Sensational Stowe

Stowe, Vermont, USA is sensational and particularly so in our Autumn - Fall in the USA.

On the Upper Mountain Road in Stowe you can find Top Notch at Stowe www.topnotchresort.com a truly luxurious spa et al and yours truly was fortunate enough to stay. You can absorb all the stunning scenery on foot, on a bicycle or, my personal favourite mode of transport, on horseback. You can even ski if that's your thing.

Absolutely random piece of additional information – Vermont is where Ben & Jerry's ice cream began.

Whenever I visit the USA I always pay attention to the weather forecasts – why you may ask – answer - because they're accurate. So, you can imagine that I was slightly concerned when it forecast snow in two days time. Hey, they might be wrong.

You know you can always tell when it has snowed – it's really bright when you wake up in the morning. That'll teach me to pack Wellington boots – pinpoint accuracy as usual – I should have known better than to doubt.

More concern, picture perfect though the snowfall was, that evening dinner was booked next door at Trattoria La Festa 4080 Upper Mountain Road, Stowe, VT 05672 www.trattoriastowe.com (see also La Toscana Country Inn – they have rooms too.) I feel I should clarify “next door” - next door in the UK means exactly that – in the USA and in this instance it's half a mile down the drive out of Top Notch and then a climb up the next drive to the restaurant – you might recall that the address is Upper Mountain Road – emphasis on “mountain”. Did we make it and was it worth the wrecked shoes – you betcha – big time. Without question I was served the best bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo I've ever eaten and more to the point, the only bowl of pasta I've ever finished in my life.

A perfect combination – over indulgence with the pasta and being able to walk it off in such a beautiful place. By the way the Alfredo sauce triggered a mission to recreate it that lasted years.

If you've any sort of holiday destination list, bucket or otherwise I would strongly recommend you add Stowe and Vermont!