Seven miles southeast of town, formerly Clifton The Country Inn, this luxurious retreat stands in the shadow of Thomas Jefferson's hilltop Monticello home, which can be seen in winter when the trees are bare. Listed on the National Register, this gracious colonial Revival manor was once Jefferson's daughter's home. It oozes charm and marvelous cuisine.
Formal gardens and a semicircular driveway lead up to the stately manse fronted by white columns. The butler ushers new arrivals into the former library to one side of the cramped central hallway space used for registration before the fire.
Across the hall, the former drawing room provides seating for the excellent Restaurant at Clifton, which is primarily housed in the stone-floored garden room stretching across the rear of the manse; its window walls overlook part of the 100-acre estate. Outstanding a la carte and tasting-menu dinners are complemented by an extensive wine selection stored in the basement cellar, which guests can reserve for private dining, if they don't choose the chef's table and watch the maestro at work in the kitchen. A small bar offers casual fare for the less famished. Tea is served daily, and a jar is always stocked with fresh homemade cookies.
Besides ambling through the acreage, guests enjoy tennis and croquet, swimming in the pool and soaking in the year-round whirlpool.
Accommodations are in the manor house, the Carriage House and the Livery Building. All are individually decorated but equally charming, with lovely antiques and private baths. Only the least expensive Garden Room lacks a fireplace. Among the favorites are the three studios in the former stables, which have lake-view sitting areas and raised sleeping areas. The most expensive choice is a Carriage House suite with a sitting room, brick fireplace and queen-bedded loft. All units have TVs, phones and high-speed Internet ports. One room is wheelchair accessible at this smoke-free inn.
Although this fine country inn is often compared with the larger and better-equipped Keswick Hall at Monticello nearby, a better benchmark is the Inn at Little Washington, an inn with a fine restaurant and luxury digs.
