateaux, Boston
Since 2010, multi-award winning US food celebrity Grand Chef Barbara Lynch has invited us on a lovely journey to the Côte d'Azur on the border between France and Italy. To explain her cooking, Barbara calls to mind both "strict French technicality and Italian sensitivity." Close your eyes and open your taste buds to savour the result. Seasonal produce, multitudinous flavours and impeccable service. The heart of Boston almost seems like the Mediterranean...
Restaurant and hotel in the country. Blantyre is a beautiful country manor surrounded by 46 hectares of lawn and woodlands, ideally located halfway between Boston and New York City. The Main House, Carriage House and three cottages are reminiscent of a gentler time of elegance and romance. Built in 1902, the majestic Tudor style estate boasts sumptuous guestrooms, a spa, an exceptional wine cellar, renowned cuisine and a delicious hot chocolate menu. This enchanting resort has activities galore with tennis in the summer. When the seasons change, the property transforms into a romantic winter wonderland, with ice skating, snowshoeing, sleigh rides and a 34-meter-tall Christmas tree.
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Tanglewood, renowned summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, offers concerts in July and August; and the well known Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival is only 20 minutes away from Blantyre.
Other local interest visits
In addition to antiquing on Route 7, you can tour the nearby homes of authors Edith Wharton and Herman Melville; check out the Norman Rockwell Museum, filled with the illustrator’s beloved illustrations of Americana; and learn about the Hancock Shaker Village, Est. 1791, with its round barn and 12 restored historic buildings.
Outdoor sports
Allure Outfitters offers fly fishing instructions, equipment and access to a private, well-stocked lake. For golfers the inn can provide entrée to nearby private club courses. In winter there is cross-country skiing and skating, and in summer, ambitious guests can take a hike up steep Mount Greylock.
On the route
Stop off at Williamstown, MA
Stop off at Williamstown, home of Williams College, to view the collection at the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute. Impressionist paintings, including 30 by Renoir, and over 8,000 other works here range from Italian Renaissance art to English silver. Have a casual lunch in the Clark Cafe or the outdoor Stone Hill Cafe on the museum’s 140-acre campus.
Restaurant and hotel on the seafront. Two restored barns dating from 1820’s create the rustic decor of the restaurant, where you can enjoy a creative and subtle cuisine using the finest ingredients New England and Maine can provide, such as local game or fresh seafood. The Main House nearby, that was originally built in the late 19th century, houses spacious and elegant rooms with this same harmonious blend of tradition and modernity. Close to the swimming pool overlooking the garden, the Garden Rooms open on a beautiful wooded area, whereas the charming Waterfront cottages, decorated in Arts & Craft style, offer spectacular views on the Kennebunk River.
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Hotel and restaurant in town. For more than a century now, lovers of the great outdoors have come to unwind at this gracious New England Victorian inn overlooking the coast. Behind its traditional white clapboard exterior, the inn’s décor today bears the imprint of modern European design. The award winning restaurant, Natalie’s, offers a new take on fine dining, showcasing Maine’s bounty, including the famous Maine lobster. Perched on a hilltop, from its wrap around porch and delightful picture windows, the inn offers 180-degree views of Penobscot Bay, Camden Harbor and the surrounding mountains, the perfect invitation to explore the beautiful coastline of Maine.
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Hotel and restaurant overlooking a lake. Set high atop a massive field stone wall, here all your senses will be awakened by broad clear skies, sparkling lake waters, fragrant forests and fresh mountain air.
Built in 1891 as a gentlemans breeding farm, the 21 hillside acres of Blair Hill Inn unveil a panorama of northern Maine’s unspoiled landscape. Through its covered entry by a stone encircled fountain, the scenery unfolds with each step into the light-filled, pristine manor. Maîtresse de Maison Ruth McLaughin showers guests with a genuine kindess. From delicious breakfasts to mountain hikes, star gazing paddles to sumptuous dinners, Blair Hill Inn envelopes you with comforting hospitality.
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You just have to go inland to understand why the moose is the state of Maine’s totem animal. Luminous signs along the roads herald the frequent presence of the largest deer in North America. The summer, in particular, is a good time to search for them in the pine forests or along the banks of Moosehead Lake. You just have to keep quiet and keep your eyes open…
Paddle on Moosehead Lake
At the heart of the Appalachians, the banks of Moosehead Lake used to be the hunting grounds of the Abenakitribe. Dominated by the cliffs of Mount Kineo, the lake offers many options for those who love rowing, canoeing or motorboats. Night excursions are also organised: the sky above the lake is famed for being one of the ‘purest’ on the East Coast…
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