Willoughvale Inn

Clean property, but needs updating. It would be in its heyday in the early 70s'. Excellent location and great views. Breakfast muffins tasted like stale frozen grocery store variety - needed improvement. Too bad the tavern and restaurant are closed as that was one of the reasons I booked this property, only to be notified later that it was being closed indefinitely. Stayed anyhow but nearby dining is very limited. The new owner definitely needs hospitality training. Overall, it is a good value and one of the better properties in the area.

The Inn is quite nice and the person at the front desk friendly and helpful. I have no complaints about the place itself. But our stay was disappointing nonetheless for two reasons. First, though we were warned that the Inn had decided to close it’s restaurant for the season (we chose WilloughVale in part because it had a restaurant on site), we weren’t able to make other lodging arrangements at that point. Unfortunately, we assumed that it would be easy to find alternatives places to eat close by. It wasn’t. When we arrived Tuesday afternoon we were given a list of restaurants in the area, some 20-30 minutes drive each way, with a note that many were closed on Tuesday - our day at the Inn. To complicate matters, there is no cell phone reception (something else were weren’t made aware of), that made it impossible to contact restaurants to confirm if they were open. And since the front desk closed at 5PM, we had no one to consult with. This turned out to matter. After having driven to a market we found that closed to. We ended up having lunch and dinner at a pizza place 20 minutes away, which while quite pleasant was not what we had imagined. We suggest the proprietor do a better job of communicating with guests. We would have made different choices if he/she had.

This was our second visit to the Inn. This time, we got the Lupine room, and we could not ask for more. The other one last time was fine, but much smaller. The service was great, and even though the restaurant was closed (again, as it was 2 years ago), the continental breakfast was very good, and very much appreciated (great coffee). And there were several dining options open this time around: The Gap (Lake Willoughby), the Carriage House Cafe and Grill (Orleans) and the Busy Bee diner (Glover) were all excellent. We went back to the Carriage House for dinner on Friday. Love this area.

The Inn is quaint and very clean. The rooms are small, but sufficiently sized. The sheets and towels were soft. Unfortunately, the mattress in our room squeaked every time one of us moved. Breakfast was plentiful, but the muffins did not taste fresh.

HORRIBLE. My party of 4 arrived and were seated, only after we ordered drinks and appetizers were we told that they were missing over half the items on the menu. I ordered a mocktail, my SIL ordered an aperol spritz, my husband an old fashioned, and my BIL a Manhattan. The mocktail and spritz were fine however, the old fashioned was watered down and possibly the worst old fashioned we’ve experienced. The Manhattan…well, first it was delivered with a lime. When my BIL inquired about the lime, the bartender rudely said “well that’s how we make them here, what do you want a cherry? Fine here’s a cherry” and dropped it in then asking how the drink was. My BIL had not even taken a sip yet which he told her, and she walked away before he could. Surprise, surprise, it too was awful. The proportions of bourbon, bitters, and vermouth were wrong and it was watered down. My BIL didn’t drink his drink due to how bad it was, and the bartender never returned to check on the “amended” beverage. When the appetizers arrived, the tomatoes in the caprese salad were mealy and bad, and the 6 coconut shrimp were over fried, had no pineapple as listed on the menu, and were hard to chew. We each had one and could not work our way through them, leaving the two remaining on the plate. At this time, we informed them that we would not be staying and asked for the check….the bill was $100!!! We argued about paying, but did and left. In the time it took us to get home, we decided we had to go back and say something. I went back on behalf of my group, provided the feedback to the manager, and asked for a refund of the Manhattan, old fashioned and coconut shrimp. The manager agreed that it was the fault of the restaurant and said he would ask about how to comp those items. After talking to the bartender and waitress, he called the owner and came back to me saying that no refund was possible, due to the bartender saying my BIL threw a fit over a cherry in his Manhattan, that he and my husband said their drinks were fine (they did not) and that we had eaten ALL of our food and left….OH, and mocked the fact that I asked for a mocktail (nice touch). In all my years working in the service industry (bartending and waiting) I have never come across a situation such as this. My family has been going to the WilloughVale since the 60s when they first came to the NEK and have only ever had great things to say, but this new ownership/management/staff has run this place into the ground. We will NEVER come back, I will ensure no one from my family will go back and will ensure our neighbors know what the service is like as well (with a strong recommendation that they do not go). We.are.appalled

This is a charming, old-fashioned inn with a good free breakfast (homemade muffins, etc., ) and a good bar and restaurant that's open in the summer. A relaxing, rural getaway. We stayed in the huge Aiken suite. The Internet is a little iffy ine cabins, but you can sit on the pretty porch, if it's important. Better just to take a break from the modern worl.

We absolutely loved our stay here! The Robert Frost cabin has amazing views of the lake and surrounding hills, and direct access to both the grassy area with small play equipment and kayaks, as well as our own little dock. We were charmed by the kitschy decor (some people might say it’s outdated and old; we thought everything was in good shape and delightfully retro). The beds were comfortable, and we were relieved to find central air conditioning when the days were hotter and more humid than expected! The restaurant at the Inn (right across the road) served good food with very friendly service, and, while the Inn’s continental breakfast was decent, we chose to go down the road to the Willoughby store for egg sandwiches and coffee. None of us had cell service there, and the WiFi was pretty spotty, but if you’re looking to get away from it all, I can’t recommend this place enough!

We were at the Inn for one night in January 2023. We booked here because we know the area well and wanted an overnight with breakfast included. We arrived to find a note telling us our key was locked in the box bedside the main entry. Okay so that felt quaint!! The Inn was pretty dark and absolutely empty! Andrea had left us a voicemail that she upgraded our room, to a room with a view and to bring food as the restaurant was closed. We had been working all day and had no cell coverage, but had plans to eat dinner nearby. The following morning there was no one to be found except for another guest. No continental breakfast— a Keurig in the room—no muffin, nothing! In the hallway was a microwave and toaster?!?!? We emailed asking if there was a reduction in room rate because of the advertised room rate stated Continental breakfast included, and we still haven’t heard a word. Our thought is if you want to run a country Inn this way—self check in and entry…but be specific and honest—restaurant is closed and there is no breakfast available. The whole event was a huge disappoin**ent. Is the new owner so out of touch with customer service that they cannot respond? What happened to general hospitality? I suggest you go a bit further away from Lake Willoughby if you want a true Vermont experience. Also the carpet was grungy, the shower stall was smaller than a phone booth (remember those?!) the TV reception was a joke …..a huge disappoin**ent.

Only stayed here one night. Message left on door on how to get a key for the front door and our room. Nobody around. Restaurant and bar closed. Could have thrown a party had we known the place was ours. Nicely laid out and furnished lobby and public areas. Room about the size in a typical Holiday Inn or Marriott. Nothing special except for the view of the lake. Terrible 'coffee' for the Keurig--waste to even bother. Plastic glasses, etc. You're paying near $250/night for the view, not the room. No restaurant, so an unexciting continental breakfast with more bad coffee. Sorry, the place is beautiful, but it's not worth the cost.