Notably missing from this collection is the Hanover Inn itself. While I almost included it solely on the quality of the complimentary chocolates, I decided that its adjacency to campus disqualified it. The deciding factor? If you can do the walk of shame from it, it's just a glorified dorm.
The Norwich Inn can be found by simply following West Wheelock Street into Vermont. The inn's historical brewery is the perfect place to explore alternatives to Keystone Light and is one of the inn's distinguishing features, according to owner Joe Lavin. The inn's Jasper Murdoch line of ales, named after the Dartmouth alum who founded the inn in 1797, are for sale exclusively in the inn's Jasper Murdoch Alehouse and range from pale to red to stout to extra bitter. If you're already sick of beer thanks to a few too many games of pong, you can choose from over 2,000 vintages in the newly renovated wine cellar.
Be sure to fill up on the organic pub fair available Jasper Murdoch's Alehouse before you let loose at the bar, or opt for the more gourmet options like seared ostrich sirloin or Caribbean bouillabaisse in the main dining room, where President James Monroe dined in 1817 while exploring the New England frontier. If you have cash left in your wallet after feasting on a presidential spread, rooms range from $99 a night in the adjacent Carriage House to $239 a night for the two-bedroom suite in peak season.
While driving North on Rt. 10 to Lyme in search of the Alden Country Inn, I passed the Chieftain Motor Inn and immediately decided it warranted a detour. Though it boasts both a waterfront view and free canoe rentals on it's roadside sign, the much more prominent advertisement of a heated swimming pool and its horizontal motel-esque layout scream "illicit affair".
Only five minutes off campus and impossible to miss -- the rooms themselves are about 50 feet from the highway -- $119 a night or $140 on weekends will get you a room, as well as a complimentary continental breakfast. The rates aren't hourly and its proximity to the Connecticut hardly implies trashy, but as New Hampshire inns go, it's one of the seediest you'll find. If you're looking for a quiet escape in an inn with character, then the Chieftain's not your best bet, but with self-proclaimed "King Sleigh Beds," this should be every student's go-to locale for all the steamy hook-ups they need to keep under wraps.
The Trumbull Bed & Breakfast is just one turn and six minutes away from Hanover. Located on a 16-acre property in Etna, N.H., the B&B's quiet locale immediately dropped my stress level. With six rooms including a suite and a guest cottage, the B&B prices range from $165 to $300 a night. The complimentary breakfast is far superior to a typical continental spread; if the tomato, basil and brie omelet that caught my eye doesn't suit your fancy, perhaps the cinnamon French toast will. Best of all, there are no breakfast hours -- because of the inn's intimate size, you're allowed to sign-up for breakfast at whenever you so desire. Owner Hilary Pridgen said she once served a breakfast at 4:45 a.m., though I suspect most students would consider that a late-night feast, not an early-morning meal.
With a homey feel and "sumptuous breakfast," the Trumbull B&B has the potential to fill any student's niche for a quiet escape from the frenzy of Dartmouth life. Mrs. Pridgen suggested mid-winter as an ideal time to stay; its jacuzzi, fireplace, and comforts of home will cure your winter blues. Since the B&B is only a long jog or short car ride away, Dartmouth students can take advantage of the e-mail list the B&B uses to notify patrons of last minute specials when rooms haven't filled. Seeing as many students can't plan ahead more than a few days (or hours) regardless of their best intentions, this is a great way to save a bit of much-needed cash.
If you're looking for a night beyond Main Street, a locale for a steamy affair, these local lodges should satisfy.
