The Inn at Little Washington

I'm in shock to see that anyone had anything but a 15 out of 10 experience at The Inn at Little Washington. We cannot say enough about our stay!!! From the moment we arrived, we were treated to exceptional hospitality and one-step-ahead of us service. The food and drink at Patty O's and the Bakery was delicious... each meal was presented so beautifully and delivered to us by their lovely wait staff. I loved the care and creativity given to my mocktails... and the variety of items on the Patty O's menu made it hard to chose, but fun to eat there 2 days in a row!! The matcha at the Bakery was incredible.... not all matchas are created equal so I was super excited to enjoy such a delicious one! Now onto the accommodations... the room was appointed beautifully in every way. Little special touches were everywhere including welcome treats in our room upon arrival, after dinner drinks and cookies in the evening and a sweet tin of homemade mints at check out... in addition to an adorable custom box that looked like the Inn filled with handmade chocolates after our dinner at the main restaurant. The decor was exceptional... The grounds were meticulously maintained. Every flower bed was blooming and overflowing... every bed perfectly manicured. Every room in the Inn had a different feeling... my favorite part were the ceilings... who knew you could decorate ceilings as wow factor of the room?!?! For being a smaller property, there were so many little nooks to tuck into to read or just lay and zone. The new pool was amazing... and the cabanas were so comfortable and wonderful that you don't have to reserve them... anyone can enjoy them! The pool was so peaceful - the perfect place to feel the breeze and listen to the birds, along with the charming church bells throughout the day. The staff was beyond gracious... from the point we arrived until we drove away. They went out of their way to ask us what the special occasion was... and we shared that we had just dropped our youngest off to college and from that point on, our desserts had "congratulations" written on them. And now onto the meal at the main restaurant. It was BEYOND in every way. The food was art. The flavors danced in our mouths. We felt so blessed to be able to enjoy food in such a special way. The wait staff took such pride in their work and were so knowledgable, super friendly and down to earth. We were obsessed with water sommelier who provided us with a delicious flight of water and an amazing education on mineral water to accompany our meal. The wine sommelier was equally impressive... the wines were exquisitely paired with my husband's courses... There were so many special surprises in between each course and we had so many wait staff helping our table we wanted for nothing. It was by far, the most incredible meal of our life. Christina (I think that was her name) was a doll. We can't wait to return to the Inn with my parents - it's one of those special places that you want to share with others!!

I had the good fortune to have dinner at The Inn this past week. I’ll start by saying this was not my first time dining at the Inn and this was the best dining experience I have had since the last time I dined at The Inn. From the reception at the front door to sitting at our table, we were treated as if we were the only people dining that night. The personalized menus are always a nice touch as are the smiles of the friendly staff. The menus always has a choice of three paths for the diner to choose from; the Here And Now, Enduring Classics and The Good Earth menus all offering mouth watering courses to choose from. My dinner companion and I opted for the “classics” menu for our dinner. We were blessed with a few treats or amuse-bouche before the dishes that made up our menu choice came to the table. We were told about the abundance of produce from the Inn’s farm that has blessed the kitchen to be able to provide out of this world treats! We actually had two but hands down the one with the tomato water aspic (not your mother’s aspic) was most outstanding! Most memorable items from our menu was the Chesapeake Bay Crab and Corn “Pudding” with fresh Tomatoes and Pickled Peppers from the Garden and the Chilled Maine Lobster with a Parisienne Salad of Orange, Avocado and Cucumber. Both were mind blowing and impressed our tastebuds tremendously. One of the things I love about dining at The Inn is that the dishes are visually stunning and taste incredible. Many Michelin Star restaurants today are more focused on the visual that the taste is most definitely secondary. We ate at a 3 Michelin Star rated restaurant in Monte Carlo not to long ago that served the most visually appealing dishes where the taste did not stand up to the presentation; making us wonder if Michelin got the rating wrong. In the case of The Inn at Little Washington, Michelin did get it wrong with the recent rating as this establishment should have been awarded three stars! When it was time for desert one of the staff we had been talking to over the course of dinner about a recent trip to Portugal and port and tawny wines offered us a taste of a fourty year old tawny to try. He also offered a bit of a lesson on what it means for a tawny to be forty years old either from blending or a single “batch” aged for those years. This was informative and interesting; and the tawny went perfectly with the Milk Chocolate Mousse desert I selected. All things said, our dinner was outstanding and worth every penny for a special occasion or as a treat combined with a short country get-away. I have read some of the other reviews about staff short comings and have to say nothing of the sort was experienced in the dining room or anywhere else on The Inn’s property. I do feel that Michelin got the 2026 rating wrong and hope they have a change of heart going into 2027. Eating at the Inn will continue to be something I will always look forward to regardless of stars, it’s the food and experience that keeps me going back.

I recently stayed at the Inn for the July 4 weekend which happened to coincide with my 50th birthday so a perfect excuse to splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime stay. They had a special 2 night inclusive package. It was overall a lovely time, but definitely not worth what we paid and not quite the level of service that I recalled from previous dinners there. The Good - most of the staff are very eager and helpful. The Inn and grounds are beautiful, and Saturday's dinner was wonderful. The new pool is beautiful and the cabanas are ridiculously opulent (in a good way). The Bad - my husband requested that staff recognize my birthday and staff assured them that they would. Nothing special was done, not even a candle in the dessert that was already part of the meal. That was disappointing. Just because my birthday fell on a holiday, I thought they would still make me feel special. The Ugly - the A/C went out in our room during the first night, and we both had a terrible night's sleep and woke up drenched in sweat. I spent my birthday with a headache and in a fog from lack of sleep but I was sure they would make it right. While they did get the A/C fixed quickly, they offered no compensation for the issue. We also talked to another couple who had the same issue. Also, we paid extra to get breakfast entrees and we hardly touched them. No one asked if we didn't like them or offered to have them removed from our bill. That is not michelin star level service to me. All in all, given that I spent about a month's salary on 2 nights, it was a disappointment.

Would you spend $508 for dinner? Not including wine? Would you spend $1,710 for an overnight accommodation? Not likely. But you'd change your mind if you visited the Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia. Located 70 miles southwest of Washington D.C., in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, it is one of the world's most celebrated inns and restaurants. Founded in 1978 by Michelin-starred chef Patrick O'Connell, it is a luxury country inn and restaurant that has been a member of the Relais & Chateaux hotel group since 1987 and the only restaurant listed in the Michelin Guide for Washington DC that is not located within the city limits. It was the first establishment to receive five stars for both its accommodations and its cuisine in the Mobil Travel Guide, a distinction that remains unchallenged. It has earned five diamonds from Forbes and AAA. Since 1978, O'Connell has expanded his business. He owns 60 percent of the town and is the largest employer in Rappahannock County. The Inn includes a dozen residences, another restaurant with a bakery, two gift shops, a swimming complex with cabanas, a zoo featuring llamas and vegetable and floral gardens. Future plans call for a spa and winery and more residences. This was my fifth visit -- but first in three years -- to Patrick O'Connell's fiefdom and I was enchanted by the new additions. Cody greeted me at the entrance and carried my baggage to Room 9 in the main house, my favorite accommodation, with a balcony overlooking the entrance. All the 24 guest rooms and suites in the Inn's main house are unique and exquisite, fashionably decorated by London stage and set designed Joyce Evans. My high ceilinged room included a king-sized bed, flat screen TV with 76 channels and spacious bathroom with walk in shower. Yes, it is expensive. But it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

A major disappointment following our visit to The Little Inn in Washington for Afternoon Tea. I chose not to voice my concerns on the day because I was the guest, but my sister, who had invited me for my birthday, was genuinely mortified by the experience. Unfortunately, she did not raise the issues at the time either, perhaps because expectations around customer feedback are handled differently in the United States. The first negative impression came upon arrival. We were rather sharply reminded that we were seven minutes early, despite the reservation confirmation explicitly asking guests to arrive fifteen minutes before their booking time. We were celebrating my birthday, yet not a single kind word or acknowledgment was offered. Furthermore, it had been clearly noted during the booking process that I do not drink alcohol, but this information had evidently not been communicated, as I was immediately offered the welcome cocktail. For a restaurant of this standing, these are basic details that should not be overlooked. Within less than fifteen minutes, we had been served an ice-cold glass of water, the welcome cocktail, a pot of boiling hot tea, and the entire selection of pastries and sandwiches. The contrast was odd, and above all, everything felt rushed. Afternoon Tea is supposed to be a leisurely and enjoyable experience; instead, it felt as though the goal was to move us through the service as quickly as possible. The service team appeared poorly coordinated. Everyone was polite enough, but interactions felt scripted rather than genuinely hospitable. There was little sense of attentiveness or anticipation of guests' needs. The quantity of pastries and savouries offered was surprisingly limited considering the price. At no point were we informed that additional servings were available. Only towards the very end of the experience were we casually asked whether we would like more. By then, the moment had long passed. Another aspect that felt strange was the complete lack of closure to the experience. As payment, including gratuity, is taken in full when booking online, there is no final interaction with the staff. No one checks whether you enjoyed your visit, thanks you for coming, or bids you farewell. You simply stand up and leave, which feels remarkably impersonal for a property of this calibre. I am by no means a Michelin-star expert, but both my sister and I have enjoyed enough fine dining experiences to know that this is not the level of hospitality one expects. My sister had visited previously and summed it up perfectly afterwards: "Now we know why they lost a star." Sadly, what should have been a memorable birthday celebration turned into a surprisingly underwhelming experience.