Rabbit Hill Inn

Rabbit Hill Inn was the best B&B experience of my life! I've been to soooo many inns in New England and in America -- nothing compares to this one. Just know that you will receive excellent service from friendly staff who have real concern for your happiness and comfort. This is a serene place with a VERY romantic setting and luxurious accommodations (the Loft room is amazing +++ especially in autumn with the gorgeous foliage right in front of the bedroom window). They serve the best gourmet meals in both the restaurant and the pub. And although I went alone this time (my husband thought looking at leaves and antiques was 'boring'), Rabbit Hill was so awesome, I barely missed him.

Lovely getaway, you are met with joy, kindness and elegance. It is a charming Inn with excellent service and even better food! 24 Karats restaurant is absolutely wonderful and the daily breakfast is superb. The bed was comfy and the place was quiet. Loved it.

My husband and I stayed at the RHI for three nights based on the recommendations of some friends who happen to be previously innkeepers of another Select Registry Inn. They were no doubt familiar with the previous owners of the RHI, not the new owners, who we never saw. We have stayed at many Select Registry Inns, including one just three days prior to our stay at the RHI. We were not impressed with the RHI. Our room, the Music room, was spacious but tired. The wood floors had many loose boards when you walked on them, and there was no way to be quiet. Also, the fireplace looks pretty, but it gives off no heat at all. Someone else mentioned in a review that the stairs going to the above floors were steep and the bannister near the top was pretty useless. We totally agree. Anyone with mobility issues would find the stairs a challenge. The Inn needs more staff and more smiling faces. One of the few servers did not know how to pronounce items on the restaurant menu. They ran out of the special just a short time after the restaurant opened. We waited a long time for food. Breakfast was fine, but all in all, the Rabbit Hill Inn did not warrant the expensive rate. This Inn was the most expensive we stayed at in New England, and our stays at other inns were far more enjoyable and worth the price. We will not return. There are far better options in New England.

My husband and I have visited Vermont every year during fall foliage for the past 30 years. We have stayed in Northern Vermont, Central Vermont, and Southern Vermont-Always in an Inn or Bed and Breakfast. We love the intimate atmosphere and experiences that a small establishment typically offers. So this year, I booked the Rabbit Hill Inn for two nights in the Samuel Hodby Luxury room during the beautiful Fall Foliage season this year. I have been following RHI on Instagram for quite some time and was excited to see they had a luxury room available back in August for a two night stay in October. This was a late add on to our Vermont road trip as I made a Manchester reservation that was booked last November. Keep in mind, you have to reserve your stay early for Fall Foliage Season. I was so excited! I always say the journey is just as exciting as the final destination. My husband and I were prepared for the 7+ hour journey and I was filled with excitement and anticipation to finally get to RHI. After all, they advertise and boast “they are the #4 Top Resort in New England” The pictures on their website are gorgeous and the reviews are amazing. So to say I was shocked at our “luxury room” well, that brought me to TripAdvisor once I received a follow up email from RHI asking for a review of our stay. I must say the Inn itself is lovely, charming and everything you would expect from a Vermont Inn. The staff couldn’t be nicer too. Please keep in mind that the cost of our “luxury room” was $659 a night so with tax and a $40 Historic Preservation Fee, our grand total for 2 nights came to $1,476.62. After our stay, my husband researched and found the RHI does not advertise any Historic Preservation fee. Therefore this fee was a surprise to us. I think anyone considering reserving the Samuel Hodby room should be warned ahead of time. I wish someone would have posted something on TripAdvisor for me to see. If they did, I probably wouldn’t have booked it. So I hope I’m saving someone the disappointment we felt after checking in. I think the easiest way to put into words how we felt we were duped and taken advantage of is best put into a pros and cons list: Pros: The room was very clean The Inn is absolutely adorable The staff was very friendly The restaurant and pub served delicious meals Easy to use gas fireplace in the room Nice location to visit NH Cons: The bathroom to this “luxury room” is straight out of the 80s. The toilet is about 13 inches from the floor. I kid you not-I thought it was a children’s toilet as found in a preschool. The shower is a pre fab plastic fitted shower-not tiled. The jacuzzi tub is up a step on a platform under a makeshift wooden canopy fixture. The color is a bright blue robins egg color. No wonder they don’t post a picture of this bathroom on their website! I say do a complete renovation on this bathroom -rip out the tub-put in a two person steam shower. They have the space-make it into a spa bathroom retreat! Housekeeping: well we didn’t have any. In their words on their memo: “As an earth-conscious Inn, we offer fresh towels daily upon request and a full housekeeping service every 2nd day of your stay.” I’m not sure how being an earth-conscious inn means housekeeping can’t clean out your waste baskets or make your bed. So on my vacation, I made our bed and tidied our room before going out. An envelope was left in our room so we could leave a tip for housekeeping. Are you serious? That’s insulting! Breakfast was included during our stay and it was delicious. Kudos to the chef! But before we left, I had to sign a receipt confirming our room and if I would like to add a tip. I’ve never experienced that before. I don’t feel that is in good taste at all Afternoon Tea is available and served in beautiful china. No pastries or cookies to go with teatime but they did have one sweet selection-a tiny lemon square one afternoon and a chocolate/cheesecake square the second afternoon. They were the size of a sugar cube. Another woman I met during my teatime couldn’t believe what they put out either. Will we be returning to Rabbit Hill Inn? That’s a firm NO. Will we recommend Rabbit Hill Inn to friends and family? Nope. I feel the cost of the room did not meet the services offered. Boy were we disappointed!

We loved this Inn. Rabbit is charming, historic , warm and inviting. The staff was great and did everything possible to make our stay the best. Breast and dinner were both delicious and creative yet familiar. The helped us with additional side trip to Willoughby Lake which was fantastic and a great morning side trip for us. Can’t wait until next time.