SOUTH SHIRE a Little Hotel — Hotel in Bennington

I'm not a big fan of B&Bs--but I'm more of a fan after my three-night stay at the South Shire Inn. I chose it b/c it is walking distance to the hospital and I was there to visit a family member in the hospital. The Coach Room in the Carriage House was available and, from the moment I opened the door and saw the tranquil ambience, spaciousness, and sweet décor, I knew I chose the right place to relax and de-stress after spending my days at the hospital.

For me, what really made the South Shire Inn so special was its people. From the owner, Joe Polito, to the lovely women who served the delectable breakfasts, to the cleaning crew--everyone welcomed me with sincere graciousness. Joe arranged for a meal to be prepared for me by a catering service he partners with for the first night I was there since I was getting in late. He was available for questions and all other needs.

Breakfast was so special. I’d get up early and be the first to arrive in the stately dining room, tables dressed with formal linens and set with period-piece china and cutlery. I told Joe I preferred protein breakfasts to sweet ones and he prepared frittatas for me each morning—one more delicious than the other. He never made me feel that I was asking too much; he gave with gracious hospitality.

I didn’t get time to spend hanging out in the well-stocked library or interior living areas—or sip a cocktail on a comfy rocking chair outside on the front porch. I made a promise that I’d come back—this time as a tourist—and really sink into all the lovely comforts the South Shire Inn offers.

One other thing: the inn is within walking distance to everything downtown—a real plus. Don’t miss the Elm Street Market (a block away) and it’s delicious wraps. Main Street is about three blocks away so you can leave your car parked and explore Bennington’s small urban center on foot.

I will be...

Google says this is a 4-star hotel. I beg to differ. The pictures on Google are all almost a year old, and you can tell since these pictures were taken, that this place is having a hard time staying clean and well kept. We arrived a half hour after official check-in started and our room wasn't ready and either was the room for the couple who walked in before us. We were told it would be a 10 minute wait because all they needed to do was change the sheets. We peeked into the room that she said would be ours, and I was immediately disgusted by the dirty shag carpet. I went further to peek at the bathroom and saw dirty washrags and towels everywhere and a rusty sink. A proper cleaning of that room would take a lot longer than 10 minutes so I feared that the sheets and towels would be changed but no further cleaning done. Then the host showed us the dining area but quickly said that there would not be a breakfast available the next day due to staffing issues. We booked this hotel based on the rating and the fact that the price was comparable to other very nice B&B's in Manchester and other surrounding towns. This place prominently displays an old award for "Best B&B in Bennington", but when I spoke with Joe the owner regarding the fact that there was no breakfast option available, he quickly said that they were "an Inn" and did not claim to be a B&B. You can't have it both ways, Joe. This place is not worth the rates that they are charging. Do yourself a favor and drive a little further to stay in Manchester or Albany...you will be glad you did. That's exactly what we did leaving $300+ on the table as it was a non-refundable rate, but I was not about to stay...

This is a very comfortable and attractive inn, located an easy couple of blocks from the heart of downtown. The decor is very Victorian, with lots of interesting antiques and carved wood. Our room (The Gold Room) was large and reasonably comfortable. The bath was ‘private’ but across the hall, so come prepared. There isn’t a TV, but that’s just fine, especially since the WiFi is very good. The bed was fine, although I’ve slept in better. The primary issue we had was with its understaffing. Although they knew our arrival time, the cleaning crew had to find our key and let us in (and finish prepping the room). We had no orientation to the breakfast arrangements, and on the first morning, upon not seeing evidence of anything set up, we went out. We were told later that day that indeed breakfast is served, 8-10, but the next morning it wasn’t set up until nearly 9. The third morning, the manager had to take over to set it up when the staff person didn’t show. He was very apologetic, but these morning glitches did dim our enthusiasm...