WilloughVale Inn & Cottages — Hotel in Westmore

LONG BUT WORTHY READ. ||This trip through New England was so highly anticipated. I planned it for months, and WilloughVale Inn seemed like a really great place to stop along route. In terms of the stay, it was clean and comfortable, with a beautiful view of Lake Willoughby from the window. We didn't need anything fancy - the rooms are larger than average and the breakfast is a nice touch. ||Where things went wrong is the way WilloughVale Inn handled the kayak and canoes. First off, there are zero parameters in place. No rental agreements, no sign up sheet, no "rules of lake" or cautionary instructions. It's great that they are complimentary with the stay, but people coming in from all over the world and out of town could benefit from useful information, most of which may be completely new to them. ||We took out a canoe thinking we'd have a serene row through the lake, when the wind picked up and capsized our canoe. We were thrust into cold water, along with all of our belongings, including all of my professional camera equipment. Yes, we are adults and made the decision to take the boat out, but later found out that other places surrounding the lake don't even allow canoes out on the lake after September, due to the unique depth and coldness of Lake Willoughby, and the unpredictability of the weather. ||That day there was no one on the lake, and everyone seemed to know that the weather could turn, except us. So it makes you wonder why we weren't even given the courtesy of a "be careful out there, the water could get choppy," or "stay by the shore since the weather can be unpredictable." Anything that would have prevented us from the life-threatening situation that we faced. Information is power, and as human beings, like it or not, we have a responsibility to uphold with one another. If something as simple as a 60-second sentence is too much for a professional establishment to utter, then I don't have much faith in our humanity, let alone a small Bed and Breakfast on the side of the road in Orleans, VT. ||At the end of the day, this property should be an expert in the space they occupy, as they are hospitality pros and it's literally their job to act as somewhat of a concierge to the destination that pulls guests into their business. From that perspective, I'm extremely let down by the lack of compassion, by the $500 charge they slapped on us almost immediately after meeting the manager in person, and mostly, at the complete lack of remorse on their end. ||If the front desk girl didn't offhand say, "The lifejackets are in the shed," I might not be writing this review right now. ||So please allow me to do something they apparently could not. ||- DO NOT take out a canoe after September in the colder months. ||- Kayaks might be a different story, but even so, make sure you never drift too far from the shoreline. ||- Keep a close eye on the weather whenever there is a body of water involved. ||- Make sure that all lifejackets fit your individual body so they can actually function as they are meant to. Trust your gut and don't listen to people who care more about profit than your wellbeing. ||The end. Thank you...

We stayed in the Robert Frost cottage. Upon our check-in, we were told the restaurant was closed (due to labor shortage) which is a bummer but not unexpected in these times. Thankfully, we planned to cook our own meals and brought our own food.

Upon entry, we discovered the refrigerator had been turned down so it was completely warm. I called the front desk and the innkeeper was apologetic. She did offer me a cooler with ice, but I turned thr fridge up to the coldest setting and put our food in the freezer to at least keep it cool but that was a juggling act so as not to freeze our food. The fridge did come to appropriate temperature eventually, but not something you want to deal with at the start of a vacation.

The cottage had an unpleasant odor to it and the carpet was not appropriately vacuumed, as my toddler delightedly found crushed M&Ms all over (we were not delighted).

The cottage is old and sparse - and not in the quaint way. Peeling paint outside, the water pressure is dismal and the shower stall is tiny. The kitchen isn’t well stocked. For instance, I could not find oven mitts or potholders, no decent frying pan or cookware, and there was no hand soap at the kitchen sink. There was a sponge cut in half (???) to wash dishes and there was also a dishwasher that was very old and directly underneath the sink, which is plain awkward.

The beds and pillows were old and uncomfortable. Something was banging against the house (we think it was a tree branch) that woke us every now and then.

Another odd thing was there was no welcome binder or manual. And no umbrella for the table outside. We would have loved to eat outside but the sun was beating down. We could see the cottage next to us had one on their deck.

The good: the central air worked well and kept the place cool. The view is amazing. The grill on the deck is newish… must have been recently replaced because an old broken one was leaned up against the cottage.

In reading other reviews, it sounds like the Willoughvale has been in decline since the new ownership and the pandemic. It’s quite disheartening. We are trying to be understanding in these times, but $395 a night for this was ridiculous. Will definitely come back to Lake Willoughby, but we won’t be staying at the...

The WilloghVale is a mediocre inn to stay at. I stayed with my family in several rooms for my brother and his partner’s wedding weekend, and there were several problems that just didn’t justify the very high cost of a mediocre place to stay. Having lived in big cities, $200 a night gets you a pretty good hotel - this felt more like a motel than anything.

The “continental breakfast” consisted solely of store bought bagels, muffins, and cereal. Very lackluster breakfast.

The shower head and shower water pressure in our room was awful - in combination with a tiny shower space, it made for an uncomfortable shower.

The check in process is very insecure after hours - for guests who check in after the front desk is available (~6pm), they only leave a key in an envelope and TAPE IT to the front door where anyone can take it, VERY insecure and lot very trust inspiring

The inn restaurant and bar was closed. This was one of the main draws to this place when we booked and it was unexpectedly closed. We were looking forward to patronizing the bar in the evenings as a place to unwind, but it was “closed for the season”

We needed access to our room until 2pm the second day we stayed there, and they informed us it was too late to have our rooms cleaned/beds made. Very unfortunate that an expensive inn doesn’t have the capacity to clean a room after 2pm. When they did have the chance to make the beds, they simply folded the sheets and covers over the bed, rather than making them with fresh sheets.

My brother and his wife stayed in one of the cottages, which seemed to be nicer than my stay. However. The deck showed serious signs of settling and at some times felt unsafe to sit on (based on the paint job on the siding the deck had settled ~3 inches)

If you have guests staying both at the inn and the cottages (which I will add was confusing to book and to tell the difference aside from price), they are across the street from eachother - there is no crosswalk, no signs, and poor visibility for the cars on this road. Each time crossing felt very unsafe.

Overall I would not stay here again due to the cost out of proportion to the amenities. Find some place cheaper even if it means staying outside of...