We really enjoyed our time at Hillbrook Inn, but there were some rough spots, and we wanted to share them. We believe the Hillbrook Inn could be worth visiting, but believe there are some constructive criticisms that should be taken seriously. We would recommend visiting, but do not recommend on a weekend or when prices are elevated, and really only recommend visiting when prices are below average.
There are a few reasons below that made us we give the Inn a down rating, but the chief among them is difference in the way the Hillbook Inn and the staff say they will handle allergies, and the way the allergies were actually handled.
Pros:
· The grounds and the main Inn are beautiful.
· Breakfast is excellent, absolutely excellent.
· Dinner, if served in the dining room is very good. A touch pricey, but very good. The chef and the staff are very personable and good at their craft.
· The wine list for dinner has good breadth and is reasonably priced.
· Steve, the chef while we were visiting, provided an excellent and welcoming experience. Thank you, Steve.
Cons:
· Do not under any circumstances get the dinner delivered to the room. You pay the same price as eating in the restaurant portion of the Inn, and the food is delivered in small food containers that you would get if you got food to go from Applebee's. I understand the food is the same, but charging $200 for a party of 2 for in room eating, and then just showing up and leaving at the door in the snow is borderline insane. If it is a COVID concern, they need to rethink what they are serving and how they are delivering the food. We expected when we paid $200 for dinner and paid a delivery fee that the food would be delivered hot and set up in our room. Instead, as mentioned, it was set down in the snow in to go containers. We read other people say it was not worth it, but we did not listen, and we deeply regret the purchase. We were so upset that we almost did not eat in the dining room the next night. Bottom line DO NOT order food for delivery in the room. The price and quality of the delivery is not worth the money.
· The website and the staff say that they adjust food for allergies and will make a list of allergies, but when the food is cooked and delivered the list of allergies is completely ignored. On the paper we received when we checked in, the list of allergies was noted, but again, when the food was delivered both nights, the list of allergies was completely disregarded. This can obviously be a very big deal. It was made more upsetting due to the amount of money we spend on the meals while staying at the Hillbrook Inn. We ordered food both nights, and both times the allergies were disregarded and did cause an issue with the meals. Do not take down the allergies if you are going to ignore them.
· Would recommend not ordering the Charcuterie plate. The meat selection was very mediocre and included what was very clearer lunch meat ham. Also, the $50 plat is served on a paper plate and in small to go plastic containers. I am guessing this is a COVID policy, which would be fine, expect when you order food in the Inn, all of the meals are served on actual plates. I am not sure where the COVID exposure increases if the $50 dish is served on a real plate vs. a paper plate. May not seem like a big deal, but when you are spending fine dining prices, more should be expected.
· If visiting in the winter, be advised that the road is somewhat gravel and mud. It is very challenging in a smaller car, and creates an even larger mess walking around and heading into your room.
· The cottages are nice, but the "remodels" feel like they may have been done on the cheap and affect the ambience of the visit. The fireplace was a gas fireplace and clearly had the propane supply turned way down. The bathroom remodel was done poorly. The shower head was loose, the mirror only went 5 feet high, the tub was rusting, the refrigerator door opens into the front door of the cabin, and the heat and air conditioning did not work in the bathroom.
Overall, the experience was good, but could have been much better. The Hillbrook Inn has a lot of potential. The property is beautiful, and all the makings are there for it to be a 5 star get away resort. As with most fine dining and high end resorts, the difference in good and great comes down to execution. The Hillbrook does a poor job on execution. If the Hillbrook Inn wants to be regarded as a destination B&B there are simple things that can be done to make that a reality.
Again, we enjoyed our stay, but we were disappointed by the lack of attention to detail by the Inn. We would likely return if they could make some basic changes, but we would not recommend someone visit and pay the current prices with the expectation of commensurate service. read more