The minute I walked into the Garden Room at The Well, the spa at the Mayflower Inn, located just two hours from New York City, a wave of calm washed over me.

That’s because this oversized living room was completely silent, save for the relaxing music playing through the speakers and the crackle of the fire, which gently warmed the room, filled with the comfiest of white armchairs and sofas, super-soft throws and houseplants aplenty.

When I sank into one of the chaises, it felt like I was visiting a sophisticated friend’s house, you know, the one who doesn’t worry about red wine spilling on fabric and knows exactly when you need a throw blanket tucked around you while you contemplate life—or dive into a really good book.

As you stroll around the 20,000-square-foot spa, the entire experience is meant to prompt a feeling of unwinding. Whether it’s a dip in the indoor pool or hot tub, gloriously accented by a gorgeous array of vines and plants, the spa is both elegant and understated, a perfect combination for this luxurious and tucked-away spot in the woods. 

And, with treatments such as Milk, Honey and Lavender, which incorporate local organic milk; year-round naturalist hikes; daily classes such as pool conditioning, gentle yoga and Pilates, and Tea & Tinctures, which teaches the properties of a wide variety of herbal teas (led by the spa’s in-house health coach and wellness expert), there are endless things to do here.

In fact, there’s an almost storybook quality about this preppy Auberge resort, which features a massive historic building (formerly a prep school—the library is actually the headmaster’s former office), 58 acres of rolling hills and two mazes, surrounded by low hedges (no need to worry about getting lost), s’mores, specialty cocktails and savory nibbles by the firepit at dusk and a profusion of board games should the weather turn. 

The guestrooms are yet another well-appointed place to unwind. My room had a delightfully comfortable canopy bed and a cozy nook, an ideal place to finish a novel on a crisp Connecticut day. Best of all, each room has an electric kettle and French press (with cold milk and cream from a neighborhood farm in the fridge), perfect if you want to take your coffee or tea back to bed with you.

Throughout my stay, I kept noticing something else that was special about this place: The staff is primed to be helpful and it’s no accident that you will continue hearing “welcome home” as you settle into one of the sitting rooms or dine in one of the resort’s two restaurants (one is a gastronomic experience for a true foodie while the other is more laid-back). Truly, this is the kind of place where feeling welcome is a deep part of the DNA and infuses every interaction, including one in which a staffer came running with an umbrella when a storm suddenly rolled in.

And, when it’s time to check out (which you won’t be ready to do no matter how much time you’ve spent here), the hospitality continues with offers of coffee, tea, water for the road and a selection of locally sourced and flavor-infused honey. Frankly, I can think of nothing sweeter. aubergeresorts.com/mayflower