Where to stay

Choosing where to stay in Vermont and the surrounding region comes down to what you want out of the trip: mountain towns, a lake shoreline, a college city or a stretch of coast. Boston is the largest cluster here, with 41 hotels and the only real concentration of 5-star stays at 11; Burlington follows with 27 hotels and a single 5-star property. Waterbury and Middlebury keep things simple with 3-star hotels (10 and 15), and Manchester adds 26 hotels, 22 of them with parking.

Snow-country travellers tend to look at Killington (30 hotels, 16 with parking) or Jay and Ludlow for the ski season, while Maine and New Hampshire draw visitors to Portland (30 hotels), North Conway (30) and Bar Harbor (30, all with parking). Smaller bases such as Woodstock (19 hotels), Brattleboro (29) and Bennington (23) suit people who want a quiet town with easy access to the surrounding countryside. Whatever you pick, the mix of 3-star and 4-star properties is broad enough that the choice is usually about location rather than category.

3-star hotels are the backbone of the region: Waterbury (10 hotels), Middlebury (15), Burlington (27) and Killington (30) all publish a 3-star guide, and they suit travellers who want a simple base near the slopes, the lake or a town centre. Moving up, 4-star hotels appear in most of the larger places, including Stowe (30 hotels), Manchester (26) and Portland (30), usually with more on-site facilities. True 5-star stays are rare and cluster in Boston, which lists 11 five-star hotels out of 41; Burlington, North Conway, Provincetown, Kennebunk and Ogunquit each have 1 to 3. If you want the top category, Boston is the clear choice.