Barrows House

On our anniversary trip to Vermont, Barrows House was one of 6 inns/B&Bs we stayed at - there were positives and some negatives related to our experience. Dorset, VT is an adorable town but note: there is not too much to do if planning to stay longer than one night. Service: staff were friendly but service (quality) was uneven. When we arrived we learned that our room we had selected/reserved was not available that night. The male staff member indicated we had been "upgraded" to the main inn since our booked room was not going to be possible without an explanation (there had been no heads up prior to our arrival). The "upgraded" room was dark, noisy, and lacked a true sitting area/fireplace - definitely not an upgrade from what we had selected. When asking whether we could shift to a quieter room in our original building, we were informed that nothing was going to be available in that building due to renovations. He didn't want us to have to pay more for a more expensive room (what? why would this be our problem?) Instead of staff troubleshooting, we had to do the necessary research to find another option in a different building which was stressful and tiring. The next day we learned that we were to ONLY guests at Barrows House that night and there should have been a wider selection of rooms to shift us into. To make matters worse, if we had stuck with the main inn "upgrade" we would have been woken up by construction noise as they removed the front balcony at 8am! There was no recognition that we were celebrating our anniversary there or anything to acknowledge the disruption associated with shifting to a room that lacked the amenities of our originally booked room (while paying the same price), "for your troubles...let's buy your dessert or here's a glass of wine on us, etc..." The check-out process went much more smoothly with a female staff member who offered coffee for the road and seemed generally interested in guests. Room: Ultimately our eventual room had shared tub/shower, no fireplace but was much quieter than main inn. The decorations were tasteful and modern. The bath products (Beekman) were nice but not local as one might have hoped. It is recommended that people avoid the main inn if they are noise-sensitive. As noted by other reviewers, black-out shades should be added or supply guests with masks. The common area did not have the advertised "snacks" and tea but we realized the next morning they were at the main inn. Barrow's Restaurant: Beautiful outdoor seating available with firepit and other tricks to keep bugs at bay. Expansive menu with many tasty choices. Friendly service and delicious small plates. Fluffernutter dessert was expensive for size but yummy. Breakfast: Dorset bakery was cute and quaint. Guests can select from a menu of breakfast choices or get a danish and coffee. The breakfast burrito was divine with bacon added and the coffee was to die for! Friendly service and option to eat outside. Other comments: The pool was popular with the younger guests/families (assuming they were staying at the Dorset Inn); the courts were not in use during our visit but appeared to be in terrific condition. It is clear that construction is happening in the summer and rooms still appear available - future guests are advised to check whether you will be able to stay in the room you booked prior to arrival. Don't assume it will be taken care of seamlessly.

Warm hospitality and delicious food made for a relaxing dining experience! We arrived on Trivia night and learned how much fun the patrons have at this event and were welcomed to join. We declined as we were looking for a quiet evening and we enjoyed our meal in the main dining area.

I don't know what was up tonight. We ate there a year ago and were really looking forward to another great experience. Tonight though, our appetizers took an hour to arrive and our main dishes came cold. The waitress was great and apologetic, but something misfired. $600 for three couples and a bad experience.

We visited for a friend's wedding and it was perfect. The wedding and reception were inside the building and we were extremely impressed. The food and service was exceptional. It is a beautiful town and I would love to come back one day. We had a large group for dinner the night before the wedding and then a larger group for the reception and everyone commented that the food and service was outstanding.

I want to give a huge shout out to the Barrows House team, particularly Renee and Colleen, for going above and beyond to make sure my family had a great vacation. My family of four (including a 3 year old and a baby) arrived at a rental house on Saturday for a week long vacation and were extremely disappointed with the accommodations. I was scrambling and reached out the BH team late that night to see if they could relocate us to one of their rentals. They answered my request that evening, and by the next afternoon, we were in a beautiful home managed by the Barrows House. From there on out, we had a magical stay. They literally saved the day for our family and for the vacation that we were so looking forward to. I am forever grateful for their kindness and will be a lifelong guest of and advocate for this special hotel!