We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Inn. We stayed in the Halyloft room in the Carriage House. The room was well appointed, clean, charming and had everything we needed to make our stay a lovely experience. The outdoor deck off our room afforded lovely views of the property. The dinner served at the Inn was wonderful and all of us enjoyed our meals. The Inn had something for everyone and was able to accommodate gluten-free with no issue. Stewart (Stuart?) the bar manager was able to craft several cocktails just to the taste of several in our party and the wine list was extensive. What a lovely experience all in all.
We rented the Manor house for a work event and it was a total delight. The house overlooks rolling Virginia hills and is close to Middleburg, wineries, and other activities. The staff was easy to work with to ensure we had a great experience. The restaurant is NOT to be missed and we thoroughly enjoyed the full tasting menu and wine pairing. Highly recommend and looking forward to a return visit.
We were very excited to stay here for our annual Scrabble tournament and New Year’s dinner with longtime friends. Beautiful property, nice room (Stallion Suite) but managers were very inflexible for New Year’s dinner. We were given the choice of 5 pm (?????) or 9pm. Too early or late. The 9pm seating was later canceled, without us being informed in advance, Probably because dinner was $300 or more per person and more with wine pairings. So we argued to get in at 7 —- and the room was half full. Pretentious multi courses, some good, but overcooked pasta and almost inedible shoe leather beef tenderloin. I cooked better for Christmas. For breakfast, the espresso machine was broken, saving us from $10 lattes. Regular coffee is included. The TV in our room was near impossible to figure out and the offered pound cake treat was stale. Staff was willing but service was not smooth. We waited for a front desk person to check in. What we objected to most were the prices … it is insane to charge $25-$35 for a glass of wine and $24 for a five-ounce cocktail. The bed was comfortable, but the floor was not clean. And being told we had to breakfast by 9:30 am New Year’s Day? Luckily they were flexible, but we felt the cards were stacked for the owners’ convenience. Not sure we will be back.…
I wanted a special Father's Day experience with my family. I made a dinner reservation. The restaurant abruptly called to cancel my reservation, citing staff shortages. Is it possible that no one is preparing or serving meals at the restaurant? How can Goodstone possibly keep its rating if it cannot hire or retain chefs or waiters?
04 April 2022 Two years ago, a virus disrupted life on a global scale. As someone said to me, going forward, we will use pre and post COVID as a measure of time like pre and post illness, pre and post wedding day, pre and post parenthood. It will become a barometer. Our memories will hold places imperfectly of events before the virus and during the virus and how we struggled to cope with how it altered our lives. In ten years, we will call on those imperfect memories and use them to help us navigate whatever event it is in the present moment, comparing it to how good or bad the present moment is to the two years of vaccines, boosters, masks and variants. Our lexicon is now filled with such terminology as social distancing, mandates and lockdowns. The virus gave us insights into the things that up to March of 2020 we likely took for granted, chief among them, how we treat each other. While it is always tempting to be pulled into the cynical vortex of “people” when we talked about our encounters in public, I think we can look to those good souls in what the cold and calculating business world calls the “hospitality industry” to see a reflection of the best of how we can be towards each other. In a recent trip to Goodstone Inn and Restaurant in Middleburg, VA, I encountered such souls. With virtually no effort, I could see as I drove up the stonewalled drive through the Virginia woods, the attentiveness of hands who care for the land. Hands that understood how to take the rolling hills and pastures and sculpt them with an eye for contour and serenity so that it was the first impression from the outside, of what continued on the inside. There, Sue and Sarah, Stuart, Stephen, Paloma, Vincent, Jefferson and Gordon and Tyler showed us what it means to be stewards of one another. These good souls understood that we would be coming back to them after the bouts and bruises left by COVID, looking for a place to heal, a place to wed and just a place to celebrate the joie de vivre that comes from the deep places of gratitude when, after hardship, we come out the other side pledging never to take life and love for granted. But knowing that we may, as the next thing coming will certainly test us again we hope to remember the good souls at Goodstone who helped us heal and recover, and girded with the goodness they shared with us we will go forth, knowing that we will return to them again and again for remedial training on what it means to feed and shelter one another with élan.…
We get away each year to Goodstone to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This was our tenth visit and the best yet! So quiet, so pastoral. The management has added many improvements: clearly marked hiking trails throughout the property, a fruit tree grove with beehives, beautiful lighting of landscaping at night, etc. We stayed at the Dutch Cottage and loved the screened-in back porch and private fire pit nearby. The new chef, Tyler Stout, created an incredibly delicious, over-the-top gourmet dinner! One of our favorite parts of the Goodstone is the daily fresh eggs at breakfast. After eating, we always head to the barn to thank the chickens! We highly recommend this rural Virginia retreat, a welcome change from big resorts and hotel chains.
The small gold and diamond wedding ring I wear around my neck was not in my zipped jewelry sack when I returned home from my trip to Goodstone. I realized that it must have slipped off the necklace and somewhere in to the safe (which was in a precariously high location) when I packed it. I have written emails and called numerous times, and the staff has been rude and dismissive, simply telling me that "housekeeping found nothing in the room". I have stayed at Goodstone twice before, and our stays have been lovely, but I will never go back again. Goodstone cares nothing about its customers.
Being a professional travel and food writer, it is my job to share uniquely winning dining and travel experiences with readers. It is with such joy I must mention that Virginia now has a brilliant , world class chef in the person of Jan Van Haute- move over my beloved Patrick O’Connell there’s a new kid in town. When every dish that is sampled on a menu ,that allows a culinary journey , is perfect, one knows that in the kitchen there must be a magician and there is. Venerable chefs spend their lives procuring the finest ingredients and then finessing them into savoury and sweet cuisine and chef van Haute adds love as well. He even introduces us to rare recipe ideas and new , pretty fabulous, suppliers like Belgian caviar. He served us a potato soup in one of the caviar tins that will never be forgotten. A while ago I reviewed Goodstone for a London based magazine only to have the entire building “ turned upside down “ during renovations and a totally revamped menu concept . Therefore, I will not mention all the specifics from the kitchen of this peerless chef , but know ,whatever will be on offer will have you singing the praises of truly superlative cuisine and the creator too.Bravo Monsieur van Haute !…
It was a true pleasure staying and dining at the Goodstone Inn and Restaurant for our 6th Anniversary. The food and wine was spectacular, the accommodations were romantic, and the grounds were beautiful, with a pool and hot tub that overlooked a beautiful vista and farm. However, we wish to extend a special acknowledgement to the extraordinary service of the entire hospitality team. They were thoughtful enough to grant us a one night stay with a tasting menu, as a substitute for an additional night, one of the only properties in the entire region that was so accommodating. The staff always had a smile on their face and were gracious to help at every moment of our stay. This has been one of the finest experiences we’ve ever had, and we’ve been to a few places. We look forward to our return visit.…
We cant say enough about the wonderful warm service. We stayed in the Bull Barn which was a perfect walk to the main building, best shower ever and plenty of room to spread out. Quiet (other than the fun animals outside) . We took the hike around the property which was lovely, important (for us) that we took the provided walking sticks, lots of ups and downs and mud and walking over water. We somehow missed the 1/2 way cut through, it wasn't well marked, so you may want to ask. A great tour from Tony of the property and also enjoyed speaking with Gordon. The only area for improvement we saw was actually the restaurant, which surprised us. The service was just a bit off for both dinners, not as polished as we expected, although friendly. The entrees were good, but the same sides (taking advantage of seasonal ingredients) became repetitive. Meats night two were both overcooked. Great wine list. We would definitely return to try it again once covid is a distant memory.…
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