This is for the Garden Bistro only. FauquierFoodie Page on FB come over for a discount code and join our discussion group and make friends and learn the best places to eat in the area it is free just look for our group on FB. Review of the Garden Bistro at Airlie, Warrenton, VA. I strongly suggest you make a reservation at the Garden Bistro. Bistro Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays from 5:30/9:30PM. And Sundays for Brunch 10:30/2:30PM. Bistro Number for Reservations 540-341-3299 Mention "Fauquier Foodie" at the door and receive 10% off your total bill. You can also make reservation here on their website: http://www.airlie.com/dining/gardenbistro The Garden Bistro is the newest restaurant at the Airlie Center. We arrived on Saturday evening driving over the one lane stone bridge taking a swing left just after the waterfall, through the entrance and up the picturesque driveway which, is flanked by trees and ancient stone walls; arriving just as the sun was setting behind the house. It is a beautiful setting and a short drive from the main town of Warrenton. Airlie House was built in 1899 rebuilt in 1924, and it is the oldest conference center in the United States. The place oozes with history and Southern charm. We were greeted by Patrick as we entered, he showed me the coat closet before taking us down to the Garden Bistro. The Garden Bistro is an upscale and intimate setting great for couples, and small gatherings. We were seated in two leather chairs beside one of the tall Palladian windows that overlooks the beautiful grounds. We were given the menu, glasses were filled with water and all the wait staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome, especially, Michael the Maitre d. All the staff took their time to answer our questions and go into depth about the menu, the history, and what is happening now at Airlie. And all this before we even get into the food . We ordered our drinks, I a wine from the well selected list which, comprised of some local wines as well as others from around the world. My husband ordered the Chukker Czech Pilsner from the local Old Bust Head. The menu is focused on refined modern Virginian seasonal food. Great emphasis is placed on using fresh local produce, some of which, is grown on the grounds at Airlie, the protein comes from local farms in the county/area which, you can find listed on their website. The menu changes monthly in order to ensure the produce that is used, is at it's absolute best to create the beautifully presented dishes. For starters we had the Amuse Bouche gift from the chef which, was a scallop with some egg yolk crumbled on top, this was really fresh and served on a one bite appetizer spoon. Warm fresh bread was delivered with three local made preserves. For the first course we ordered the Ahi Tuna and the Gingered Carrot Bisque. The tuna was seared served with wasabi ice cream, sweetened soy some green and candied ginger. The carrot Bisque was served with Chinese long beans, leek, sesame dust and some shishito pepper for a kick with some lotus chips . For the main entrée my husband ordered the blackened chicken breast which, was served with stewed black beans, giving a subtle south western flare to the dish, some amazing beautifully tasting chicken sausage, a delicate quail egg with kale, and sun dried tomato. I had the Beef Duet which, was a coffee-braised short rib, a date- and- cipollini stuffed flank steak, coffee and date demi carrots with tarrogan pistou-dressed barley. Everything was cooked to perfection, showing Chef Jeremy Anderson's mastery of technique, ensuring all the flavors worked in harmony with each other. For dessert we ordered the strawberries and chocolate which was a delicate strawberry ice cream, strawberry compote, strawberry gel which a light chocolate mousse and chocolate. I ordered the pear and blue which was a delicately poached forelle pear, with blue cheesecake, port sabyon, salted walnut, date kumquat. The blue cheesecake was especially impressive, creamy light and a party in my mouth. At the end of our meal Culinary Director Jeff Witte visited with us as he did with each table personally, talking in great detail about the projects at Airlie his passion, so very clear to me, using local fresh, farm to table ingredients. He sharing his wealth of knowledge, as well as explaining the time they have taken to establish relationships with artisan suppliers in the region. This little gem needs some Michelin stars, the food and service was second to none on the seasonally/monthly inspired menus. The dishes wow, as well as satisfy. We will be back for more, and very glad we found this new exciting restaurant that has recently opened in our town. Again use Fauquier Foodie to get 10% off just say our name at the door. Lots of pictures below click on one then flip through them all to see the beautiful food. read more

Lisa Albert was our sales manager at The Airlie for my daughter's wedding on 4/25/15. Lisa was wonderful to work with and very responsive to my emails; she was so accommodating and knowledgeable about the property. This is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL property in which to hold a wedding. It is scenic and rustic with beautiful stone walls, stone bridges, rolling hills and beautiful landscape. Lake Stanley provides a wonderful backdrop for photos, as well as the Spanish Steps on the back of the main Airlie House. Our photographer just sent me a sneak peek to the pictures and they are fabulous. The Airlie has so many locations on their grounds for pictures - you will be amazed! The Formal Gardens are beautiful for an outdoor ceremony, but they also provide an indoor space for bad weather. The octagonal shaped Pavilion is wonderful for the reception with all the glass doors, which can open, surrounding the room. The wooden ceiling with huge ceiling fan is rustic and pretty, especially with the festival lighting! It makes for such a nice venue. They have now covered the walkway to the restrooms for guests and also have a handicapped bathroom building with no steps to access. The Airlie is a one-stop place for weddings and it was so nice to have all the conveniences in one place. We held our rehearsal in the Formal Gardens and then the rehearsal dinner at The Smokehouse. The Smokehouse is so beautiful next to the water. They have Adirondack chairs surrounding the fire pit and they provide corn hole and other games. The outside tented area is beautiful as well and they have heaters if it's chilly. The indoor area is nice as well - we had dinner in there because it was chilly that night, but our guests were inside and outside enjoying all of it's charm. The guests rooms are all on the property. There are 4-5 buildings, 2 levels each with approximately 30 rooms per building, with different room accommodations. The Airlie was originally used as a retreat and conference center, so the rooms are really not ideal for large families...most rooms have 1 King or Queen bed, some have 2 double beds or 1 double bed. The Stables, which is further away, but still on the Airlie property, has the 2 queen bed rooms. I rented the Grooms Cottage - one of the 2 cottages on the property. It was little pricey, but it was worth it to have all my family together. Four of us shared the cost of the four rooms, so that helped. There is a king suite upstairs and 2 queen suites and 1 queen room downstairs. All have their own bathrooms and entry keys. We had our bridal party get ready in the Grooms Cottage living room - the lighting is fantastic for make-up and hair. The view from the back deck is so beautiful and we could watch our bride do her "first look" with her groom on the stone bridge. We had a direct view and it was fun to watch them from there! There is also a pub, pool and exercise room on the property. They provide bicycles all over the property that anyone can use. Everything is there is one place...you couldn't ask for more! Everyone just walked to all functions on the property and didn't have to move their cars. Guests checked in on Friday and left on Sunday. Breakfast is provided each morning in the main Airlie House dining room. The Airlie Center is truly a magical place! read more

TLDR: Would have to pay me thousands of dollars to stay here again. Pro: Gorgeous scenery. Bikes available. Good for small events and conferences. 24 hr shuttles around property. Great water pressure. Comforter & sheets were wonderful. Con: Found dirty socks from room's previous occupant on floor. Shuttle drivers have no qualms about driving over the speed limit, forcing guest cars off road, & being openly resentful about shuttling passengers. Incredibly thin walls. Minimal vegetarian food, essentially zero vegan options. Continuously running toilet. Tiny shower that pours water onto floor when open door to step out. Pillows are simultaneously thin and asymmetrically lumpy. Housekeeping is a mess- At check-in was asked when would be best for housekeeping to service the room & selected 'noon'- this turned out to be irrelevant because had to call the next evening just to get fresh towels because the room hadn't been serviced that day & nothing damp ever dries here. Hope you don't need to sleep in while here because was told by the staff member who dropped off towels that would have to call the front desk between 7-8AM day-of if wanted housekeeping to "attempt to put room on schedule." Called the next morning to put room on schedule as directed (asked to be service around 3PM) and was then kept awake from house keeping blasting music in the room next door until at least 9:30AM (they have a great singing voice and are obviously in love with whomever they were playing slow jams about- wish them the best), and even then the room was yet again not serviced when scheduled so had to call the front desk around 5:30PM to force the issue [because what even is the point of attempting to enjoy the scenery to the fullest if you can't get clean & dry afterwards? (At this point trash cans were overflowing, was out of coffee, & all towels were too damp to dry anything.)] After all the hassle to get the room serviced that singular time, never tried again. EDIT: Forgot to mention- Claim to be pet friendly but there are ZERO places on site to put bagged pet droppings. Edit 2: Was not told this until was locked out of room but even if you have extended check out you will have to get your room card reprogrammed... so those extra 30 minutes were for naught since had to go to & from the main house from Berkshire- thank goodness I had the car keys on me! read more

Consistently great service and even better food. I have been to Airlie on a number of occasions, and have always been very pleased with our evening. Most recently we arranged a private dinner for 24. Each member of the party was greeted at the door and shown to the private reception room. The room was set up with delicious appetizers and the attendant was quick to bring us drinks. I was the one that had set up the event so the service manager checked in with me several times to make sure that things were going well and to see if we needed anything else. It was really nice to see how much they cared about making our special. We were escorted to the garden room where a wonderfully dressed table awaited us. The courses came out promptly and were amazing. The head chef came out before our main course and described what we would be eating and what we had already had. Again, a little extra attention went a long way with our group. Airlie works to bring a lot of local and organic foods to the table and it was appreciated. The vegetables were fresh and packed with flavor. My steak was thick, juicy, and better than most steakhouses. There was a diver scallop option that looked so good, I almost regretted by steak choice. (almost) The head chef came out before our main course and described what we would be eating and what we had already had. Again, a little extra attention went a long way with out group. The evening ended on our schedule, meaning when we were done with a very leisurely dessert and coffee hour. Our attendants thanked each guest on the way out, and so the evening ended. It took about one week before everyone in that group had contacted me to say that they couldn't wait for next year to do it again. read more

Beautiful and peaceful place to visit or spend a long weekend! The service is wonderful and food is terrific!

Earlier this month a group of us went to the Fauquier County Wine Competition at Airlie. Wow! What a great day! There was one price to enter the tasting room. There were 10 wineries represented, each offering a tasting of their one red and one white wines that they had entered into the competition. (yes, that's 20) They also had others of their wines they were also offering for free tastings. Needless to say, everyone was quite happy to be there! Airlie's kitchen staff went over the top preparing free hors d'ouvrés that were available at each winery's table. Every hors d'ouvre was unique, having ingredients and flavors you certainly don't find at just any event. We felt like we were on a new adventure each time we tried one. We can't wait until next year's event! read more

My family and I went to Arlie for Mother's Day. The grounds are incredible. This is a historic place with old world charm and history. The charm of Arlie is that it is old. You can walk through the gardens and imagine who else may have walked through the same gardens 50 - 100 years ago. The historic buildings here are solid and beautiful. This is one of Virginias best kept secrets. The food was excellent. The staff was great. read more

This place is s joke. There phone system is useless, they couldn't transfer us to the restaurant. When I finally got a number and had to call back no one answered. One day you talk to someone and they tell you you can make a reservation the next day they tell you they don't take reservations. Called the morning of to confirm that we have a table and can't even reach anybody. Guest services was clueless and rude. Party of 12 for brunch would have been a nice size bill but we won't be trying there again. Thanks for making us have to change our plans at the last minute and go to another town to eat brunch. Way to set the tone for your new restaurant. What a joke. My family gatherings won't be here ever again. read more

This is the place to have meetings. I have attended 5 meetings and coordinated 3 meetings here, and I will book all of my future meetings here. The buildings and grounds are some of the most beautiful of any conference center. There are many historic buildings that maintain their charm even though they've been updated with the latest amenities. The sleeping rooms are updated and luxurious. They all include iPOD alarm clocks, a nice touch. The bathrooms are updated with granite and marble. The conference center staff are always attentive, and the meeting rooms are first rate. At my last meeting this weekend, we were in the Audubon Room, which is in a separate building by itself with soaring ceilings and a beautiful stone fireplace. Our breaks were well stocked and we didn't lack for anything. Meals are very good, and they always offer vegan and gluten free options. After every meeting, my colleagues always marvel about how good the food is. At this weekends meeting, we had 15 attendees for a retreat. For dinner, we were in the board room at a single table and had dinner family style. What a great way to bond with a board of directors starting out a new year. Its these touches that make this place the premier destination for meetings. They understand what you are trying to accomplish. I highly recommend Airlie Center read more

I have stayed at this resort 3 or 4 times, and have always enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the quaint buildings, and the service. Staff was always very helpful, and went out of their way to be helpful. I have wanted to take a ride on their free bikes, but never seemed to have the time. Very quiet and restful place to stay, and great for any function. read more

One of the best stays I've had in a hotel. The building and the grounds are beautiful; however what made it a Five Star trip was the staff. Absolutely amazing group of people who asked and cared if there was anything we needed. At 4:00 am in the morning, the staff delivered a glass of milk for our little 2-year old girl. If you are a parent, you know how priceless this small gesture is to you. The staff at the bistro was very accommodating and outstanding. It was my wife's birthday; the staff went out of their way to celebrate. (Again, thank you!) And a special shout out to John at the front desk, he went above and beyond. John provided us with a number of local events to checkout. We took his recommendation on apple picking at Market Miller Orchards (www.markermillerorchards.com). We had a great time; looking forward to going back for more apples & apple pie. I highly recommend this hotel, largely due to the staff. read more

So let me start off by saying our wedding was BEAUTIFUL, but that was largely due to our AMAZING wedding planner, Tabitha Roberts, of Roberts & Co. However, working with Airlie has been an absolute nightmare. At our initial site visit we were told EVERYTHING we wanted to hear. The minute we submitted our non-refundable deposit everything went to hell. We were told we would have to do the a la carte wedding because we were having only 50 guests, which was not what we were told during the initial walk through. We were told all we had to do to hold rooms for our guests was to pay for our room (the bride & groom suite) up front. Later we were told we would have to pay for 50% of all the rooms needed & finally, we were eventually charged 100% for all the rooms we thought we may need (which broke down to just under $7k). How they expect us to know EXACTLY the rooms we will need 6-8 months in advance, prior to even mailing out invites, is beyond me! All the contracts were unclear; they changed depending on what mood the staff was in and when asked to clarify we wouldn't hear back from them for WEEKS & then we would never get anything in writing, even after requesting it over & over again! The staff is polite in person, however are super condescending on the phone and in emails. They were even rude to our wedding planner, which seems like a REALLY bad idea, since she was the reason we were initially referred. She had worked with them, prior to multiple changes in staff & management, so this in NO way was her fault. At our final walk through, 4 days prior to the wedding, they only provided estimates of overages and remaining balances. Also, they failed to include the service charges (i.e. gratuities in these estimates, which later we discovered breaks down to about $4k!) After everything, that walk through that took over 1 month to schedule, felt as if it never even happened, all the requests and changes were conveniently forgotten or ignored. The weekend of, we found out some of our guests were not assigned their own rooms, as requested. The rooms were OVERPRICED ($185/night), small and poorly decorated. In other venues, hotel blocks are given discounts or will give the bride & groom their room for free, this was not the case at Airlie. We also discovered that our rain back up was a STORAGE CLOSET, which they were graciously going to throw in for free! Patrick, the one competent staff member, realized that they gave us this horrible excuse for a wedding site and gave us a beautiful room instead. One week later, after returning from our honeymoon, we received a very rude email stating we owed them over $1k, when we called them to clarify they realized they made several errors in accounting! After several emails, angry phone calls and threats to get small claims involved as well as attorneys, after 1whole month after our wedding did they finally reimburse our overages. Oh, also, as a courtesy they offered to give us access to "tag along" on someone's corporate event to try and make up for all the difficulties. Really?! Yes the location is beautiful and the food was delicious, however the staff is completely incompetent. We went through 2 different event coordinators and 1 manager and still feel that our privately hired wedding planner was our saving grace. The accounting people, front staff and special events coordinators are completely incompetent and do not have a problem stealing and lying. Don't go to Airlie, this venue provided great pictures but also brought on multiple headaches, tears and near homicidal ideation. It was not worth it. read more

ultimately, my groom and I decided, "how could we trust a place where the special events coordinator refuses to take calls, and consistently does not return calls for a week or a week and a half?" She also uses the same response time for emails. When she answers them. We recently asked for an in person meeting. She hedged for 2 weeks. Then told us she could only give us 20 minutes. We've visited the site a total of 4 times now. She gave us 4 draft contracts. All of them seemed like she literally pulled them out of thin air. They did not remotely reflect our email or in person conversations. I often wondered if she confused us with other couples. I can confirm that she does not work on weekends. This special events coordinator will not be present during your weekend wedding. They will tell you that you do get to meet with the whole staff one week before your wedding. But other wedding venue sites in the area and in the surrounding dc metropolitan area will include the special events coordinator as part of your wedding package. It's a little startling that this one won't be there. Especially for the prices of the packages. This wedding event planner is never available to be reached after 4pm on weekdays. The staff that answers the phone at Airlie has confirmed this for me. She apparently leaves the office every day at 4pm. This Wedding Coordinator's favorite excuse when she FINALLY does return a phone call or email (usually after the 3rd call with no response, or, the last time I tried to get ahold of her, I called her every day, sometimes twice. I left a message at least once every day. Again it took about a week to get back to me.) is that "Wow, so sorry it took so long to get back to you. We are right in the middle of the wedding season you know!". She's been saying that to me for about 7 months. Seriously. Also, all the site coordinators I've worked with never use this excuse. Or any excuse, really. They just call me back right away. This wedding coordinator gave us a list of prices for a special event. The cover sheet said "2010", every interior page said "2009". No attention to detail. That's a little disconcerting. She's given me 4 contracts. The first 3 weren't even remotely close to what we'd asked for. Since Airlie is a "cookie- cutter" wedding site, we weren't asking for much. Just specifying whether we wanted plated or buffet, etc. The only contract that was correct was the last one. Where we sat down with her for our "twenty minute meeting". She walked in, shook hands with us, sat down and stared us down until one of us said something. A classic negotiating trick. The first person who speaks, essentially, "loses". We clarified our requests and asked her to bring down a corrected contract. She originally balked at this, saying it would have to be cleared through their contracts department first. But she did this right away. Airlie was a completely frustrating experience. We loved the site too, and we would have put up with all the inconveniences and the expenses, but it came down to not being able to trust our coordinator. We were ready to write out a check the first time we saw the place, but I wouldn't trust her to coordinate a play date with toddlers. No way am I spending thousands just to put a special day in her hands. We'll be having our ceremony and reception at a site that is much more responsive and professional. Let me know if you have any specific questions. I will try to answer them. read more

Facilities not up to date. Hard place to get a meal. Even the bar stops making popcorn at 9 PM. Stop by Safeway for supplies before staying here. read more

The grounds are nice but this place has BUGS! They are loaded with stink bugs and lady bugs. When registering there is a sign that states the rooms have bugs. Also, it's a sign in the rooms which indicates that their are bugs in the room. Do t elect a good night sleep because you will worry all night about the bugs. read more

Stayed here one night for a wedding that was happening in the area. Even tho we live 15 mins from this place we thought it would be nice to get away. We called ahead and asked if we were able to check in early because our shuttle was at 3:40. The lady who answered the phone informed is that they were at full capacity and it might be hard which is understandable, she had an attitude and was very short with us. When we got to the venue at 2:45 we were in a long line for about 20 mins trying to check it which is understandable with the hotel being 100% capacity. When we got to the front desk Linda was the one who greeted us and told us that our room was not ready yet. After listening to all the other people trying to check in the other ladies said to everyone else that the rooms will be ready at 3. Linda told me not to expect anything until 3:30. I asked why everyone else was being told 3 and my room wolnt be ready until 3:30 she had and attitude and told me she was being realistic with me and she can't make it go any faster. Linda had a very bad attitude and seemed to be very irritated, Customer service is not her strong suit. We finally got into our room at 3:20 and had 10 mins to get ready for the wedding. Room was warm and we only spent a total of 6 hours in it. The ground are gorgeous but nothing will make up for the customer service and attitude Linda demonstrated. read more

As a photographer of weddings I see a lot of venues. Airlie is amazing. THeir grounds and facilities are unbeatable. Between the stone walls, rolling woodland hills with mature hardwoods, beautiful meadows and lakes crossed over with stone bridges that seem out of a Jane Austin book, the photo ops are endless! The food is delicious, and prepared with a mind towards sustainability and the local food movement. The staff are professionals. I look forward to photographing many other Airlie weddings! read more

We were at Airlie for a wedding, and indeed the grounds and buildings are beautiful -- and the wedding was beautiful, but that was about it. Our room was minuscule, which I've been told is an American complaint, but the furniture and bed were too large for the space. The shower was approximately 29" by 31" - elbows touch the sides when washing your hair. If you're tall or large, you should avoid! I would have been happy with a double bed and the ability to walk around the room. We stayed in the Carriage House where, as far as our party of 6 in 3 rooms could tell, there were NO FULL-LENGTH mirrors -- we were there for a wedding! Who doesn't want to check out how they look before going to a wedding? The service at Harry's for dinner was horrible. It took forever to get served. The waitress came to get our order, got the drinks order and disappeared for at least 20 minutes. The food was okay bar food, but nothing to write home about - and far too expensive (as was everything here). The front desk doesn't have its act together. We were not told about the breakfast but others were, but then they were told there is no breakfast -- This is in a fairly remote area, so you have to drive wherever you go, and we were told there was no breakfast service on this weekend because there were no conferences. Then when we went to the front desk, they said, yes, breakfast is from 7-10. It was 10:00. The front desk attempted to be accommodating, checking to see if we could get breakfast, seating us, and taking our order. Then the waiter came out and said the chef said no. We could order lunch. I have a stomach condition, and the food on the lunch menu was not going to do. We ended up at the IHOP in Warrenton, which was great (4 stars for them). All in all between the bad communication with the front desk (although they were very nice and, I think, doing their best), the sketchy amenities (which aren't shared at check-in), the small rooms, and the lack of basic needs, this was not the best of experiences. Oh, and the phone and the exhaust fan in the bathroom didn't work -- you can call from your room to get a shuttle to anywhere on the property, but only if your phone works. For the rather expensive rate - even with the wedding discount - this is not what I expect. It is a rip-off at best. read more

Returned to the Airlie for dinner in the Garden Bistro last evening. The weather didn't cooperate for a May evening, it was very dreary and rainy, for us to be able to enjoy the beauty of the Garden room but the Food and Service made up for it. EXCELLENT! Service was spot on, our server Helen was very attentive and knowledgeable of all the items on the menu. The food was delicious, bravo to the chef. Between the three of us we almost tried everything offered on the menu, from the starter to the dessert. No one left a speck of food on their plates, enjoyed the blending of the flavors of all the fresh food. I would definitely return with my out of town guests again! Thank you for giving me a chance to change my mind about our experience at the Airlie.. A beautiful location and excellent restaurant . read more

Airlie is amazing - the beauty of the grounds is eclipsed only by the warmth of the staff. We had a large event there, with 180 people from around the world in attendance over the week - that's a massive undertaking, and the Airlie staff did an amazing job not just pulling the event off, but doing it in a way that left everyone raving about the fantastic job they did. Very impressive. No problem was too large or small, everyone was on a first name basis with the Airlie staff by the end of the week, the food was local and amazing, the beauty of the grounds is astounding, the staff are hard working and super friendly, the site has an inspiring history, and an array of activities to keep you entertained. I'd call all the staff out by name but I'd be afraid of missing someone. I'd take these other negative reviews with a grain of bridezilla salt until you get a chance to meet the Airlie folks yourself. I'd definitely trust them with my wedding, and would love it as a venue. read more

We went to Airlie for the weekend getaway package. The experience was everything we were looking for and more! Thankfully the weather was nice so we could take advantage of the many outdoor activities they offer, such as free loaner bikes and archery. The food (breakfast each day and one dinner) was delicious, and the bar and fire pit were really fun places to hang out. The room was on the cozy side but we still had plenty of space and spent most of our time outside. Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a romantic, restorative, and restful weekend! Will definitely be returning. read more

Came here for a weekend escape using a living social deal. It was exactly what we needed - we just got married a few weeks ago and needed a weekend away from DC to relax since we haven't taken our honeymoon yet. We did a hike on Wildcat Mountain, had a sundae at Moo Thru, and then checked in. The property is very pretty and secluded in a good way. It's just a few minute drive to town where we had dinner at Claire's at the Depot. Our room was pretty nice and we enjoying using the bikes to get to and from our room to where we wanted to go. We had a drink at the pub and played some pool and darts which was a nice touch. Totally recommend if you are looking to get away for a night. The breakfast in the morning was decent too. read more

Beautiful location! My boyfriend and I stayed here when his sister got married on the grounds and we fell in love with Airlie. The room was lovely with an awesome view and the staff was great and treated us like family. The food was delicious and I highly recommend the dessert station! The property was amazing and we can't wait to visit again :) read more

DO NOT use this venue. I have been an event planner for over a decade and have never had as many issues with an event space from the poor customer service to the faulty AV equipment. I hosted a 2 day conference here in November 2017 and they failed to meet basic expectations. Check-in took forever for my participants, the rooms were small and shabby, and the onsite shuttles/golf carts were not running at night so participants had to walk far in the dark. My event contact left before the start of my programming and I could not reach her for the numerous issues that happened at the venue. I had to run to another building to have my concerns addressed. We used their in-house AV and they did not provide enough technicians and their AV equipment stopped working numerous times including during two VIP keynotes. The video that we do have is useable because of the angle it was shot. All of the external vendors they recommended delivered poor quality products or the wrong products. This was the worst venue I have ever used. DO NOT waste your money here. read more

We had a lovely anniversary weekend at the airlie. Despite the pouring rain we still managed to have a wonderful mini vaca. There are so many vineyards nearby and we enjoyed dinner downtown warrenton. The bed and pillows were so confortable and the bathroom was spotless. We even managed to squeeze in a run on the trails of the sprawling campus. read more

A group of friends and I stayed here last May and had a wonderful time. It was beautiful, the staff were helpful, and the breakfast was excellent. We enjoyed riding bikes around the property, walking among the many gardens, and just relaxing in the sitting areas set up outside the cottages. It couldn't have been better. read more

I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my stay at the Airlie. From the helpful, friendly staff, to the incredibly beautiful setting, this is now my favorite place to get away. The hotel room was very clean and they provide very helpful toiletries, such as makeup wipes, a nightlight, and even a dental kit in every room. The scenery is truly remarkable - the grounds are excellently maintained - they have beautiful walking paths, free bikes to ride, and even provide you fishing gear and tennis rackets. This place truly thinks of everything! The brunch we had in the morning was also top notch. Leaps and bounds above any hotel breakfast I have ever had. The vegetarian onion gravy was amazing! As a vegetarian, I also really appreciated that they marked some of the buffet dishes as "vegetarian" and "vegan". Super helpful! I truly can't wait to come back again soon! Amazing! read more

Everything was nice except for the Janitor, Tim Jago, in the dining area. I think he worked with the F & B department and it's nice to hire "special" people, but it was a bit creepy seeing him in the bathroom staring into the stalls. Other than that, the food was great and the other employees spectacular, I would just ask not to have the Tim guy working when you have your event. read more

My family and I went to Airlie Center for Mother's Day Brunch. When you are made to pre-pay over $80.00 a person for a brunch you expect to be served 1. A wide variety of foods and 2. Plenty of it. First of all, the variety of food was extremely poor for the price. The meats were particularly disappointing: the only non-pork options were salmon and dried out chicken. There were a few vegetable options- soggy, lukewarm potatoes; overly dente asparagus (seriously, these things were extremely difficult to eat-when you were not crunching on them you had to gnaw); an omelet station (which had a ten minute wait); and a few other options that did not appear appetizing. The other problem was there was not enough food to go around. The salmon was depleted and never refreshed the entire meal. The few fruit options were refreshed, but only a few times and they were served in very small containers on the buffet line. The only real option for protein (for a non-pork eater) was the omelet station, but I really did not want to stand in line for ten to fifteen minutes in eighty degree weather with high humidity. Speaking of the hot weather, our waiter did not properly wait on our table. Drinks were not offered, we had to ask. It got to the point that everyone in the pavilion ended up getting their own cold drinks and more ice because the waiters did not. After the meal, family members got some dessert and wanted coffee to go with it. They ended up having to get their own coffee and find the sugar and creamers. In the end, they had not kept the coffee hot at all--only tepid. The last part that was altogether disappointing was the fact that I could not change my nephew in the bathroom property due to the fact that the restroom (outside the event pavilion) did not have a baby changing station. I had to use the filthy sink. You would think that a facility that holds many types of events would have basic amenities for their guests. All-in-all, I will never go back to Airlie and I will discourage anyone I know from planning an event at this facility. For the prices you pay you expect more of an effort to be put in. I know I am not the only guest that will never go back. read more

My initial hope was to enjoy a lovely "get a way" weekend with my husband. We took advantage of a Living Social special that showcased tranquil surroundings, first rate accommodations and what appeared to be delicious food. Sadly none of the above were to be found. While the surroundings were tranquil, you could also tell they were in need of repair. The water ways were stagnate with gray/green foam, the rooms - well I'm still looking for anything that looked like the rooms shown on line and as far as the availability of food - not readily available. The comp breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30 never replenished and was dried out by 9:00. The staff was mostly friendly, however we had a terrible time getting into our room. We were given keys that did not open the first two rooms we were assigned to and after waiting in the open area of the Lodge for 25 minutes finally a representative showed up to chastise us for being in the wrong building. She later found out we were in the right building, just given the wrong room number TWICE. Buyer Beware, this was NO DEAL. All in all I would have rather stayed home. read more

Our negative experience with Airlie occurred several years ago, but was so disheartening it has left a bad taste in my mouth ever since. We signed a contract in 2010 for a wedding 12 months in advance, paying $3000 (deposit + first payment) of what was to be an $8000 reception. Three months later (9 months in advance of the wedding) we notified Airlie that the engagement had been called off, and expected to forfeit a portion of our deposit. I was dismayed when Airlie expected us to not only forfeit the deposit, but also the first payment! Given the generous advance notice they were clearly capable of re-booking an event for that date, however we were told that EVEN IF they did book another event, our payment would not be returned. We then asked to host a $3000 charity event on that date, but were told this was unacceptable, we could only hold an alternative event if it cost the full $8000. As per the contract terms this was technically legal, however their behavior in my opinion was unethical. These terms may be appropriate for the corporate events frequently held at Airle. But given that Airlie also strives to be a part of the Fauquier County community and host family-centered events, these type of contract terms are needlessly harsh and not in keeping with standard practice for other local wedding venues. read more

Never....ever...stay here! The service and food is horrendous, the staff is the rudest hotel staff I've ever experienced and the rooms are terribly dirty. We checked into a room at "the Lodge" with high hopes. The guestrooms are inexpensive at this hotel so I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I understand you get what you pay for but ...WHOA. The room was sprayed with an overpowering cheap perfume and within minutes, we realized our toilet didn't flush. We called the front desk and they responded to our request for help with "oh....lemme guess....your toilet isn't flushing?" Maintenance came and eventually fixed the toilet but this was the beginning of the end. Every room "amenity" upon check-in is a small sign on your bed warning that each room has "stink bugs"...and to not be alarmed. Gross! We were at the venue for a wedding and 15 other guests expressed to us that they had similar experiences upon check-in. On Saturday, we called room service (which is actually the front desk number)14 times from 2:00 - 3:45 p.m. The first time, I was put on hold for 11 minutes. I hung-up. I then called the same # from my cell phone and the phone was immediately picked up (I could hear the front desk ppl in the background) and I was hung-up on. I tried the same number for 12 more times (from various cell phones and then the room phone) and was hung-up on for an hour every single time I called. Eventually, an hour later (after several other attempts) the front desk called me back with an exasperated, frustrated tone and said they couldn't get to my call because several people were checking in. I felt like an utter inconvenience for daring to call room service for a small salad. read more

I telephoned Airlie last week to inquire about a wine event that had been advertised. I made SEVERAL attempts to obtain information. Good luck trying to get someone to answer the phone. It would ring endlessly! I finally got what sounded like a very young girl who answered and she sounded clueless! She put me on hold only to transfer my call to a generic sales office extension where I hung up. Not a good first impression when the first point of contact for a business is so unknowledgeable! Friends of ours were attending and said that tickets would be available the day of the event so we figured we would just tag along. Saturday afternoon when we arrived we encountered a large # people all crowded into the lobby of the main Airlie House. We finally made our way over to the reception area where we were told the event was sold out. The information should have stated there would only be a LIMITED # of tickets available for sale on the day of the event. SO our friends stayed and we made plans to meet up with them again later at a restaurant. From what our friends had to say we hadn't missed out at all! read more