My husband and I stayed in the Fall Cottage for two nights for a parents’ getaway and were very pleased with our stay. We booked the Fall Cottage for some privacy and so that we could look at the back of the Inn and the lawn from our room. The room was clean and cozy, and delivered on the privacy and view. The breakfasts were fresh and the dining spaces were beautiful with beamed ceilings, large windows, and attractive decor. While the weather didn’t allow for it, the grounds include hammocks by the winding creek and other outdoor activities. One evening, we dined at the on-property restaurant. I had the tasting menu and each course was delicious. The menu was unique but still approachable for a non-foodie palate. The staff were kind and very communicative throughout our stay. We used the Hillbrook Inn as a base for exploring the area: vineyards in Loudoun County, shopping in Shepherdstown and Charles Town, and hiking in Harpers Ferry. It was a perfect variety of activities for the weekend and all within a reasonable drive. We would definitely return to the Inn and recommend it to others!…
Our very first time staying at the Hillbrook Inn was one we will never forget. We were there to celebrate my wife's birthday, and we went for the full experience, booking their spa's signature couples massage and making a dinner reservation. The Hillbrook's spa is located in a separate building, near the beginning of the long driveway that leads to the Inn. We started our adventure there. At the spa, we were warmly welcomed, and after filling out some paperwork were ushered to a comfortable space where our masseuses went to work on us. These were expertly delivered massages, provided by friendly, experienced massage therapists. We exited the spa thoroughly refreshed, with big smiles on our relaxed faces. Great start to the day. We proceeded to the Inn, where we were enthusiastically greeted by the concierge, who gave us a comprehensive preview of the day ahead, including a brief but helpful tour of the main building. After checking into our cozy room upstairs, we went for a walk, exploring the beautiful Inn grounds, capitalizing on a warm, sunny part of the day. We then headed back to the main building, where we grabbed Scrabble and sat at one of the courtyard tables, sipping some adult beverages provided by the friendly bartender and enjoying the last few minutes of sunshine prior to a short period of light rain. After finishing our game indoors, we got ready for dinner. The beautiful dining room was all ours, when we were seated at 6:30. Becca, our waitress, was a treat. We opted for the 5 course tasting menu, along with the Inn's chosen wine pairings for each course. We did not regret our choices, as the food was delicious, innovative, and perfectly cooked, while the wines were universally excellent. Becca was not only extremely friendly and communicative, but very knowledgeable about the wines, giving us detailed descriptions about each, all of which proved accurate. Becca and the kitchen proved to be extremely resourceful, as near the very beginning of our dinner, the lights all of a sudden went out, as did the power throughout the Inn! Candles were quickly provided, and apologies -- though unnecessary -- as well. It was all fine by us, as this unexpected blackout only added to our experience. Hats off in particular to Chef Andrew, who somehow managed to create wonderful dish after dish, all without any electricity or running water. The power stayed off for the rest of our dinner. Meanwhile, staff went to work providing us not only with a gratis upgrade in accommodations at the Hawthorne, a stately part of the Inn located a couple of miles down the road, unaffected by the power outage, but also a substantial discount to boot, to offset any inconvenience in having to pack up and move there. All in all, we could not have been happier with our stay at Hillbrook Inn. The entire experience was a memorable one, including the delicious, healthy breakfast provided the next morning. Every member of the staff was happy to help ensure our stay was everything we wanted it to be. While the cost here is not for the squeamish, we found it to be worth every penny. We will be back, no doubt about it, and highly recommend Hillbrook Inn for anyone in search of a relaxed, first-class stay at a very friendly and welcoming, down-to-earth resort, offering fine dining, a sumptuous, healthy breakfast, and professional spa services.…
When on the road, we favor inns with restaurants in-house, to avoid having to climb back in the car. Such is the case at Hillbrook, though rarely would we expect a level of cuisine we would otherwise associate with a Michelin star. Though Executive Chef Jan Van Haute was not present on a weekday evening before Christmas, his Chef de Cuisine executed the ambitious menu to a high standard, beginning with a lightly tossed and dressed salad of local tender lettuces, beets, goat cheese and shaved Burgundian truffle. Perfectly prepared wild turbot was surrounded with islands of butternut squash and parsnip purees, "garnished" with Belgian royal caviar, plated in such an aesthetically compelling yet unpretentious fashion that the steep price swiftly became a distant memory. We feared that an additional counterpoint of foamed lobster bisque would upset the balance. We were wrong, and used a chunk of local sourdough to mop up every last trace. Sashimi-grade Icelandic Cod was served on a potato mousseline with hints of leek and white wine, all in harmony with the glorious chunk of Cod, ubiquitous as a "safe" choice on menus throughout the region, yet rarely allowed to sing like this. For desert, Chef was kind enough to improvise a special request, using the pistachios and raspberry coulis from one desert as the base for a house-made blood orange sorbet. The plate arrived as a spectacular assemblage of colors, textures and flavors. All this, on the outskirts of Charles Town, West Virginia? Astonishing, and well worth a special pilgrimage. The wine list is also strong, and the Inn's accommodations are gracious and comfortable. We hit the road again grateful for the focus, attention, talent and ambition, all in ample supply at the Hillbrook Inn. Cheers to all! …
We were looking forward to a brief holiday-time stay in the Snuggery at Hillbrook Inn. The total cost for just the room and breakfast, including taxes and "resort fee" was $410 for one night. This was price-gouging and a very posh price for an OK room. Even the chairs in the Inn's photo were replaced with something like doctor's waiting room chairs. In the photo, there are wine glasses. The room had only coffee mugs. One of us went down to get wine glasses; after questions about whether or not we were staying there, and which room, there was a hesitant, "Let me ask my manager" from the bartender. Were we the first ever to ask for wine glasses? We were allowed to have them, with the caveat to return them to the bar ourselves in the morning (did I mention $410?). Our room was bland, in contrast to the photos on the website, and it looked like housekeeping forgot to finish the bed. There was a mold problem in the bathroom. We were glad we didn't eat dinner in the restaurant, concerned that it also would not be a good value for the likely $200 cost. On the upside, the staff was pleasant and the bed itself was comfortable. The common areas are nice too. Breakfast was good enough, and there was plenty to eat in contrast to other reviewers' comments. We wouldn't say it was a horrible experience, just wildly overpriced for the value. We left feeling that we'd been taken advantage of. Compare our pictures to the website, you'll see ...…
Beautiful inn, incredible customer service, and unique. We stayed in the Locke’s Nest room which is on second floor. The stairway to room is on a dining area and the entrance to room hangs over dining area. Shower took long time to warm up and as the drain didn’t work well, there was 2 inches of freezing cold water when you stepped in…they did offer to address immediately. Their driveway needs some serious attention as it is full of pot holes. Breakfast was good and traditional. Ask for ice and they will get you a bucket for room
Went here for Thanksgiving Dinner for the first time. The food and service was amazing. Everything they served tasted fantastic, even the salad. I'm not the kind of person who gets excited by salad but I honestly would have had seconds of their salad if they had offered. Service was very attentive but not in your face. Anytime someone walked by they made sure our bread and water was refilled. The pace of the meal was great, not to fast or too slow. The Inn and grounds are beautiful. We had a nice pastoral view from our table. There really is nothing negative I could say about the whole experience. Highly recommend!
Our stay at Hillbrook was fantastic. The property is quite nice, but the food is to die for! We booked spa service for a couples massage, and the workers were tremendous. An incredible massage, very nice facilities, totally relaxing. The restaurant is a fun walk up some narrow stairs and a low ceiling to get to from the main lobby, but once there, the dining rooms are gorgeous. The chef's menu is phenomenal. Each morning the breakfast included the fluffiest eggs and fresh squeezed orange juice. But the dinner. The DINNER. Wow. Melt in your mouth veal with a rich demi glase, paired with perfect veggies. The wine pairings offered, also perfect. We stayed in the gatehouse (same building as the spa), and had an unexpected visitor in our room, peaking out from under the fireplace. A snake! But being in the location and woods that it is, hard to fault them here. It happens. A manager came out herself to wrangle it, and kindly gave us a discount on the room despite our protest. …
My husband (!) and I got married at Hillbrook over the weekend and it was a dream. The entire event felt like it was out of a fairytale. Michelle, our wedding coordinator, was a rock star. She took care of every detail and was so thoughtful about all of it. My husband and I didn’t have to think about anything day of, which is a crazy feat with so many different moving parts and people. She had the day planned out down to the minute, including when the staff puts the champagne on ice for the toast. She wrangled all of the vendors (music, florals, hair & make up, officiant, etc.) and it all went off without a hitch. The Hillbrook is gorgeous, the staff is super welcoming, the food was wonderful, and I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re considering holding your wedding here, this is your sign to go for it.…
Here's why we wouldn't stay at Hillbrook Inn again. When we arrived we checked in, we were given the information on our room, the "Sunset Suite," located about two miles from the main house. In spite of seasonably warm weather, our room was FREEZING cold upon arrival. We looked in vain for a thermostat in the suite itself. We found the thermostat outside the room in a common area covered with a plastic shield and a phone number to call if you wanted the temperature changed. We did so, only to reach a recording. Several attempts over the next hour reached the same recording. Several messages were left. Some of my wife's were addressed while none of mine were. Now I'll skip ahead a bit. We were told that even though the reception desk closed at 8:00, if we needed any after hours adjustments we could call the hotel and the answering service would put us through to the innkeeper. After a LENTHY conversation with the answering service representative, who is apparently obliged to write down virtually every word said, the service rep attempted to put the call through to the innkeeper who did not answer the phone. In short, during our stay, not a single phone call to the front desk or innkeeper was answered. Oh, and there is a little ironic touch to this story I'll save for the end of the review. OK, it's not the cold room that rules out a repeat stay. It's not the lack of control of the thermostat, although that adds a little touch of "college dormitory" to what is supposed to be a high-end experience. No, neither the cold room nor lack of control would be enough to be "the last straw." But the frustration of unanswered calls in spite of our having followed the explicit directions of the management we found to be inexcusable. Not answering calls required for basic services is a bridge too far. It didn't ruin the entire stay, but it certainly tainted it. There was also a problem with a counter-intuitive lock to the door to the back porch. We couldn't lock the door until a maintenance person was summoned to show us how. OK, fine. But the problem could have been solved on the phone without the wait. Apparently, the sticker that explains how the lock works was missing, although there was no sign of there ever having been one. OK, now the good stuff. The suite was ample, the bed comfortable, the setting lovely. Stepping on to the back porch and looking to the left there was a sea of corn as far as the eye could see! Impressive sight to these suburbanites! We spent two nights. We were there with two other couples. We ate dinner at Hillbrook's restaurant the first night, and as the menu was limited, among the six of us, we managed to sample just about everything on it. No complaints! Though preparations tended to be on the simple side, the ingredients were of first quality and flawlessly prepared. Had the menu been more extensive, we would have returned for a second night. On our second day at Hillbrook, the ladies of our company all treated themselves to the on-site spa. All were pleased with the service. We had the included breakfast on each of our two mornings and once again, no real complaints. Both the food and the service met even heightened expectations. Although we didn't take advantage of it, the common area of our building featured a kitchen with various snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. OK, now the promised irony. When we first discovered the thermostat in the hallway, my wife took a picture of it. Before the six of us went our separate ways, the other two couples came over to see our suite. As we were showing them the thermostat we had told them about, my wife noticed that someone had punched out a piece of the plastic large enough to reach the buttons of the thermostat with a pen or even a finger! We could have changed the temperature ourselves! I thought the opening must have been made while we were there, but no! Closer examination of the photo my wife had taken showed that we were not the first to have been frustrated by "big brother" handling the building's climate control from afar! So, in sum, there are lots of good reasons to stay at Hillbrook and not many reasons not to. But the lack of responsiveness and the frustrations of unanswered phone calls for us were disqualifying. So caveat emptor!…
The Inn is in an area where you feel like you are in the forest, yet you are not far from civilization. Our room was very nice, very well furnished, and very clean. The breakfast was great. A nice place for a quiet getaway. Staff were all very nice and responsive.
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