Anthony drives to Connecticut near the Litchfield Hills to see Winvian Farm. It's rated one of the top 25 resorts in the U.S., and Triple A rates it five diamonds. Winvian has a luxury spa, a five-diamond restaurant, and 18 uniquely designed guest cottages. The resort doesn't advertise and celebrities go there to avoid the public eye.
When Anthony arrives, he meets with the owner Maggie. She shows him the main Seth Bird House, built in 1775, including the original kitchen. Colonists hit the insulating wood behind the walls to conceal it from the English soldiers. The dining room, formerly a parlor, is classic but not old.
Next, Anthony checks out the individually-themed cottages starting with the Music House. There are percussion instruments mounted outside, and the Winvian puts Anthony up at the Beaver Lodge. Real trees grow inside and the fireplace is built to heat two rooms. The master bed has a beaver dam mounted above it and a flat screen TV that pops up on command.
The next morning, Anthony goes to the bathroom and confirms that it has the perfect setup. The bath water comes from the ceiling, and Anthony shuts the door to take a bath. Room Service brings in breakfast and all of the resort's food is made with homegrown ingredients. Anthony eats on the back porch and has the chef prepare whatever he wants. There are fried eggs, fresh vegetables, chamomile tea, and honey from farms within two miles. The server, Darius, explains that he came from Lithuania and is only in the U.S. for the summer.
After getting dressed, Anthony tracks down the chef Chris Eddy. Chris has run the kitchen for a decade and gets his ingredients from a three-acre garden. He picks out fava and has Anthony try some, and then checks the pole beans. They take a seed-to-table approach to food at the resort, reinventing their menu constantly.
Next, general manager Paulo Middei shows Anthony the spa. It's 5,000 square feet and early every guest gets at least one massage at up to $650 per treatment. They utilize herbs from the garden in their treatments, including honey. Chris takes Anthony to the beehives and their beekeeper, Alphonse. Alphonse sets up Anthony with a veil and a pair of gloves, and starts up a smoker. The smoke masks the bee's attack odor. They then open up a colony with up to 50,000 bees and find the queen bee. The colony has already produced 90 pounds of honey, and Anthony tries a sample. He then talks with Alphonse, who says that he's been working with bees for 50 years. He doesn't get paid for working at the resort, and considers it his honor to work there.
Anthony, Chris, and Maggie meet with Alphonse and Anthony tells him that he's chosen the beekeeper for his five-star $5,000 super-tip. Alphonse is shocked and speechless, and finally says that he's going to buy some bee equipment.
Written by Gadfly on Dec 28, 2016