Once upon a time…yes, that’s fitting beginning because Winvian in Morris, Litchfield County, Connecticut, is a Fairy Tale.

I’m not going to lie to you, this is only for special occasions, a wedding an anniversary, a lifetime mile marker. Not inexpensive as it is a Relais and Chateaux property, one of just 60 or so high end properties in the country.

Winvian, which sits on 113 acres, has been open for about three years and it is family owned and operated and it something, beyond something, really.

I have read about the place since it opened. It made a splash initially because one of its 19 cottages has a Sikorsky made U.S. Coast Guard helicopter inside of it which you will see below in my video.

The chopper is only one small part of this resort however.

Just to give you an idea what you’re dealing with here, let me give you a rundown of the theme cottages you can stay in.

There is a tree house 40 feet in the air, there is a Saint Andrew’s golf house. Other names for cottages are, Artist, Beaver Lodge,themes, Charter Oak, Camping, CT Yankee,  Greenhouse, Industry, Library, Log Cabin, Maritime, Music, Stable, Stone, Woodland, Secret Society (yes, patterned after Yale’s secret society buildings) and more.

Each one of these places is huge and has a fireplace, and every amenity you can imagine, some you can’t.

Some of the showers are lined with stones, the sinks match the theme of the cottage, it goes on and on just like this.

TVs come up out of the foot board of your bed, the lighting in these places is phenomenal.

Hands down this is one of the romantic places I’ve every laid my eyes on, it drips in romance.

Need spa treatments, of course there is one, and it’s huge and beautiful.

The food here is world class and the french bread is amazing, couldn’t get enough of that when I was there.

If you can’t stay a night you can go to the property for lunch or dinner and in fact that is a wonderful idea for a special night out.

If you don’t know how to get here, you won’t find it. It has a very small, understated sign at its entrance with a hat on it. However if this is your destination you will follow that sign onto a very unassuming driveway where you will come to a white gate. You talk into an intercom and slowly, really slowly, that gate starts to open. The slowness is to tell you, you are entering a different world and you need to leave what ever is bugging you behind and allow yourself to take in this paradise in the Litchfield Hills.

When you arrive to the main house, built in 1775, you are met with “Hi” Welcome to Winvian, what would you like to drink?” Is that a stage-setter or what?

The staff is friendly and oh so charming, but are not underfoot, they’re around if you need something, anything.

Win Smith III, who is the grandson of the first owners of the acreage, is amazing in his knowledge of the place as he grew up on the land, before Winvian was even thought of, playing on tractors and such when his grandparents were still alive. When you meet him ask him anything, he’s very proud of what has been painstakingly built at Winvian.

By the way, Winvian takes its name from his paternal grandparents, Win and Vivian Smith. Their photos are all over the inn, talk about a beautiful and stylish couple. Just an amazing experience.

Oh, and if you’re up in Vermont, their sister property is The Pitcher Inn, yes, beautiful too.

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