Holiday Inn | The Mayflower Inn At Christmas | Christmas In Connecticut

With Christmastime always being so busy every year, Matthew and I decided to do something different to make this year’s holiday season a happy one; we decided to go away for a couple days as our own “holiday getaway.” We knew we wanted to stay local in New England and keep our trip simple. We thought of maybe going to Vermont or the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Then I remembered my brief visit I made to the Mayflower Inn in Washington Connecticut last December. I stopped by to visit the Mayflower at a friend’s suggestion and remembered seeing their lovely inn in the snow and their magnificent Christmas tree in the main lobby. As Christmas had been days away at the time, I tucked the idea of returning the following Christmas season into the back of my mind. Making the time to spend together at the Mayflower Inn and Spa was one of our best decisions this year. 

Washington Connecticut is a beautiful small town winter destination in itself, but the Mayflower Inn and Spa is simply romantic at Christmastime. It is the perfect relaxing getaway around the holidays. It was snowing all morning, but as the afternoon approached it turned into freezing rain, which made our stay all the cozier inside by the fireplaces. When we arrived the kind staff gave us directions to our suite in their property by the spa. We were driven to our suite by Mark, who showed us to our room, suite 42. It was more magical than we could have imagined. 

We arrived later in the afternoon right before sunset, but the sunlight in this room is simply lovely. We had the most beautiful view to the woods and the pond out back, all covered in a thin layer of snow and wintery ice. 

Bread, cheese, apples, and honey were waiting for us in our room for the loveliest afternoon snack. We had our reservations for the dining room set for seven so we spent the afternoon in our suite before exploring more of the Mayflower Inn and Spa. We took a short drive into Washington Depot, the cutest little town that is just minutes down the road. Washington is the town that inspired the popular television series Gilmore Girls. It is the original “Starrs Hollow.” We stopped into the market for a few drinks to bring back to our room at to the Hickory Stick Book Shop for a festive holiday themed jigsaw puzzle. The Hickory Stick is one of my favorite little bookshops in Connecticut and has been in Washington for over six decades! 

The key to our holiday getaway was plenty of rest, relaxation, and time together, which is exactly what the Mayflower Inn and Spa is designed for. 

A bed made for cozy. 

This bed is made for rest and reading. It truly was the coziest mattress I have ever slept on. Matthew and I have both been under so much stress lately that we have had trouble getting good sleep throughout the night. We both slept the entire night through. 

We made our way back to the main building before our dinner reservation to enjoy some cocoa by the fireplace in the library. The entire Inn is decked out for the holidays with wreaths on every window. 

Every room inside the Inn is decorated for the holidays and designed for coziness. 

Cocoa in teacups with peppermint bark chocolate? Yes please. 

I do not know what this room is really named, but I have nicknamed it “the game room” because of their fabulous collection of fun game boards. With a fireplace in every room, you have your pick of cozy places to read, play games, or chat over hot chocolate. 

Now to my favorite room at the Inn; the library. This is the oldest and most original room still left at the inn. 

Dinner was at seven in the formal dining room. Please excuse my grainy photos; I took all of these in the low lit room without flash because I did not want to disturb other guests in the dining room. But look how great the presentation is. I ordered the sea scallops and Matthew had the prime rib. Matthew always knows when something is really well prepared. Instead of rushing through the meal as he tends to do on a busy work week, we slowed down to enjoy a delicious meal together. This time together is so important. We decided to skip the starters to make extra room for dessert and wow was that the right choice. -Dessert was amazing! Every holiday season the Mayflower’s chef comes out with a special holiday menu, making the Mayflower the perfect place to be for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the New Year. 

I ordered the pomegranate cheesecake, which was heaven in a bite, and Matthew order the apple dessert. Our server surprised us with this holiday preview dessert right from their Christmas menu! Inside the creamy red confection is chocolate moose with a raspberry cream center served with chocolate gelato, snowflake sprinkles, a chocolate bell, and a side of dried raspberry crumbles. It was almost too pretty to eat! 

The Mayflower Inn truly is a holiday inn this time of year. They are known for their festive Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years menus and parties. I also adore how their checks come in a vintage book. 

After dinner we took a stroll down the porch outside. I almost did not step outside fearing it would be freezing, but I went outside for “just a peek,” and discovered that it is glass enclosed and heated too! Make this my second most favorite room at the Mayflower. 

My handsome date! 

We made our way back to our suite after dinner and I gave Matthew his Christmas Eve pajamas early this year so we could lounge in them at the inn. We read a little bit and worked on our Christmas puzzle in front of the fireplace before getting a good night’s rest. Matthew surprised me with a massage package for the following morning as an early Christmas present, so we went to bed early for a good night’s rest. 

The next morning I rested in our room before going for a morning walk. I always travel with a small blanket, especially when I travel in the winter. This time I brought my heron throw blanket from Tide Hill Home, which was surprisingly the best choice because it was a perfect match for the decor in our room. 

Taking the time out to rest and read felt like a Christmas miracle with how fast paced the past few months have been. It was another great reminder of how important it is to take time for spending together during the busy holiday season. Taking the time together at the Mayflower Inn was a wonderful way to celebrate Christmas and to rest before the bustle of the holiday. It was freezing and icy outside, however, inside we were warm in our suite with the most beautiful view of the woods frozen outside. 

While I enjoyed my brisk morning walk, Matthew took his drone to the skies to take a look at Washington and the Mayflower Inn from above. The trees were coated in ice from the freezing rain the day before, but with the beautiful winter sunlight it lit up into a whimsical winter wonderland. Our suite was located in the building pictured below to the left and the spa is the large building to the right. The rest of the Mayflower is obscured by the trees in this picture, but you can see the town and the tall white steeple of the church to the right. 

Then I was off for true relaxation at the spa while Matthew took a dip in the indoor heated pool. I did take some photos of the spa earlier before the other guests arrived, but I kept my camera locked away while I was enjoying the spa services to be respectful of the other guests and to truly take the time for relaxing. 

The spa looks so beautiful in the morning light. 

For guests enjoying the facilities during the day, they can use this room to order and eat lunch so they do not have to leave during the day. I could easily spend the entire day here at the spa. It is so quiet and peaceful. 

I had never had a massage before so having my first massage at the Mayflower Spa was an unforgettable experience. I chose the Mayflower Blend because it was a mix of a relaxing massage and deep tissue. I was brought down the the “lilac room” and left feeling like all the knots in my shoulders were finally at ease and my stress levels were the lowest they have been in ages. When my massage was over I sat by this window in the cozy seat, sipped on hibiscus water, watched nature outside the window, and read from Litchfield Magazine. 

Before we knew it, it was time to check out. We spent a little bit of time in the library again before saying our farewells to the inn. 

A holiday getaway is a gift to yourself before the final Christmas countdown begins. The Mayflower Inn and Spa was the perfect location for our holiday escape this year. It is quintessential Christmas In Connecticut. We had time to rest, relax, and enjoy each other’s company, something that we haven’t had enough of as the season has been so hectic. During our mini vacation at the inn, we decided to make our holiday getaway an annual tradition a week or two before Christmas every year. The Mayflower suites will be undergoing renovations, redecorating, and new furnishings in 2020. The rooms are already so beautiful now that we cannot imagine how amazing they will be when they’re redone. We will have to come back to see for ourselves. 

We want to thank Israel, Allison, Leslie, Mark, and the lovely staff at the Mayflower Inn and Spa for having us visit the Mayflower this holiday season. It was a magical experience!