The White House Inn — Hotel in Wilmington

We stayed here for 3 days last week right as the foliage was at peak/past peak. The property is very old, charming, cute.

Booking at this property for more than one day is complicated, you have to book one day at a time and can’t do it in one booking. Because of this, the staff kept thinking we were checking out at the end of each day, and there was little to no communication between staff members. The first day we got a call from housekeeping because they couldn’t get into our room. A bit annoying when you get a call when you’re out and about enjoying your day. Please take this into account if you are staying here for more than one day.

We got one of the deluxe rooms (I think) that had a view. The most annoying part of this is that if you need to get to the front desk, speakeasy downstairs or restaurant, from here you have to walk outside on wet grass to get to it. You can’t enter from the door that says “hotel” (it was locked), you have to go in through the main entrance for anything. Did not like this aspect when it was damp and cold during our visit.

If you don’t get a room on an upper floor you will hear every step someone makes above you, sometimes even diagonal from you (we were in room 112). Sometimes you could hear people talking, so at times it felt like we had no privacy. I understand it’s an old property, so if you want some semblance of privacy with one of the deluxe rooms, ask for top floor. However, it was the worst the first night, and seemed to improve the last two nights as I don’t think there was anyone above us.

The bed was very comfortable however. Probably the best part of the stay.

Our fireplace in the room did not work. I asked the girl at the front desk, and she informed me that they were “trying to get someone to come fix it”. This would’ve been really nice to have with the weather we had. Another annoying part of the stay.

We also had no bathtub. Very small bathroom.

When we were here the restaurant for dinner was only open Sunday night, and we didn’t know this until the night we wanted to eat here and it was closed. Free breakfast here is actually kind of pathetic, only offer packets of oatmeal, bagels, toast, fruit and hard boiled eggs. You should at least have some hot options on a hot plate like French toast, sausage. So keep in mind the awesome plates of breakfast you may see on the reviews here are from the brunch menu. I was really disappointed in the breakfast and we were both starving a few hours later.

I’d give this place another chance next time we’re in Vermont, but I’d time the stay differently so we can make better use of the...

I had brunch here with a friend this past Sunday, and the food and wait service, as well as drinks from the bar, were fantastic.

I withheld one star because one of the managers told my server that my Visa gift cards weren't good for the whole amount in restaurants and that I could only use 20% of what the balance was. I have used Visa gift cards in restaurants many times before and never come across this. I asked friends, family, as well as other restaurants in town, and every single person agreed that they've never heard of that and that it was absolute bs. I was extremely disappointed and confused as to why they would tell a customer that and also that the manager chose to send the server to tell me this instead of coming to my table herself. Needless to say, besides being embarrassed, I was angry to be treated like my money wasn't good enough. Not only that, but while the server was at my table telling me this, the women working seemed more interested in snickering in the hallway than doing w.e. their jobs are. I felt I was being watched the entire time I was there, and it was most unnerving. I absolutely would not return simply because of the staff and how poorly they handled the very odd situation they put me in. It's a shame because the food and drinks were excellent. It seems the management staff needs to be properly trained in how to respect customers and make them feel welcome instead of alienated in their establishment. The only reason we weren't 100% uncomfortable was the friendly bartender and kind server who offered to give his tip back because he felt so bad after telling me they couldn't use all of my card. We made it clear that was his tip and that we didn't need it back, but it was awfully sweet he offered. Give them...

We arrived on a Thursday to what felt like a mostly empty inn. No lawns games or outdoor fire (nor entertainment)...what we did find astounded us. This gorgeous, historic inn was such fun to see and explore. The downstairs game room. The sitting room. The outdoor gardens are WOW.

As we all know, "people" make the travel experience, and this place (with one exception) delivered. The exception will not be elaborated upon, because we addressed it with management, and as a strong google reviewer, I only want to state what is helpful to others evaluating whether to stay here. Yes! Do choose the White House Inn.

Tips for those staying here: be sure you know whether you're choosing an indoor room (within the lodge) or an outdoor room (they have 2). We landed in an outdoor room and for the most part we liked it. Our door was embedded in a wall of windows that looked out upon the sloping valley to town. Stunning. However, this meant walking thru wet, dewey grass in a.m. if you're entering lodge before staff unlocks the side door (this happened to us).

ALSO, and this is a BIG "also," be sure to ask for a coffee maker in your room. No one told us we could have one, and after finding NO coffee in the lodge til breakfast time (starts 7.30), we drove into town to buy Dunkin donuts coffee. This would be a deterrent for ever staying again, except that you absolutely can have an in-room coffee maker.

We ate in the restaurant one evening. Very nice. Good food. We enjoyed drinks on the deck both evenings of our stay (thx Mike & Amanda!). We are grateful this place exists and we hope to...