When the prior owner of the Stratton Falls property approached us with his intent to sell and his desire for us to see the property before he put it on the market we were not at that time actively pursuing another hotel project. We were, well, actually in the throes of planning our wedding.
But we knew about the beautiful waterfall on the property and were touched by his offer, so we agreed to meet with him for a tour. It was a sunshiny day in early April and, after scaling the gorge down to the stream that leads to the waterfall, we walked along the stream’s edge with the sound of the waterfall getting closer and closer. As we turned a bend and the glory of the waterfall and its magical surroundings enfolded in front of us, we looked at each other and we both knew what the other was thinking: “We must make this happen! This is magical!” And not only did we both know we needed to create something on this property, we also both simultaneously knew that it needed to have a faerie-tale-like quality about it. Because if faeries exist anywhere, they are going to exist amongst the surroundings of this waterfall and stream’s edge.
And thus the concept for both the look and feel of the resort and one of our cottages was born. We knew we wanted to create something that felt like being in a faerie tale and we knew we needed to have one cottage entirely inspired by and devoted to faeries. On that first day, before we even owned the property, the name “The Faerie Forest” for that cottage was conceived.
Using what one sees along their journey to the waterfall through this glorious slice of nature – the rock formations, the trees, the stream, the absence of and then the abundance of sunlight – as inspiration for the interiors of this cottage; the process took us almost two years to complete. The challenge for the Faerie Forest Cottage was bringing the outside into a livable inside. For the main living areas and hallways we did not want any smooth surfaces – no walls that scream drywall and very little artwork that is not three-dimensional. The goal was to transport the guest into the realm of an enchanted forest so that when they cross the entry door threshold, they themselves become, well – a faerie. And in the form of hundreds of twinkling lights, they are introduced to their other long lost family and friends of the fae.
Features of this cottage include:
- Two queen bedrooms, each with their own privately-accessed bathroom. One bathroom with a tub and shower and one bathroom with a large walk-in shower.
- Screened-in back-porch off downstairs living area with outdoor dining tables
- The only cottage that also has both a small balcony on the front of the building accessed from the upstairs bedroom as well as an interior “Juliet balcony” on the second floor where guests can enjoy the higher elevations of the forest.
- Common living area with sleeper sofa increasing possible total occupancy to six. This area also has its own door into the downstairs bathroom enabling guests in the downstairs bedroom and living area to have separate private entrances to the downstairs bathroom.
- Whimsical bespoke staircase made entirely from cedar trees procured from a dead grove discovered on a mountain not far from The Roxbury.
- Meadow, forest, and/or mountain views.
- Refreshment station with full-size refrigerator, microwave and wet bar sink
Rate Range: $612 – $850