Tidewater Inn — Hotel in Easton

I have purposefully waited months since our wedding to write this review. I wanted to take time to fully process my thoughts and emotions in hopes of generating a fair and honest assessment of our experience with the Tidewater Inn. As one would expect, it was exceedingly difficult for couples and venues alike to navigate the complexities that the wedding industry faced during this pandemic - and in full disclosure that is absolutely coloring my review in some ways.

In general, I very much think that the Tidewater Inn is an extraordinary place to get married. The food is fantastic, and the setting is a truly remarkable blend of historic charm and that oft-sought after “small town feel”. I attribute a major part of our negative experience to the stress that the staff were obviously feeling in balancing the enforcement of COVID19 precautions while still maintaining the hospitality that they are well known for. The result, unfortunately, was a feeling that we were guests that had to be tolerated, but not necessarily welcomed. I would not say that my spouse and I felt the warm glow of being a bride and groom (and then newlyweds) at the Tidewater – in fact, we often felt like the staff were quite loveless—and that made us very sad. The planning and preparations leading up to the wedding had gone so well that it left us feeling confused and uncertain when the wedding weekend arrived in such disharmony.

I had made plans to meet the wedding coordinator at the venue when we arrived the Thursday prior to the wedding in order to touch base and drop off décor for the event—she was not there when we arrived and not even on site that day, unbeknownst to me. We did not see or hear from her until the ceremony rehearsal on Friday evening. I felt abandoned – maybe I didn’t have any right to, but I did.

Additionally, we (bridal party, family, guests) patronized the hotel tavern on multiple occasions (wonderful spot). Our guests were admittedly non-judicious with obeying the face covering rules while standing at the bar tables, but not egregiously so. The way that the staff reprimanded those who transgressed was not respectful nor was it forgiving. I felt that they were contemptuous. One staff member in particular at the tavern was unbelievably discourteous, as was the male bartender. There is a right way and a wrong way to correct behavior (which I acknowledge should not have been necessary but alas, to err is human) and this was the wrong way. I understand that we made a conscious decision to proceed with a wedding during a time in our country that is nothing less than tumultuous, but they were open for business.

There were SO many positives – the Terrasse spa, ceremony setting, Brandy Milligan, the pet friendly rooms, the food, overall ambiance – and I do not wish for the negatives to renounce those.

I write this review having spent a great deal of time reflecting upon our experience and trying to set emotion aside – perhaps I still failed on that account. Nothing has been written carelessly or without thought to the people that it will reach. We left our wedding weekend having had an absolutely amazing time with our family and friends, but also with a poor perception of the Tidewater Inn, which we had loved so...

Tidewater Inn made our wedding day perfect. Melanie, the events coordinator there, is fantastic. We were worried this place was out of our budget, but she found creative ways to give us everything we wanted without breaking the bank. She's meticulous and flexible and one of the sweetest people you'll work with throughout the wedding-planning process.

When the big day finally came, my husband and I couldn't get over how attentive and accommodating the entire staff was. For example, one staff member noticed me standing awkwardly with the marriage license, not knowing where to put it, and immediately asked if she could take it up to the room.

Another example: I was worried my husband and I weren't going to get a chance to enjoy the food—I had been warned by married friends that you're usually too busy mingling with guests to eat. I asked Melanie if she could have someone bring a tray of food (specifically the food we chose for the wedding) up to our room soon after the ceremony started so that we could sneak up there for about 15 minutes and eat before making our reception entrance. We went up there to find an enormous tray full of food—even more than we could eat. It's little details like these that helped make this venue great.

Onto the big details: The place is gorgeous. We had our October ceremony in the Gold Ballroom Garden, which we called "the tent." It's this stunning semi-outdoor area shaped like the most beautiful round tent you've ever seen, with a couple of fireplaces built into the inside walls. It's completely covered but looks open at the top, thanks to a beautiful sail-cloth-style roof. I knew it was where I wanted to get married the second I walked inside it.

We had our reception in the Gold Ballroom, which provided the perfect space for our estimated 175 guests. Tidewater does it all: food (phenomenal, by the way—the fried oysters are a must), alcohol, linens, china, bridal suite, day-of wedding coordinator (Melanie).

The fact that it was also an inn was a big plus. Our guests were thrilled that everything—ceremony, reception, hotel—was all at the same place. The next day, we recounted the night's best parts with a few of our guests over brunch in the inn's restaurant (again, the food here is excellent).

It was the perfect wedding, and we couldn't have chosen a better venue. You can't go wrong planning your event here. I highly...

I was here before and it was so wonderful that I never forgot that. It was during the winter and I was sitting outside by the fire pits where they had tables and chairs and I was smoking a cigar and you would hear the clippity clop clippity clop of a horse and buggy as it was passing by on that snowy evening.

Now to the present. . The place is still a beautiful colonial hotel. The attendants provided great service. The room was clean and they provided water, snacks coffee all for no charge. The bed was comfortable.

I went downstairs to go to the tavern. The restaurant was full and the Tavern was empty. The service was splendid. I couldn't ask for a better server. I was confused about what to get and she made an excellent suggestion. It was very good. I ordered the pork spaetzle. I think that's what it's called. I also ordered Terrapin soup. It was the best. And I had a Balvenie doublewood (I think it was a 14-year). With tax and a generous tip for great service that comes to $85 for one person.

Here's why I was disappointed in my visit.

During the weekdays the restaurant does not serve breakfast. That bummed me out. Also, late at night I wanted to enjoy a very nice Cuban cigar outside by the fire pit sitting at a table along the street. The tables were closed down and there were no fire pits outside. That was a disappointment. One of the reasons I came here was because I wanted to get away, be by myself, and chill out in a peaceful, colonial atmosphere, where I could sit outside with a fine imported cigar, a top end spirit, and mellow out with the cook breeze clearing out my mind of all worries and stress. This is why I visited this place in the past and came back. This place is only 30 miles away from my home, but it's 200 years away (in the past) and feels like I'm hundreds of miles away in distance. But as I said the tables were closed down the fire pits were not there and it just ruined the atmosphere, and the experience for me of the pleasure of enjoying myself outside with a cigar, a scotch, a cool breeze on the brick patio of a colonial hotel, alongside a cobblestone street, while enjoying the...