Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the small town of Washington, Virginia, The Inn at Little Washington is the only Double Forbes Five Star, Double AAA Five Diamond property in the Washington metro area. The Inn's eighteen bedrooms and suites are sumptuous hideaways created by Joyce Evans, a London stage and set designer, for whom The Inn has become a life's work. Many of the furnishings were purchased in England, numbered and shipped to Virginia to be assembled on site like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The Inn offers a range of accommodations from well-appointed rooms to luxurious, two story suites many with balconies and garden views. The Inn's dining rooms are pure fantasy - a wondrous cocoon of luxury. Rose-colored, silk lampshades float above each table creating a private, romantic world below. Chef/Proprietor Patrick O'Connell's creations arrive as if served by invisible hands, course after course more dazzling than the last. From the award-winning 14,000 bottle wine cellar, which includes the finest offerings from Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Virginia, the Sommelier plays matchmaker between you, your dinner and the wine.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Luxury
Classic
Languages Spoken
English, French
Location
Middle and Main Streets, Washington, VA 22747
The Inn at Little Washington
681 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We went to The Inn at Little Washington for a one-night getaway from the Washington, D.C. area. Having lived in the area for many decades, we decided it was time to give this fabled restaurant/inn a try. With its 3 Michelin stars and numerous other accolades, there was a lot of hype.
To say we were not disappointed would be an understatement. Both my husband and I have traveled all over the world, and have had many dining and hotel experiences with which to compare this.
To begin with, we were greeted by name by the concierge and other staff. They immediately made us feel like family. After a brief tour of the main part of the Inn, we were shown upstairs to our room for the night, which was the Jacques Pépin room (many of the rooms are named after famous chefs with whom Chef O'Connell has a personal connection). The room was very comfortable and roomy. To call it a "room" would be underselling it - it really and truly felt more like a suite.
Because we arrived early enough in the afternoon, we were able to partake of the lovely tea service in the solarium, which featured an interesting assortment of teas, as well as a yummy collection of sweet and savory snacks. We were then taken on a tour of the campus -- yes, it's called a campus, as it encompasses so much more than just the original Inn building. Cameron was our tour guide. We found out later that Cameron was the fromager during dinner, and has been doing his thing with the cheese cart (a whimsical cow named Faira) for 17 years.
Dinner was like being in a fairy tale. Five courses with several amuses bouches in between. We opted not to do the wine-pairings, instead ordering single half-servings of a couple of different wines with a few of the individual courses. Everything was prepared to perfection and displayed to perfection. It was truly a sensory experience, not only for the palate, but also the eyes and the nose. It's difficult to single out any one of the courses to elaborate on - they were all just so delicious.
After dinner, we were treated to a tour of the kitchen, featuring the largest oven/stove I've ever seen! Think of it like an enormous kitchen island with multiple cooking surfaces on all 4 sides, but that doesn't really do it justice! And it was made by some company in France, and came in one piece!
In the morning, we were again treated to culinary delights at our breakfast table. In addition to the continental breakfast, which was included with the room, we split an omelette, accompanied by a tomato tartlet and a waffle stuffed with potatoes. We then went across the street to Patty O's Bakery to get some delicious bread to bring home.
Chef O'Connell has truly thought of everything. In addition to serving up world-class food, the décor in both the inn and the restaurant are out of this world. It's amazing to see so much creativity at work here. We are so glad we took the time to indulge in this fantasy!
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The best restaurant experience I've ever had. My wife and I stayed overnight, at the "Mayor's Cottage" and felt pampered all the way - great accommodations, including our own private garden, with housekeeping to beat the band. The food - superb. You will pay for the experience, lodging above $1,000 and dinner was $320 each, with my wine flight an extra $200 plus. It is well worth the cost. This is a "memories" place and should be on everybody's bucket list.
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Date of stay: July 2022
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:I don't see how you can top the "Mayor's Cottage"
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We returned for two nights and stayed in the beautiful Claiborne House which is a truly special place where the chef owner once lived. But the hotel and restaurant has dipped in food and service. On arrival, the living room tea service was chaotic with personnel running in and out with supplies and tours being held. Dinner in the main dining room has gone very upwards in price but the selection and portions have gone downwards in size. I got two minuscule, but nicely tasting, pieces of venison. The appetizers were good but the dessert was disappointing. Similarly, the in room dining was mixed with a great smoked salmon and soup but vinegary roasted chicken and underwhelming dessert (I asked for the butter pecan sundae and got a regular kids one instead). Breakfast was fine but limited and they won’t cook you a well done omelette . Patty O’s is a great alternative to the fussy Inn food.
Service was hit or miss. Alexandra was lovely but the maitre’d was obsequious. We did not like Navleen the front desk manager. She has poor intuition and is not authentic, calling to force us into a breakfast decision, misbiling us and hovering while I reviewed the bill. They also kept referring to my partner and me as Mr and Mrs in paperwork when we corrected them. Some people simply stated they wouldn’t even try to pronounce our complicated last name …(?)
Still it’s a gorgeous locale and stop. With their upcoming expansion, I can’t help but think the trend here is towards commercialization. Somehow the charm was lost on us this time.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have to say, our experience was truly underwhelming. This is a 3-Michelin-star restaurant, which we expected to exceed our visit to the 1-Michelin-star restaurant Unforgettable (Turin, Italy) and Jean-Georges in Philadelphia (which is not Michelin-starred). Unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations.
We drove 4.5 hours to dine here for a special occasion, (and paid 3 times more than the other two) but we left extremely disappointed. The portions were small, and the amuse-bouche was underwhelming. At both of those restaurants, they served a delightful selection of multiple small bites, each unique and memorable. Furthermore, the overall experience here felt overly commercial and impersonal, detracting from what should have been a refined and intimate dining experience.
Most of the staff, including those at check-in and serving, seemed barely engaged and rarely smiled. Their demeanor was robotic and impersonal—unlike the other two restaurants, where the impeccable service enhanced the entire evening and left us feeling truly amazed and delighted.
Sadly, this fell far short of the standard expected from a 3-Michelin-star restaurant, and we won’t be returning.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hotel is beautiful and elegant and in a gorgeous location, particularly in the fall with all the leaves changing color. Both the room and the extravagant dinner are worth the high price ($1000/night) ... you can't offer this type of experience for less IMHO. Service, especially in the restaurant, was fantastic. So, what's the problem? Well, after dinner when we went back to our room and noticed that we could clearly hear the music from downstairs (we were one flight up and just above the lobby/restaurant area). We also noticed a box of earplugs had been placed on each side of the bed, so the Inn is aware of the issue. We decided it was no big deal and likely would not be going on late in to the night. At 11 the music was turned off and that seemed reasonable. Unfortunately At exactly 7 AM the next morning the music was turned back on. 7 AM!! If I wanted to get up at 7 I would have stayed home and slept in my own bed for free. Instead of having a wonderful relaxing morning, I was irritable and tired. It was a buzzkill. I really don't understand why it would be necessary to have music playing at 7 am, especially when you are well aware it can be heard clearly in the guestrooms (or perhaps just our room). We ordered room service coffee and when the waiter brought it my husband complained about the music. Within 5 minutes they had turned it off, which, almost made it worse--if the music was optional, why did you turn it on at 7?
Bottom line, we're not likely to return because of this issue.
But if you like getting up early, everything else was perfect so definitely go!
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Date of stay: November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We recently spent two night at the Inn. We enjoyed our stay, except for one major issue: we couldn’t sleep due to noise coming from the kitchen, which was located next to our room. We had booked room #3, not realizing that it was located next to the kitchen. On our first day, after a long drive, we tried to nap before dinner, but found sleep difficult due to the noise. On our second night, we were awakened at 2:30 am by banging and what sounded like drilling coming from next door. The Inn has a nerve charging sky high prices for a noisy room. Upon complaining, we were given a minimal break on the room rate but left feeling disappointed in our overall experience.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When you spend a small fortune for a romantic getaway, expectations are high. The Inn at Little Washington did not disappoint. Every detail is sheer perfection. Each member of the staff was attentive yet unobtrusive, helpful without being overbearing, and uniformly friendly. At our welcome tea in the stunning conservatory, Cameron, the Tea Master and "Cheese Whiz" answered our questions about tea history and ceremony. I have a new appreciation for my favorite beverage. Our room, #2 (Jacques Pepin) was gorgeous, spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was huge and contained every amenity one could wish. Many establishments suffered during the Covid shutdown and have lowered their standards. Not Chef Patrick. Every time I visit I am assured of a blissful experience. Our dinner was magnificent-- imaginative, whimsical and absolutely delicious from first bite until the last. The wine pairings were perfectly matched to each dish (of course!). Well worth the cost - in both calories and dollars.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We celebrated our ten-year anniversary with an overnight stay at the Inn at Little Washington and dinner. We arrived & upon check-in received a glass of champagne. Then we enjoyed the afternoon tea. Our room at the Parsonage was well kept with communal living space & tea available on the main floor. We received a welcome note & gift from Chef O'Connell. When we checked out, admittedly I was a bit weepy. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I enjoyed every minute at the Inn. The service, staff, and food were some of the best I have had. Thank you to the Inn and Chef O'Connell for making this a magical experience! (Due to limited characters, I will post more details in other posts)
We had drinks in the Monkey Lounge and while small, it was a nice spot to sip drinks before dinner. Dinner..where should I begin? I had the vegetarian menu and my partner had the Gastronaut's menu. Each course was rich and executed to perfection. My partner had the wine pairings with dinner and was glad he did. We chose the cheese selection in addition to dessert, because, why not? The Fromager asked us what types of cheeses we like and we were each given 5 different kinds of cheese. The presentation and choices were among the best I have ever experienced. Our desserts were amazing & then just when we thought we were done, chocolate with sea salt appeared on top of a dish of candied grapefruit rind.
After 2 1/2 hours of eating, we walked back to our room and found a small pouring of port wine, cookies & a note from Luray, Chef O'Connell's famous dalmatian! As dog lovers, this was the best!
In the morning, we walked over to the Inn for breakfast which was included in our lodging rate. We had tea, a flight of 5 juices, pastries, and yogurt parfaits. We did splurge and order off the a la carte menu and had the omelet of the day and the breakfast trio of scrambled eggs with salmon, corned beef hash, and oatmeal souffle. Afterward, we walked around the gardens, saw the goats, sheep, & alpacas. We were so excited to run into Luray on his morning walk and got to pet him and take his photos! We checked out and admittedly I was a bit weepy. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I enjoyed every minute at the Inn. The service, staff, and food were some of the best I have had.
Thank you to the Inn and Chef O'Connell for making this a magical experience!
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Date of stay: October 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:The parsonage is a cute house with multiple rooms across the parking lot from the Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were disappointed in the service. Since the food was good, but not amazing, I had hoped to experience the exceptional service that the Inn is supposed to have. I am not sure if there is too much turnover in the staff, but the best description I have is of a marching band with a lot of people on the field but a few weeks before their peak. Time and again, we had to ask for basic service, while many service staff circled us and other diners. The worst example was the very expensive wine pairing. Two times we actually had to call over a waiter and ask if we were being provided a wine pairing since the food came with no indication of whether a new wine pairing was coming. And the sommelier’s descriptions of the wine pairings were underwhelming when he finally did show up. My husband asked for a very hot cappuccino with sugar. The cappuccino came -no sugar and we had to ask twice for it. I have eaten at other high end restaurants and had much better service and more interesting food. These issues may sound petty, but not when we spent more than $2,000 for 3 people.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:We loved staying at the Gay Street Inn. Highly recommend.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Unsolicited observations from a Florida couple on their 27th wedding anniversary. Friends gifted us a stay at the Inn at Little Washington. We found that every aspect of the visit was a 10/10 - restaurant, accommodations and physical plant. Most impressive was the large number of highly skilled / experienced professionals trained in the philosophy of "Esprit de Corps". This was exemplified by two trivial observations - delicious tomato soup that was delivered below temperature and a minor delay in retrieving room service dishes resulting in us placing them in the hallway - when this was pointed out to the staff - they photographed the dishes left in the hallway - posted and delivered the image to the entire staff - the ultimate in service recovery. We will make this a favored vacation destination. Sarasota, Florida
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Slingerlands, New York27 contributions14 helpful votes
Things to do: North to City of Front Royal, Skyline Caverns and Skyline Drive entrance - 19 miles/25 minutes. South to Sperryville, Skyline Drive entrance and Luray Caverns - 25 miles/38 minutes. Each direction would be a separate day trip.
We enjoyed the activities in both directions.
Hi - we stayed in the Jacques Pepin Room, a Junior Suite which did have a fireplace, but I have to say that you cannot go wrong at this hotel. Our stay there remains one of the most memorable and worthwhile hotel visits we have ever experienced. And that does not even include the restaurant, which is obviously amazing as well. I am sure you will be comfortable no matter what you choose, so breath easy and get prepared for a most relaxing trip!
PS - look at the visitor posted pics of the Julia Child bathroom and you will see a shower to the left of the picture. It seems to be set up just as ours was. Hope this is helpful.
There are more places to choose from in the Washington area.
PRICE RANGE
$790 - $1,773 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the inn at little washington hotel washington
LOCATION
United StatesVirginiaRappahannock CountyWashington
NUMBER OF ROOMS
23
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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