Pioneer Valley Getaway – The Inn on Boltwood, Amherst, MA

Hotel review by Marcia Simon

Autumn is the best season for hiking in New England, in my opinion anyway. The air is crisp, the temperatures are comfortable, and the leaves turn magic colors before their graceful fall to nourish the earth.

Amherst, known as the five-college town (Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst), is a buzz of intellectual events and arts, with an appreciation of multicultural cuisine and the optimism of youth. Surrounded by organic farms, "farm-to-table" is an unspoken mantra at several local restaurants and at the UMass Amherst dining facilities. An extensive trail network covers 80 miles of paths for hiking and cycling in Amherst alone, making this is a wonderful anchor for exploring the Pioneer Valley area in western Massachusetts.
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One major factor to consider, if you want to get a hotel deal in Amherst or neighboring Northampton, is the calendar of major events taking place at any of the five colleges. This means forget about start and end of semesters when parents drop off or scoop up their kids, forget homecoming weekend and big sporting events (UMass is a Division 1 university), the predictable long weekend fall foliage leaf peepers on Columbus Day Weekend, and graduation weekends in late spring.

I lucked out with a midweek online rate at the Inn on Boltwood, designated a Historic Hotel of America and formerly known as the Lord Jeffrey Inn. This Inn, in the heart of Amherst's small but vibrant center, has 49 historic-yet-modern guestrooms, lots of nooks and crannies where you can comfortably read or enjoy quiet conversation with a friend. A classic New England inn experience remains intact along with modern technology upgrades and renovations.

The inn's restaurant, 30 Boltwood, serves tempting breakfasts and lunch as well as a dinner menu that offers everything from baked Vermont brie with rosemary lavender honey  and butternut burrata dip with a cider reduction for starters or small bites, to classic steak, seafood and salad options. Wanting to explore more of the town, we checked in, and walked a couple of blocks to choose a restaurant that suited our mood. We settled in at the casual Amherst Oyster Bar (formerly Judie's) and enjoyed a vegetarian bowl of "burnt end style" mushrooms and crispy fish and chips.

After dinner we stopped in at the bar area at 30 Boltwood. The service was friendly and attentive. We brought our glasses of wine outside and sat by one of the ambience-designed fire pits. Additionally, the overhead heaters kept us plenty warm in the crisp autumn air. This seems to be a go-to place for locals as well as hotel guests.

A couple of small amenities that I especially appreciated were the in-room coffee pods by Tayst, the first that I've seen that are 100% compostable; and the bathroom collection by Lather, made with all-natural fragrances. Complimentary coffee is available in the lobby starting at 6am; by 6:30 my companion and I were sipping our morning fuel in one of the rooms, tucked away off the lobby, easing into the day on a comfortable couch next to the fireplace. A reading area includes an assortment of books, a chess and checkers table, and a desktop computer for guests who need to use it.

This local escape was less than 36 hours in total including the drive, and proved again how a one-night escape can have a big impact on rejuvenating a person's energy and spirit.

Marcia Simon is a Connecticut-based writer and travel advisor with special interests in wellness and sustainability.
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