Blacksmith Inn On the Shore — Hotel in Town of Baileys Harbor

We do a lot of travel and stay in many B&Bs. I have been to Door County WI many times as well but we decided to stay on the “quiet side” of the peninsula this time and chose The Blacksmith Inn on the Shore based on the images on their website and the fact that they advertised a private beach. ||This is an historic building and very lovely decorated. Upon arrival in our room I was first disappointed that our room didn’t have the flying geese quilt on the bed as shown and advertised on their website. Ok, not a deal breaker but still disappointing. ||After unpacking, we decided to take a walk down to their private beach. The rickety boardwalk was a little dicey and didn’t have much of a railing to hang on to and ran over a swampy area before opening up to a mowed lawn. We then had to cross thru another small marshy area before finally reaching the sandy beach. This is when the real disappointment began. ||The images on their website showed a T shaped pier from the beach out over the water. There was no dock or pier and the beach was absolutely filthy and covered with animal poo!! It was stinky and gross and totally unusable as an enjoyable beach. I was so looking forward to a week of relaxation on the beach and this was completely crushing. ||Next morning we discovered yet another, even more disappointing problem. Our breakfast was delivered to our room at the time we chose but we quickly discovered there wasn’t a place to sit down at and eat in our room! ||There was a tiny end table, a heavy upholstered wingback chair, and one ladder back chair in the room. The balcony had 2 Adirondack chairs and a small (16x20) side table. But after a storm the night before, the balcony furniture was soaking wet and dripping water from the balcony above ours. ||We used bath towels to dry off the furniture on the balcony and decided to eat breakfast there. But, the sun was so incredibly bright and hot that we didn’t enjoy our meal at all. ||This angered me more than the unusable beach. How can you advertise “breakfast in your room” and not have an adequate table and chairs to sit and eat at??? I would highly suggest owners need to put a small flip up table in the room and remove the wing chair and bring in another ladder back chair. | |Also, the high pile carpet in the room felt outdated and odd given the hot tub was right...

My husband and I spent three nights at the beautiful Blacksmith Inn. We stayed in room 6 which is on the top floor, making it very quiet and private. It was spotless and had all of the little touches that one hopes for during their stay. The whirlpool tub was relaxing and after adding the available packet of bath salts, my skin felt amazing! The bed was comfortable, but for two people used to a king size, felt a little small. The weather was too warm for use of the fireplace, but the lovely deck overlooking the lake was perfect for fresh air and gorgeous scenery. We ordered breakfast two mornings and loved the spinach and ricotta croissant, the bacon and egg croissant, and the pumpkin pecan muffin was so yummy! It was lovely to have breakfast delivered to our room each morning!|We stopped by two nearby breweries - Sway - delicious beers and great ambiance, we sat outside on the patio to enjoy the beers and the beautiful day, and Door County Brewing Company - fun, lively atmosphere with good music, we enjoyed the giant, delicious pretzel and some great beers! Both breweries are within walking distance of the inn. |One night we ate at Bailey's Harbor Cornerstone Pub, also within walking distance. It was busy when we arrived, so we sat outside with drinks and waited for our table. Our waitress (forgot her name) was awesome and helpful with decision making! We had fried fish and seafood chowder, both were delicious!|We also enjoyed a Fish Boil at The White Gull Inn in Fish Creek (pronounced Crick ;) and is a bucket list item if you're in Door County! |The Blacksmith Inn is the perfect place to stay in Door County! Quiet and less congested than other towns, short walk to shops, breweries, and restaurants, and a quick drive to many cool things...

It was not as advertised. The in room tub was great! Breakfast at the door was nice. However, the cost does not match the experience. Staff was occasionally friendly. Although the location and view seem ideal, the constant noise and putrid smell from the “beach” soil the experience. You can hear everything fellow guests are saying anywhere at the inn. Staff often stomp around and slam doors. The bed and pillows were pitiful. It was a painful sleep. There was no light where the coffee maker is. Since it is plugged into the wall and there was so no light in the cubbard , you were forced to attempt to operate the inconsistently performing kuerig in the dark. Black washcloths are a huge no in the hospitality industry and yet were provided. The inn also charges you on the first night which is fine but seems very rushed when hotels typically charge upon checkout. We will not make the trip or expense again.

Updating from 3 to 2 star upon new information: in addition to our less than desirable stay, our family tried to call to arrange a gift to be present in our room upon check in. The rude clerk on the phone offered only two alcohol options. When asked if there was anything non alcoholic (Candy, soda, a single balloon, a post it note saying congratulations, something), the clerk bluntly stated “no” and stopped the conversation. The clerk had so many options to provide good customer service- politely decline off menu requests, suggest alternate options, or perhaps accommodate a simple request. Furthermore, there was no acknowledgement of our celebration at check in over a month later- not a simple greeting. This is the kind of service expected at a 1 star...