Eleven Gables Inn and Cottage on Lake Geneva — Hotel in Lake Geneva

Having never been to a bed and breakfast, we wasn't sure what to expect. We are used to hotels so we may be a little off base here. When we arrived, it was a little difficult to find the entrance and it we thought there was very limited parking on the somewhat busy street out front. We circled the block a couple of times before we found where we had to go and asked somebody as they were getting into their car if this was the correct place. Our luck, he was leaving, so we were able to park in front of the inn. We were also informed by this patron that we needed to ring the bell at the door to enter (there wasn't a sign at the door that would tell us we needed to ring the bell.) It would've been nice to be informed about parking, as well as ringing the bell, before we arrived. Turns out there was plenty of parking in the back. We walked in and it was no doubt quite charming and very quaint. Just what one would expect for a bed-and-breakfast. We were then lead up to our room. We were taken aback by how small it was. We had to walk up stairs to get to our room. Had we been elderly or disabled we would not have been able to do this, and would have been out of luck, having already paid for our room with no refund policy and no place else to stay in Lake Geneva. As far as being elderly, there were a few dips in the flooring in our room and we both tripped several times, both in the dips and on the rug that kept bunching up, even though we tried to move it ourselves. The bathroom was very small. There was no place to hang any towels and minimal surface space. Not even a hook on the door. The tub/shower was so small that I could not help touching the shower curtain throughout my shower which made me feel a little grossed out, not being sure how well it was cleaned. The bathroom had a second (locked from the inside) entrance that led directly into the hallway. This wouldn't have been an issue except there was a big enough gap under the door, that we felt whatever noises were made inside that bathroom were easily heard outside in the hallway. The room itself, although very pretty, had very poor lighting, no drawers, or storage space of any kind except for an armoire that had one wire hanger inside. There was a lamp table, a wobbly bedside table and another small table in the room. We ended up literally living out of our suitcases for the weekend. We appreciate that the furniture was old and charming, but it was rickety and when we used one of the posts of the four poster bed for support the post actually came out in our hand. We were afraid to lean against the armoire for support because that also seemed wobbly. We walked out onto the balcony which has a beautiful view of the lake right across the street. The deck seemed to be in bad shape and the wood looked like it needed a lot of treatment. We weren't quite sure how much weight this balcony could support. We were told ahead of time that no breakfast would be served, which is a shame, considering this is a bed-and-breakfast, but we knew to expect that. We were also told that there was Internet, but found it to be incredibly weak and at many times we could not get it. We weren't sure whether they made up your room at a bed and breakfast and brought fresh towels in the morning, so we did not make up our bed. We came back into the room later and found the room was exactly as we had left it. All in all we thought that this was a bit expensive for the lack of amenities, but then again, having never been to a bed and breakfast, we didn't know...

This was our first stay in the Cottages on the lake. Previously, we were in the room with a lake view and King suite, which was two room suite with a king bed and dressing room. The cottage is like the Suite an very private with two rooms, since we brought our Nuffie along this time we stayed here. It has a refrigerator and mico with a real deer head above the fireplace. Even with the hot weather we chilled out for two days we stayed. The innkeeper Peter really seem to put great effort in ensuring the comfort and satisfaction of our stay. They showed us were the lake path begins in front of the property so we could walk the dogs in the morning, and told us about the Miracle fence and property and the story of the Stone House. It is well worth the trip. We took our cure of the dog and went along for a long walk on the path then jumped in the lake when we got back to the inn. The cottage is a short distance, three blocks, to the main shopping and dinning areas of downtown Lake Geneva while being secluded away from traffic noise. There are to immediate building or business surrounding the cottage which adds to the peacefulness of the area as well. The cottage isn't the "poshest" place we stayed, in comparison to the suite at the inn. It doesn't need to be. It is exactly what we look for: clean, comfortable place to chill out for the weekend at a good rate. It will be our "go to" place when we plan our next trip to Wisconsin, we'll definitely be back. The owners were kind enough to show us the ice house after the grumpy kids checked out and it was real cool with sky view windows above the beds. I should point out the grounds were very dark at night so were were able to play movies on our portable projector outside on the deck and see the stars. Being located in a very upscale neighborhood the outside was very quite. No honing of horns or dumpsters being unloaded in the early a.m. The kids will love the many custom nooks and hideaways in the ice house if we bring them next summer. The private pier they have is great, we spent the whole weekend swimming and noodling. The water temperature was like a bath some regulars told us it was like that all this summer with the heat wave. They no longer serve breakfast due to lack of demand but provide a healthy smack and coffee in the morning of Greek yogurt, fruit, and organic milk and granola. IF you want to eat pig it is best to go downtown there are some awesome restaurants three blocks away. They did provide an outdoor charcoal grill and table so we didn't have to eat out much. All in all is was a...

Not good, i.e., where's Norman Bates? Friends from So. Illinois and I (from Minnesota) planned to meet in Lake Geneva with our dogs for last weekend. My friend found Eleven Gables online as a dog friendly spot, and there was the 2-bedroom cottage available. Gary met me at the Inn to check in on Friday. He emerged from the back area wearing badly stained sweatpants and t-shirt. His very aggressive coon hound was standing up at the inner doorway, barking wildly. When my friends and I went to the cottage, we were dumbfounded to find the cottage to be very shabby, dirty (the quilt on my very uncomfortable bed hadn't been replaced or washed for what appeared to be a long time), no comfortable places to sit except on the worn out and dirty wicker furniture on the small porch. There was a fridge/freezer, microwave and coffee maker along with silverware and placemats. No dishes, no cups, not even paper cups for the bathroom. No large or small bars of soap, only remnants of dishwashing liquid. The bathroom was surprisingly nice, clearly remodeled in recent years. Thank god there were clean towels and the bed sheets were clean. Landscaping was all overgrown, blocking walkways and two small patios - which had no furniture. The shaky dock had Gary and his dog nearby when we checked it out, and his dog was not friendly. We were more than disappointed. And this cost $300/night! If it had been $8/night it would have been understandable. The Inn seemed to have people coming and going, and I can't say how it was to stay there. The common area was dark and shabby and I had no interest returning after checking in. Now the positive, yes, ONE positive note. The location is fantastic. Across the street from the walking path around part of the lake, on a path at the base of homeowners properties - mansions high up on the left and the lake, docks, boats a few feet to the right. And the parks, business district, restaurants and lake are all within reasonable...