It’s so easy to love Burlington, Vermont.
There’s the downtown with its cobblestoned Church Street area dotted with cool shops, great eats and most days, free live entertainment.
There’s the college scene: UVM is perched above downtown, with lovely buildings, grounds and people that add to the cool vibe of the city.
There’s Lake Champlain in its glory, reflecting the sepia-toned mountains behind it.
And there are great, great places to stay right in that downtown area (Hotel Vermont is a personal favorite; the Hilton on the waterfront is a nice spot with a lovely view).
I visit whenever I can. But there’s one part of Burlington I’ve long been drawn to: Burlington Heights, as locals call it, a tree-lined neighborhood that sits way uphill looking down on the lakeside city.
Lined with breathtakingly beautiful Victorian homes (and right up against the edge of the UVM campus), I’ve long wished for a friend to invite me to pop in for a stay.
My wish was answered.
The “friend” who invited me was the newly opened Blind Tiger Burlington (https://www.larkhotels.com/hotels/blind-tiger-burlington), a 14-room stunner. A stay at the Blind Tiger might just be the perfect icing on a Burlington getaway cake.
The term “blind tiger” was prohibition-era slang for a speakeasy, prompted by the original Blind Tiger location in Portland, Maine, where a lower room was once used as such a speakeasy during that era.
Blind Tiger properties pay homage to their city’s cultural and culinary ties through the eyes of some of its more influential locals. Room designs are guided by local restaurateurs, artists and well-known residents.
The Blind Tiger brand, part of the Lark Hotels, just debuted in this spot that was most recently the Willard Street Inn but goes way back to 1881, when it was built as a family home for banker and politician Charles W. Woodhouse.
The rooms feature a blend of old and new; about 75% of the furnishings and art are antiques; the rest were chosen to reflect the cultural essence of the city.
The wood floors are original (a staff member told me they were – of course — hidden under carpet for years). In the dining room, designers from the Massachusetts-based firm Elder & Ash stripped the wall down to its original plaster and let one lovely piece of local art do the talking. Its lovely, sublime and soothing.
My room was large and comfortable. The gas fireplace adds ambiance, and the art and fixtures each tell a story. On my bedside table was a book on the history of Burlington, perfect reading in this spot.
Downstairs, there’s a self-serve coffee bar where you’ll find freshly baked cookies each day and other snacks. There’s a cozy living room with a leather couch area, and a bright solarium with conversation areas for chatting and small tables for your own quiet or work time (I wasn’t the only one on a laptop in there).
Outside brings you the best “room” of all. Rich, blooming gardens are dotted with benches and comfortable seats; there are even small tables should you want to have a drink or breakfast out there.
The Blind Tiger does serve breakfast, and while it wasn’t full-on B&B breakfast, it was just right for me. Staff set it out on the dining room table for guests to help themselves to bagels, local breads, cheese, egg bites, fruit, a yogurt bar and other small bites.
Downtown proper is just a quick walk downhill (which means uphill on your way home; but it’s doable). Should you not love walking, parking downtown is a snap. But with free parking at the Inn, I chose to walk most times. Plus, it helped me justify my dual Ben & Jerrys and Lake Champlain Chocolates visit.
The staff is on site daily until 7 p.m. and can guide you to great choices for while you’re out and about in the city. Once they leave, the front door opens with your key, making you feel all the more like you’re staying with a close friend who trusts you in their house.
Now we all have a friend whose door is open to us in one of the prettiest parts of Burlington.
I’ll be back. A city I love to visit is all the better with this newly reimagined spot.
