Inn at Montchanin Village

The location of the Inn was excellent. I thought the entire Montchanin Village was perfectly charming! Our suite was very spacious and comfortable. I was sad that the Inn is apparently up for sale. That might be the reason parts looked “ tired.” I hope it stays as an Inn. The place has lots of potential.

We (party of 2) stayed at the Montchanin Inn from May 24- May 28- so 4 nights total. The problems started when I booked it back in April of this year - I was charged immediately and I should not have been. They did immediately reverse the charge but because of foreign exchange fees (I’m Canadian) I was out $25. I decided I would talk to them and explain this when we checked in. We arrived May 24th and were assigned the Barnes suite. My initial thought was that the outside was very cute - you have your own little unit and outside door - but the interior opened into a small, dreary looking room that needed to updated about 10 years ago. We had trouble with the lock - you had to pull the door in a certain way to get it to work . One card didn’t work at all. Then I started noticing little ants everywhere - crawling on the robes they provide , on the little kitchenette counter , in the bathroom, etc. I would accept maybe a couple but not this many ! It was already late so we decided to stay the night and try to change rooms in the morning. The bed was very uncomfortable and I woke up sweating in the middle of the night - it had a horrible rubber sheet as a mattress cover ! I felt like I was in a hospital. The pillows were old and flat. Next came problems with the bathroom… the bathroom mirror was missing silver in multiple places and looked worse than something in a Motel 6. There were hairs on the shower door. The chrome was worn off the drain in the sink . There was a large chip out of the enamel in the bathtub. The exhaust fan was VERY loud. The sink vanity was worn and dirty. The very worst thing was the water ! I noticed black dust type dirt in the sink that wiped off - then I noticed little bits of black stuff in my glass - it looked like corrosion but it smeared like grease. I ended up using bottled water to brush my teeth. I went first thing in the morning to the check in desk (in the barn building ) to change rooms and the woman I spoke with (who was not the manager) apologized and found me a much better room in the Carpenter building - room C on the top floor. It was bright and airy and at least 2 times the size of Barnes (same room category). The large bathroom had a marble floor and was much cleaner . It had just a shower which could use new tiles - but it was fine . The marble on the threshold of the shower is deteriorating and they’ve tried to fix it with caulking which looks very slipshod . I burned my little finger on the makeup mirror - there is an exposed bulb that gets very hot and I accidentally touched it while I was looking for the on/off switch. I found the bed uncomfortable but at least it had a normal mattress cover and not a rubber / plastic lined one like at Barnes. Overall this room was acceptable . I will not stay here again because I think I should have been offered compensation for the first night. I spoke with the manager when I checked out and her attitude was very indifferent - she ended up giving me a $10 credit for the credit card billing mixup and that was all that she offered . It was very unpleasant talking with her and I found her to be very unfriendly . I read another review mentioning how it’s a joke they are part of the Historic Hotels of America and I agree - they should be reassessed . My advice is do not book here - the manager doesn’t care about your concerns . Property is unique but needs a lot of updating . Rooms vary wildly it seems, based on my experience . Some staff were pleasant and helpful and some were definitely not ! I passed the Fairville Inn up the road on the way to Longwood gardens - it is more expensive but looks very nice. I would try that or an Airbnb next time ! Also, the property has been up for sale for about 4-5 years so maybe the owner has just given up on this property - it seems that way, anyway! Hope this helps someone decide.

Astonishing lack of assistance. No one to help with bags to my room, in a driving rain storm, plus many steps down and up, and a walk from the parking lot. I arrived at 6:30 but the restaurant couldn't take another reservation for dinner? All around, disappointing. At no point in the reservation process was I informed of a long walk from the parking lot, steps down (10 perhaps), a steep set of stairs up to the front door (15 perhaps?) and a remarkably steep and narrow set of steps to the bedroom! I managed, but zero assistance was available (I asked). Potentially dangerous depending on your fitness.

The Inn is historic so walking around the grounds is unique and interesting. No breakfast is offered, nothing too walkable. No smart TV and you have to ask to get room refreshed. The pillows are awfully flat. My bed is OK. Bathroom nice and updated. Furniture historic, meaning marginal. Restaurant in site is good. Didn’t try any spa service. Lots to do with an Uber trip . Steps most everywhere. 3-20 so be aware of that.

This is a cool historic property that used to be part of the Winterthur estate, one of the Dupont family’s properties in the area, and was the perfect base for our visit to Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley, during which we visited Winterthur, Nemours Estate, Hagley Museum, and Longwood Gardens, all within 5-17 minutes driving distance. I booked a 2-bedroom suite for my family, and what I liked about this property is that the rooms have separate bathrooms, and depending on the layout, the rooms could either both be on the same floor, or on separate floors, so it was very private. I was traveling with my husband, our toddler, and my parents, so this setup was ideal for us. We were given a 3-floor apartment, so the bedrooms are on the 2nd & 3rd floors, with a living room area on the ground floor, which has a mini fridge, microwave, small sink, and comes with coffee & tea, which you can also get in the main lobby. The property was built to house the staff that worked on the DuPont estate back in the day, and the grounds are laid out like a small village with individual cottages or townhouses, which I thought was unique and interesting. It is a little dated in parts and there were some details that missed the mark, like the bed is comfortable enough but the mattress is a bit creaky, our phones weren’t working so I couldn’t call the front desk and had to walk there, the toilet paper roll was sliding off a slanted holder that was loose, and the one that bothered me most was how heavily perfumed the housing unit was when we walked in. Artificial air fresheners give me a headache, so I found the Glade plug-in and had to unplug it and air out the rooms. None of those things were a big deal to me (except the air freshener) but more attention to detail could be paid to the maintenance. The rooms were otherwise very clean and comfortable, and we loved the charm and character of the place. The staff we encountered were all warm and friendly. We really enjoyed our stay here and would definitely book it again if we return to the area.