I can't say enough good things about The Chestnut Inn! This was a spur-of-the-moment trip and we found The Chestnut Inn online. After reading so many glowing reviews I was very eager to see the place in person, and it did NOT disappoint. We stayed for three nights and felt right at home from the moment we walked in the door. We were sad when it came time to leave and are already trying to figure out when we can go back again.

The Inn is charming, tastefully decorated and well appointed. The rooms are warm and inviting. The owners live in a separate house that is attached to the Inn by a private breezeway so you don't feel like you're disturbing their family's routine. The kitchen is available for guest use, which was really nice. There is also a small refrigerator and an electric kettle in a room on the second floor that you can use. There was an assortment of teas, hot chocolate and instant coffee in that room as well. I remember reading one review that said there were no hair dryers, however in the room with the small refrigerator there was a basket with a hair dryer, curling iron and clothes iron that the guests could use (as well as an ironing board in the corner).

We stayed in The Loft Room which is on the third floor and is the entire width of the house. The room is HUGE! The door to our room was on the second floor with private stairs leading up to the room. This being an old house, those stairs were creaky and we were afraid we were disturbing the other guests when we walked up and down the stairs, but after talking with a couple who was staying in a room on the second floor they assured us that it was not the "herd of elephants" level of noise that we thought it might be! They said that while they could hear that someone else was in the house, it was not disturbing at all. We had our own bathroom, fireplace and deck, and the deck was very large. We were there off-season so there were no chairs on the deck but I'm sure they put them out during the season. We happened to have been there on an especially mild weekend so it was still nice to stand out on the deck in the morning to see the sunrise. :)

One note about the Loft room: the bathroom appears to have been redone since the pictures that are on their web page because it did not have a claw-foot tub. There was a tub/shower enclosure, and once you're standing inside the tub the ceiling is a bit low. If you are over 5'11 inches tall you might have to duck your head, or take baths instead of showers. We are both under 5'10" so it wasn't an issue for us but I felt like I should mention it. There was plenty of hot water and the bathroom, as well as the rest of our room and the entire house, was very clean.

Breakfast each morning included their signature dish, Apple Stuffed French Toast. There's a reason that practically every review mentions this dish...it's AMAZING!! So good!! They also had a nice selection of muffins, bagels, croissants, fresh fruit, cereals, yogurt, toast...and the hostess/house manager (Carol) will make you pancakes if you'd like. Carol was a real gem! She is so friendly and warm, and we thoroughly enjoyed our conversations with her each morning. She strikes that perfect balance of being open and engaging while still respecting privacy.

The location of the inn was perfect as well; close enough to the falls (less than a five minute drive) while still feeling well removed and far enough away that you're not bombarded with all of the tourist-y crap. It's about a twenty minute drive from there to Niagara-on-the-Lake which is a lovely little town on Lake Ontario. I can't report on the bus service because we chose to drive everywhere.

On our last night there we were the only guests, so we peeked into the other rooms and they are all beautiful. We would have been happy to stay in any one of them. The Blue Room is the only room with a king-sized bed. Each room has it's own bathroom and a fireplace, and some sort of balcony or deck.

What else....there is free wi-fi, free parking on-site, books and games available, and the price was very reasonable. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me and ask and I'll be happy to answer if I can.