The Greystone Inn

The Inn has a very pretty location on the banks of Lake Toxaway and benefits from co-location with the neighbouring country club (which is well-manicured, offers decent bistro-grade food, a stunning golf course, tennis/other sports and a small leisure pool best suited to children). Lake Toxaway is a quiet lake surrounded effectively by privately owned communities (ie minimal public access), so if you are looking for a peaceful setting, this is it. Positives: - Our mansion room was spacious with character, a comfortable bed and good bed linen - The food is fair but a bit over-priced; service in the restaurant was mixed - some good, some not - The lady running the bar was engaging and helpful - Spa: treatments competent and staff were kind - Grounds: well kept Downsides: - Room: Tiny bathroom - if someone is standing at the wash basin, you can’t open the door - with a roaring extractor fan filled with dirty fluff. Small towels (no bathsheets). Bedroom had no soundproofing to the corridor. Ancient coffee maker dispensing only lukewarm liquid. No in-room safe for valuables. No mirror in the bedroom. Bed still unmade at 2.30pm on any day - Service: With a few exceptions, staff were very friendly but they had very limited service skills. Simple requests (e.g. a kettle) were met with weak excuses (“we don’t have any!” and the offer of a jug of hot water). A good hotel seizes on small things with good grace as a chance to make your day - The spa: shared spaces are small and dark, with no dedicated relaxation area to enjoy after a treatment - Public areas of the hotel - more cleaning and maintenance required e.g. some dirty windows and tables, dusty light fittings, disintegrating plasterwork on the landing; outside terrace and garden furniture felt unloved - Price: way too expensive for what it is. Three nights here in our room was more expensive than three nights over comparable dates in June at the Four Seasons in Manhattan! I just checked. In summary: Reality check required. Objectively, I can’t make sense of the rave reviews. The Inn itself is quaint but definitely not great. I am not looking for a “city luxe” experience here - but at this price, you should expect top quality comfort and quietly excellent service that goes the extra mile. The hotel needs investment in buildings, equipment/fittings, facilities, cleaning, staff and training. Based on our experience, it’s trading on a pretty location and the country club facilities, rather than the quality of its core offering.

Wonder lodge surrounded by beautiful scenery! This was our 2nd stay at the Inn and we can’t wait to go back again. The hospitality was amazing the room was spectacular and the food at the Inn was fabulous! It was an all around enjoyable birthday get away

This was such a disappointment. Do not believe the web site images. This historic hotel is surrounded by mediocre 1980s building on a narrow lake with speed boats. It was not the quiet idyllic setting we had imagined. The staff was not helpful or experienced. The food was microwaved frozen Costco items. The historic building roof slate was falling off. Windows wouldn’t open and close. Mattress was so soft our backs were hurting in the morning. No room service. Coffee was horrible. Totally overpriced.

We visited the spa here yesterday It was small but wonderful It was such a great day We had facials and massage The staff were attentive and excelled at their job We left relaxed and refreshed The hotel, restaurant and things to do in the area looked so fun. I would def go back to the spa and stay here in the Inn

What a lovely experience! We came up here, after a coworker suggested this lovely Inn, for a mid-week getaway. We stayed Wednesday-Friday. We attended a wedding on Thursday at Black Balsam Knob- good to know, it’s less than 1 hour drive from the Inn to the Blue Ridge Parkway for some great hiking! The GOOD: Room was very clean! We had more than enough space for 2 people, and we were very comfortable- loved the fireplace in the FireStone Room (104). The pillow mints, the turndown service, the glass of lemon water at our arrival & daily thereafter- these are amazing touches that go a long way, in my book! We enjoyed the beautiful scenery here- you can’t beat the lake & Mountain Views. Since it was Mid-week, it wasn’t very crowded. We had no trouble getting a table at the restaurant, where we ate breakfast. *did not get a chance to try other meals here, but the service we had at breakfast was excellent! Smaller menu, but the foods they offered were done exceptionally. The “NEEDS IMPROVEMENT”: my only negative about this place was that our room (Firestone, room 104) was directly beneath another room, and I would assume that room had hardwood floors, because we heard EVERYTHING. The night before our departure, someone was bouncing a hard ball across the floor at 10pm. The morning of our departure, we were looking forward to sleeping in, and unfortunately were awoken by a vacuum running across the floor above us, at 8:30 am. I realize there is not a lot to remedy this situation- hey, they’re older historic rooms, and they are very well maintained! But it would be considerate to plan the cleaning of the upper room after the Fireside guests have left- or at least later morning :) All-in-all, we greatly enjoyed our experience here, and plan to bring back family & friends! I think it would be fun to try a new room each time we come! Thanks to all the staff for making it a memorable experience.

Our church's marriage retreat dinner was held at the restaurant at the Greystone in the Lovelace Room. It was phenomenal! The chef was so kind in accommodating our picky eaters with his culinary creations. When all 34 attendees come up to you and rave about the food and location, you know if was a complete success! Kristen Waitschies, the catering and event manager, was so kind to work with and made sure our event was a success. The night was perfection! Can't wait to go back and stay at the Greystone!