We just returned from a (wish we could have stayed longer) one night mid-week respite at GG Inn. Here's my rating: a solid A+. I have driven by this Inn dozens of times in my life and have always wanted to stay here - and as luck would have it - the exact room we wanted was available on Wed. Aug. 22nd. We booked the Balcony Room in the main house. It is a very popular room and with good reason. Here's the real honest-and-true low down on that room, the other rooms we toured, and the Inn itself:

Pro's:
1. The Balcony Room is utterly charming and surrounded by windows windows everywhere ! It is named the Balcony Room because it has an olde fashioned glass enclosed "sleeping or summer porch" smack dab in front of the ocean. The room itself is medium sized, decorated with charm, a queen bed, 2 comfy wing chairs, a table to dine on between the chairs, a lovely marble topped dressor... then between the "bed and sitting area" are pull back shutters which we left open the entire time, which look through to the glassed enclosed balcony-sleeping-summer porch. To get to the enclosed porch, you step down 2 steps from the main section of the room and into a cozy area with large day bed which is elevated to afford you a maximum view, but without taking the view away from the main part of the room should you wish to watch the waves from any part of the room. We threw open all the windows on the sleeping porch and the breezes and sound of the ocean and waves were amazing. Again, the sleeping porch is completely snug and warm and really a part of the entire room, yet sunken and all by itself as well.

2. The Balcony Room does not have a private bath. OK folks. This was (notice past tense) was kind of an issue for me PRIOR to staying at GG Inn. There are just too many beautiful rooms at too many Inns which have private baths... However, as I said at the beginning of this episol, I have always wanted to stay at GG Inn and in particular the Balcony Room, so again I through caution to the wind and got over my modesty issue and here's the scivy on the bathroom situation: No problems at all. There are 5 bedrooms upstairs in the main house. 2 bedrooms have private baths (The Jennifer and The Gable); The 3 remaining bedrooms (The Balcony, The Chapel, and a Garret Room share 2 very large and spacious baths. Therefore the ratio speaks for itself. Both baths are kept scrupulous scrubbed, and honest to goodness, my husband and I never ran into anyone in either bath although the Inn was full. They also provide robes, and in-room shampoo's and soaps... all a nice touch. People from the other 2 rooms kept the baths utra clean too, which tends to be the case when it comes to the clientel who frequent Inns - a respect for the Inn and for others.

3. Lois (one of the Innkeepers) assisted in our check-in, orientation of the Inn and all its ammentites, and escorted us to our room, and helped us at check-out the next day. She is wonderful, warm and friendly. She did not rush us... even though there were several others waiting to also check in. Thank You Lois !!!

4. As with all the 4 Sisters Inns, they have a nice on-going agenda of food, snacks, beverages. A mini-fridge in the dining room holds all the cold sodas you might want, there's also a bottomless cookie jar, hor'dourves from 4:30 -6:30 all very nicely presented, accompanied by wines; For their buffet breakfast, we dined on eggs benedict, hot fresh banana muffins, fruit, coffee, etc. They also had cerials, hot oat meal, bagels, toast, etc. I liked the unusal choice of eggs benedict at breakfast versus the typical crustless quiche or frittata one typically gets at Inns. And these eggs were perfect, the food plentifully circulating between kitchen and buffet area... They had tables for 2 in several bay windows, and a lively dining table for 6-8 placed in front of an oceanfront window.

5. We picniced for dinner in our room, planned ahead of time, since I knew from the Inn's website pictures, that the room called for an indorr-picnic with a capital P. Although we snacked on their hor'dourves and chatted with some friendly people, after 6 or so, we headed back up to our nest, and sipped our wine and enjoyed our picnic - where else ? Up at top the day bed on that summer porch with all those windows wide open ! We were serinaded by 3 or so harbor seals, or maybe they were otters, but whatever those critters were, they were real hams ! They swam on their backs, clapped their little flippers together and we just loved their little antics... all while we sat and were also entertained by the ocean waves splashing within 100 feet of us, watching the passerbys... the happy tourists... they looking up at "our Inn", and many times catching our eyes (if we leaned up against the front windows), waving back and forth. It was really neat ! We surely did get our money's worth on that room... And at night, we slept like babies... to the sound of the ocean and the scent of the breezes.

6. Privacy and the positioning of the Main House bedrooms: all 5 bedrooms are thoughtfully arranged so that no other bed from no other room abuts to another bed. Enough said on that topic. Also, in terms of which of the 5 bedrooms is most private logistically speaking, I would say the Jennifer Room is... it is at the very end of the large landing area, the bathroom is the first thing you see or walk by when entering the room, the bed abuts to its own bathroom wall, and the bed looks across from a gorgeous highceiled bay window. When you sit at the bay window and look off to the left you can see the ocean quite nicely, but only if you are at the bay. All windows in all bedrooms open up and the sound of the ocean in any room cannot be missed. If you want to stay in one of their Carriage House suites, Room # 10 is the best in my opinion. It shares a top floor with Room # 9, however, it is more private than #9 as one would need to walk by the windows of #9 to get to #10. Room #10 is also at an end, next to a park area, and you can see the ocean just fine from the windows or porch of this room.

Con's:

1. The queen bed in the Balcony Room could be more comfortable. It was rather "spring-like", and very firm. Linins were exquisite though and had a scent of being air dried. Note: the left side of the bed is right underneth a ceiling downslope, so you really could get a knock on the noggin if the person sleeping on the left side wakes up in the night and forgets to stay crouched until safe. Not a problem for us, however, as I couldn't get my husband to budge off that daybed out on the summer-sleeping porch, so I had the queen bed all to myself and I must say, without his bed-hogging presence, it was quite nice ! :- )

2. The Balcony Room is directly above the Inn's dining room area. Therefore, I heard a little bit of muffled voices early in the morning from early-risers. Not a biggie at all, just so you know. In the rest of the room and with the windows wide open with the rush of the ocean, you could hear nothing BUT the ocean (and occasional car traffic).

3. Car traffic. The Inn is positioned in front of a relatively busy street, so if you want to keep the windows open to enjoy the full effect of the room's oceanfront positioning like we did, you take the good with the not-so-good. We, however, did not have a problem with car noise, bikes, rollar skaters, etc. going by... it was fun to watch it all, plus the sound of the ocean and waves crashing on the rocks really overpowers everything. But just be aware, if you are a super light sleeper (traffic does totally die down around 8PM), or want complete silence, it would be better to book The Jennifer Room upstairs as it faces the side and is quite beautiful, albeit only a small ocean view, but still very lovely from the huge bay window.

I can think of no other negatives, but I'm not a negative person any way, and I had to scrounge hard to find what I found !

I hope you all pay a visit someday to the GG Inn. It was absolutely better than I had even imagined - in every way. We will now go back many times a year because of our fantastic experience and because so many rooms are so beautiful, it'll be hard to choose... as we did tour most every room and for different reasons they each had their own special appeal.