Snow Goose Inn owners look to deliver a high-end experience high on value

The Snow Goose Inn in West Dover, Vt. (Courtesy photo)

Editor's note: This is the second of our two-part series on the summer delights of Southern Vermont. Today's article is about a lovely, one-of-a-kind inn in West Dover called the Snow Goose Inn.

WEST DOVER, Vt. - Jon and Cheryl Parker were both flying high in the private aviation industry just a couple of years ago, but they gave it all up to pursue a lifetime dream of opening an inn where everyone feels like a jet setter.

Their West Dover, Vt., inn is smack dab in the middle of the Deerfield Valley tourist-rich corridor, which includes famed Mount Snow that attracts hundreds of thousands of ski and snowboarders each winter.

A WELCOMING SIGHT: At the end of weary day of traveling, some complimentary libations and light snacks await. (Rochester Voice photo)

But as The Rochester Voice explained in its article last Sunday, this area is fraught with summertime attractions like whitewater rafting on the Deerfield River and high-adventure downhill mountain biking at Mount Snow just five minutes from the inn's front door.

The Parkers, who just bought the inn last year, are looking to make a value-added footprint in the Deerfield Valley hospitality industry by offering amenities that make you feel among "the rich and famous."

"We know what high end hospitality is, we learned about it

The view from our bedroom out onto our private balcony (Rochester Voice photo)

serving folks that rent private jets all the time." said Jon Parker, a former owner of a private jets-for-hire company. "Now we're trying to define that type of value for the area here."

You begin to see what they're talking about as soon as you open one of their dozen beautifully appointed rooms - eight of which have private entrances - and find a large wicker basket full of snacks and goodies and a bottle of fine wine with two large wine glasses on the dresser table.

No charge added on the wine or the snacks, even if you carry them off in a pocketbook at the end of your stay.

Looking out from our second-floor balcony onto the Snow Goose Inn's beautiful grounds and main porch (Rochester Voice photo)

No charge for Friday arrivals who are greeted at the door with an expansive cheese tray that's "pretty much a meal," grins Jon Parker.

No charge for a full Saturday and Sunday morning breakfast, which can be delivered to your room or eaten at a local restaurant using a Snow Goose Inn voucher.

If you choose to have your breakfast delivered, you can enjoy in one of three cozy common spaces on its first floor that open up to a lovely back porch overlooking their beautiful gardens.

An intimate window nook in one of the inn's first-floor common areas (Rochester Voice photo)

Our second-floor room had its own back porch, from where we chatted with the Parkers our first night as dusk arrived.

Every room is equipped with a Keurig coffee maker, mini-fridge, flat-screen TV and high-speed Internet. Our walk-in (more like walk-about) shower was beautifully tiled and lavishly appointed with beauty and bath amenities.

The Snow Goose Inn was built in 1960 and an addition that doubled its size was added in the 1960s, increasing its square footage to 8,500 square feet.

While the inn may be spacious, the feel is cozy,

Innkeepers Jon and Cheryl Parker, with welcoming pooch Zeus. (Courtesy photo)

due in large part to the gracious, attentive care by the Parkers and their convivial pooch, Zeus, a golden doodle (cross between golden retriever and poodle).

Speaking of which, eight of the inn's 12 guest rooms have private entrances and are pet friendly.

Snow Goose Inn rooms start at just $175, suites from $300.

For more on the Snow Goose click here.

To read the first article in this two-part series that details the many exciting summer attractions of this region click here.