A sprawling estate located 40 minutes north of Boston, it was built in 1902 and has been…read moreexceptionally restored by the Forsythe-Fandettis family which is managing the property for the last 20 years. The estate currently operates as an upscale event venue and features dozens of halls and ballrooms capable of hosting more than 200 guests. We attended a family event here and found the architecture, design, and ambiance to be excellent.

We enjoy the French Opera Supper Club, food was amazing and the entertainment top notch!read more

I just attended a wedding reception here. It was a very nice venue with panoramic views of the…read moreAtlantic, through huge floor-to-ceiling picture windows. I don't know anything about the cost or what it was like for my sister-in-law to coordinate the catering, DJ, and decorations. And there isn't much info on the website. Suffice it to say that we had a great time here and I really loved the ocean views!

This spot has the best view on the island. Full on boulevard and Famous Fishermans statue, stage…read morefort park and to the left greasy pole and ten pound island, large deck and full glass front. Thank you Sam and Jodi for wedding invite to see this view. If only I had seen this venue before my wedding.

Honestly we were surprised at how good this place really was. We have been here around a half a…read moredozen times and everytime the food was exceptional. Occasionally the service can lag on a busy day, but the fried clam roll is wonderful. It is a sandwich in name only as it comes packed with a huge serving of perfectly fried whole clams. In the summer it has the finest deck in Gloucester to have a couple cocktails and watch the boats in the harbor.

Cruiseport Gloucester It's a beautiful place don't get me…read morewrong, but don't let life happen to you. Not only will they keep your security deposit, but they will keep the rest of your payments you made as well. So unless your family is in perfect health, you have a great job and nothing is ever gonna happen by the time you get married, I would not recommend booking with this place.

Fantastic stay very comfortable very friendly people enjoyed it immensely they really took care of…read moreus

Interesting place! Gorgeous grounds and beautifully kept. Very modern, with homey touch. Nice staff…read more- especially Kathleen at the front desk. Great coffee maker in the room! Nice continental breakfast, with good selection of coffees - including decaf - and fresh pastries, yogurt and cereal. One obvious glitch. The bathroom has a sliding door that is near impossible to close! Also, didn't make the bed - though maybe that was because we only stayed 2 nights. Overall, it gets a thumbs up!

I spent a few days at the Castle Manor Inn while helping my son move to Gloucester. All in all,…read moreI'd recommend it with a few caveats. The pluses. Front desk staff was extremely friendly and nice, added a lot to the experience. While not in the center of town, it was a pleasant walk and good location. Easy and plentiful parking, including for a big van. Room had an air conditioner unit that, while noisy, kept the room cool. The few caveats. I stayed at the motor lodge, did not realize from the pictures not the beautiful main building but something more out of the 60s that lacks curb appeal. They do not make the rooms during the stay (though happily provided additional towels). Overall a solid option with a good team.

Easy check in with a very friendly host. The room was clean quiet and comfortable. Who could ask…read morefor more? Well just sit back and relax on the deck. The sunset was lovely. The sunrise was spectacular.

The Cellar, underneath the Inn. First time going to this place, we arrived when they were opening…read more The door was locked, so we sat in the rocking chairs. Someone that works there had walked past us several times, and opened the door. We wandered in, and she said the restaurant was in the basement. When we left, we saw a sign for Cellar. Not knowing the restaurant was named the Cellar, the sign wasn't clear/meaningful. Anyway, we got there eventually. The decor was pretty nice (definitely more bar than restaurant). We chose a table in a quiet corner, which was beneficial and not. The wait staff was very friendly, but we were a bit out of sight out of mind for them. All the food was great, and the cocktail was expertly made, exceeding expectations. They have popovers as the table accoutrements, which are a personal favorite of mine! As mentioned above, I'd consider this a (speakeasy decor) bar with food options, that would be a solid social/meet up spot, with great drinks.

I had dinner at The Bell Inn & Tavern with my mom for an early Mother's Day celebration since it's…read morewhere she wanted to go. She and much of my family really like this place and rave about it, but my overall first impression was definitely a mixed bag. My mom made the reservation for Saturday at 4:45pm in the dining room. We arrived a little early, so she showed me around the beautifully renovated building. When we checked in with someone, they redirected us to the bar area downstairs as they were holding a private event in the main dining area. Okay, not a big deal to us. However I could understand if someone else might get a little annoyed at being told they had to go to the bar area when they specifically asked for the dining room on their reservation. I have to say that I do love the downstairs bar area, it's classy and has a vintage speakeasy vibe. We were quickly greeted by one of the guys working the bar who was super nice and did a great job. For a drink I started with their version of an espresso martini, which was a good start to the food experience and gave me high hopes. They brought us out some popovers which to me were just okay. For an appetizer we got some buffalo chicken dip, which was quite delicious. For dinner my mom got a Caesar salad (which I tried a little bit of and thought was good) and a flatbread pizza that was on special. I decided to be a little bougie and went with the braised short ribs, and I regret to say that the dish fell flat for me. The short rib did come apart okay when I stuck my fork in it, but it was kind of chewy, bland and overall really didn't have much flavor. The menu also states that the short rib is served with broccolini (which is a milder, sweeter version of the green vegetable) but it came with regular plain broccoli instead, which I was also quite honestly disappointed by. With all that being said the polenta was my favorite thing on the plate. I'm a little conflicted. The place is beautiful and the staff is so nice. But with how much it was hyped up to me, I was a little let down. I'm kind of thinking that I should've went with another dish? I really want to truly love this place, so I'm sure I'll be back with family at some point to give them another chance.

My sister had her wedding at The Elks at Bass Rocks in Gloucester last weekend, and I was impressed…read morewith the venue and the staff here. The food was amazing, the filet was the first I have ever finished at a wedding, and it was a big portion! Kelly, was perfect! http://www.elksatbassrocks.com/ Call Kelly Barusso at 978-282-3200 or theelksatbassrocks@verizon.net

When we first visited the Elks at Bass rocks, we were greeted by Kelly Barrusso who was friendly…read moreand very informative and we instantly felt confident in her! She presented the Elks very well and we decided to book our wedding there. She sat down in a long meeting with us and offered all the time in the world to go over each detail with us. It is set so beautifully across from the ocean and the facility itself is kept so well, inside and out. A few weeks later, we were notified that Kelly was leaving her position at the Elks. We were disappointed but assured that the new planner would be great so we expected nothing less. During the final few weeks prior to our wedding, we arranged a visit with the newly hired planner, Samantha. Unfortunately our expectations were disappointed very much that day. Our caterer came to meet us there (we did all the arranging, she forgot) and I must say that Samantha did not treat out caterer with respect. Several times during our meeting, Samantha left the room to attend to other matters and we were left waiting for her on important decisions. Samantha seemed very inexperienced and seemed to bounce all over the place and was unable to stay focused on what could have been a profitable hour meeting. I felt badly for our caterer, for how she talked at him and I apologized to him for her behavior. Several times, when I was asking her questions regarding seating etc, Samantha would be looking out the window past me and down at her watch and have to ask me to repeat what I said. She seemed very distracted. This was so disheartening to me. I felt disappointed and it seemed like plans were not set once the meeting had concluded. Over the next few days, several times after the meeting, Samantha called me to go over details that had been discussed during the meeting and I feel that if she had paid attention during the meeting, she would not have had to call me 6 or 7 times the following week. The most distasteful part took place on my wedding day. One of our friends was our photographer. I do not believe she knew he was a family friend. She scolded him to hurry along with the photos and then explained to him that I was a disorganized bride. This was very unprofessional of Samantha. No matter what her feelings were toward anyone that day, her words should have been kept to herself. Other than the disturbing and unprofessionalism of Samantha, I very highly recommend the Elks at Bass Rocks with all my heart. I only wish that Kelly had not left when she did!

We were extremely pleased with Matt Kirk and Harborside Catering. We had our ceremony and reception…read moreat the Phoenix Room on 10/20/12. The room was cozy, intimate and welcoming and was the ideal size for our guests. Matt was very professional and not only organized the catering parts of our day, but also acted as our wedding coordinator working with the other vendors to make sure things ran smoothly. We got SO many compliments on the food and a few guests mentioned that it was the best food that they had ever been served at a wedding. The staff was very attentive and guests also commented on how polite and helpful they were throughout the night. We are so happy we chose them for our special day. Matt and the rest of the staff did an amazing job and we had a wonderful day!

I can't say enough about Matt Kirk and the crew from Harborside Catering. We recently hosted our…read morewedding reception at The Phoenix Room and heard universally from our guests such positive comments regarding the venue itself and the attentiveness of the staff. Excellent food, excellent venue, excellent staff--we really are so pleased with our choice and thank all the staff (and particularly Matt Kirk) for really helping our wedding day result in perfection.