From an 18th Century portrait high above a crackling fire, famed French Gastronome Brillat Savarin smiles approvingly. Steps away an enchanting courtyard beckons through French doors while the sparkle of crystal and silver on nearby tables hints at pleasures to come. Wherever you look fragrant flowers, richly layered fabrics and wall coverings and amethyst-studded ceilings form a bewitching backdrop for the owner?s superb collection of art and antiques.

Created by Patrick O?Connell and his former partner, Reinhardt Lynch, in 1978 The Inn at Little Washington was the first establishment in the Mobil Travel Guide?s history ever to receive 5 stars for its restaurant and 5 stars for its accommodation, and is the first Inn ever to receive AAA?s highest accolade, the 5 Diamond Award, for both food and accommodation.

The Inn's eighteen bedrooms and suites are sumptuous hideaways created by Joyce Evans, a London stage and set designer, who conceptualized the interiors without ever setting foot in America. Many of the furnishings were purchased in England, numbered and shipped to Virginia to be assembled on site like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The Inn offers a range of accommodations from well-appointed rooms to luxurious, two story suites many with balconies and garden views.

The two most recent additions are the Claiborne House and the Gamekeeper's Cottage. The Claiborne House is a 3200 sq.ft. "cottage" just a stone's throw from The Inn's main building. Overlooking a newly created herb and cutting garden, the residence features two bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a living room, dining room, media room and library. A two storey veranda overlooking a private garden in the rear offers additional space for outdoor entertaining. The Gamekeeper's Cottage has a living room with a stone fireplace, large bathroom with soaking tub, a lofted bedroom with half bath, and a gorgeous outdoor dining pavilion with the best view of the mountains in Little Washington. It is an ideal hideaway, incredibly private, but just steps from The Inn.

Selecting The Inn at Little Washington as one of the top ten restaurants in the world, The International Herald Tribune hailed Patrick O?Connell as ?a rare chef with a sense of near perfect taste, like a musician with perfect pitch?. Reviewers call it the Promised Land, and its patrons are known as ?pilgrims?.

The Inn?s dining room is pure fantasy ? a wondrous cocoon of luxury. Rose?colored, silk lampshades float above each table creating a private romantic world below. Patrick?s creations arrive at one of the 30 intimate tables as if served by invisible hands, course after course more dazzling than the last. From the award winning 14,000 bottle wine cellar, which includes the finest offerings from Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Virginia, the Sommelier plays matchmaker between you, your dinner and the wine.