Balch Hotel

It was a surprise for me. The drive there was so beautiful. When we arrived I fell in love with the old building and loved all the whimsical art outside. When we went inside I knew we were somewhere special. We were greeted by Josiah (what a lovely human) and immediately felt at home. We had a delicious dinner and afterwards we asked if we could stay the night and I’m so glad we did. I loved all of the artwork throughout the hotel and picked up a few items by Claire. Our room was perfect and I was so pleased with the fine bedding. Quality sheets and a clean blanket on top… just like I would do at home. The room was so clean and the view was a winter snow globe. I will definitely be returning and I’m going to book a spa day. I look forward to many more memories here and I really felt the love that the owners and staff put into this old historic hotel from 1907… what a treat!

Great rustic getaway! Staff was friendly and the food was excellent. Nice breakfast. Just enough snow to be beautiful. Walking distance to the store and town. Hiked during the day, and played games in the parlors and dining room at night. Very quiet at night! Highly Recommend

The hotel was great, we enjoyed the spa services with Claire, and dinner at the hotel was tasty. Breakfast was a pleasant treat. It is hard to sleep without the earplugs because of the floor creaking above us, but that is what happens in an old hotel. We had a relaxing and fulfilling trip to the Balch.

Beautifully appointed 1907 era hotel. Nice continental breakfast in the morning. Bistro 1907 on site for dinner. I road the Cycle Oregon Gravel ride when it was in Dufur a few years ago. That was my first introduction to the Balch. My wife and I came to check it out. Super Kool, we will be back. ||Great cycling/gravel rides; right out the front door. They have a barn on sight to lock up your bikes at night. Sweet set up. Great home base for a weekend of cycling. ||Plus, it's always sunny in central/Eastern Oregon.

What a great little gem in the Columbia Gorge. So relaxing and fun. The rooms are so cute, and very clean. I recommend taking a bath in one of the claw foot tubs. Everyone working at the hotel were such nice people. Breakfast and dinner in the bistro were perfect.

We are return visitors. We are cyclists and the two times we've been there, we've met some really great cyclists and remain friends. They do a great job catering to cyclists, secure bike storage etc, and everything else is quaint and great. The riding in the area is absolutely amazing. Dufur in general is nice little gem centered around the Balch. Making it part of our regular cycling circuit.

This is an excellent historic hotel with well-appointed rooms and a great restaurant. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The hotel grounds and outdoor patio area are top-notch. There are many interesting events all year long. The hotel is located in a small town and the area surrounding it is very picturesque.

A stay at the Balch feels like you're being transported back to simpler times (but still with good wifi). The staff and innkeeper are lovely and welcoming. The Bistro's dinner menu is small but refined, with something for everyone. There's not much in the way of other dining options in town, but it's a short drive to the Dalles if you need lunch or other dinner options. We enjoyed it so much that we already booked our next stay.

My mom and I stayed here last night and it was a wonderful experience. The hotel was clean and fresh for such a historic building. All the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. Especially the kind woman who served our "to go" breakfast. She set up a table for us in the morning sun and we felt very pampered. When we arrived we weren't sure where to settle in our room, it was pretty small. Then we realized that is kind of the point of a hotel like this. We grabbed our dinner we'd brought and ate outside on the patio. Several couples joined us, chatting and enjoying the beautiful setting. We got a deck of cards and played for a while before retiring to bed. The bed was comfy and I especially liked the pillows. Our room had a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood (pics taken from room) Overall a wonderful experience. If you want a hotel with a tv and fridge in every room, this isn't the place for you and that's okay. Those places are easy to find. The Balch Hotel is something special!

Historic and quaint. Small hotel with lots of character and history. This was our second time we have stayed here. The apple and pear blossoms weren't quite ready for viewing due to cold weather but there is so much else to see and do in the area if you jump in your car and tour around the Columbia Gorge area. Great museums, scenery, waterfalls, and wineries. The Hotel does need to improve on their complimentary breakfast fare but their salmon cake dinner we had one evening was delicious and reasonably priced. The vintage furniture adds to the ambiance but it could use a refresh. Artwork on the walls is for sale but really doesn't do the hotel's historic vibe any favors. Unique experience.

I think the key to being happy at Balch is to manage your own expectations for what it is and what it isn't. After a two night stay here I would think of this more like camping with an ok bed. I wouldn't really describe it as a hotel / spa. I was scooping water into my mouth out of the little sink in my room because there are no cups or glasses or water bottles provided, no vending machines, no one at the front desk in the evening and every store/ bar in the town closed at 6 PM on a Tuesday. So I would suggest that if this is your destination, bring a cooler with ice and drinks and cups that you need. And snacks. And food. Or be prepared for a 20 minute one-way drive up to the Dalles to get supplies. There are fake 5-star reviews for this hotel on TripAdvisor, Google and Yelp, just a heads up. On Yelp you can tell these are fake because the reviewer doesn't post a photo of themselves and they have zero friends on Yelp. There are other clues like someone raving about lounging around in a clawfoot tub when no one would really be doing that in a shared bathroom...? Bring earplugs. There weren't any in the room or in the lobby, and the walls are paper thin, so you hear everyone talking, etc. Don't get one of the rooms near the shared bathrooms because the beautiful wood doors are big and heavy and anytime somebody goes into the bathroom and shuts the door, you'll wake up. As I did about every 30 minutes during the night. At 7:30 am you are up due to the noise of everyone else up. This isn't a bad thing, just letting you know there's really no sleeping in. I wasn't sure where to hang my wet towel. Am I supposed to bring it back to the room and drape it over the door knob? Again, it's a tiny shared bathroom so these are just the little details to consider. Beautiful building and area. Got some gorgeous sunset photos. The building and grounds are historic and quaint. This would be an interesting choice, very different than the hotels in the Dalles. There are no TVs in the rooms (there's no way there could be with the thin walls), so it's a good opportunity to unplug. It's on a Main Street in Dufur so you'll still hear some light traffic.

I came across this historic hotel quite by accident - I was just looking for a place to stay while taking the 'back roads' from Bend to Seattle. It is a fabulous place - spacious and comfortable rooms, friendly staff, a nice parlor for meeting other guests, excellent food, and the historic vibe imbues tranquility. To top it all off, my stay turned out to be on the weekend of the annual Dufur Threshing Bee, which featured antique farm equipment, vendors, etc. and was really fun and interesting. Next time the Balch Hotel will be my destination rather than just a night's lodging en route to somewhere else!

Though I hesitate to call Dufur part of the Gorge, this spot is a hidden gem in the greater Gorge area. The food is very good and the people that work here are always friendly. But the ambiance takes the cake. Something about a grand little hotel in an unexpected place is uniquely charming.

What a little cute gem in Dufur, OR! Bf came down to Columbia river fishing for the weekend and we stayed at this place and it's just sooo cute! Friendly staff like Debra was able to accommodate us for a late arrival, she got our dinner pre-ordered and ready for us when we checked in. Declines and healthy food menu. Quaint backyard where you can read and relax and enjoy the day. I did a reflex feet service with co owner Claire and it was a pleasant experience. Essential oil with feet massage. Why pay $200 at a chain like bestwestern in town when you could support local business who provide great service in an antique hotel. Claire is also an artist who has a lot of paintings on the wall. So unique and creative with such personal touch. I highly recommend this place if you are on a romantic retreat or a getaway for the weekend with girlfriends.

The Balch hotel. Where do I start. The amount of 5 star, 10/10 reviews on this hotel is so unbelievably astounding that I almost wonder if they're paying for them. They're SO misleading. So misleading that it lead to my boyfriend spending $200 on a room comparable to a hostel for the worst night's sleep either of us has had in years. People deserve to know what they're actually paying for. First, the Queen room we paid for is a double at best. Not only is it a double mattress but it was the least comfortable mattress we'd ever slept on. Both of us were tossing and turning all night trying to stop the back pain. It was so bad that the first thing we did when we woke up from our one night stay, was drive home and take a 5 hour nap. The room itself was a 3/10. The furniture is hit and miss. A mix between gorgeous and then tacky/worn out thrifted pieces. Looks thrown together. Not carefully curated like in the pictures. At all. Also the walls are paper thin. Their solution is complimentary ear plugs on the nightstand. Um, thanks? I understand that it's a historic hotel but for the price of the rooms, maybe do something about all of that?? The bathroom was disgusting. Literal poo spray on the inside of the toilet lid. An actual booger on the wall. And my boyfriend killed a cockroach. A real live cockroach. The dinner in their "bistro" is completely overpriced and mediocre. They messed up our order on something big. Like big big. I won't mention what it was because the chef handled it very professionally and was very apologetic and it was a human mistake to make. But the meals before that... thank god there was salt on the table. The hotel has no vending machine, ice machine or anything and the entire town closes at 5. Bring your own food and drinks but don't expect a fridge to put them in... heaven forbid they ruin their antique aesthetic by giving you someplace other than their front desk to keep things cool. Their garden is stunning, I will give them that. Drinking wine and playing games outside was completely serene and relaxing. That earned them one star. The other star is thanks to their staff. Everyone was nice. Kind and friendly. I appreciated that. Ultimately, this place is WAY over priced for what it is. The website and reviews gave us the impression it was a cute boutique hotel with appropriate updates. Instead it's dirty in the details and seems thrown together. Charging more than $70 a night for the Queen with in-suite bathroom that we had is absolutely abhorrent. Big disappointment.

Gem of a hotel. You step back in time when you enter this hotel. The rooms are comfortable and clean.The staff was so personable and did everything to make the stay extra special.The hospitality is unbeatable.The hotel has so much history and architecture.   I did a facial at the spa and it was wonderful. My only negative comment is about the noise. The walls are paper thin (keeping with the historical design of the building -) and if there is a guest in the room next to yours - well you hear everything. They do provide ear plugs that did help. I recommend for a great get away.

Went back Christmas 2019 and it was magical. They decorated it so tastefully. I am going to the same Christmas party this year and am definately picking this place to stay again. I hope The Balch will be open?? It has a whole different feel in the winter time and shows the first snowfalls. Went to the Christmas boutique at the church and met some lovely people and bought 20 "scrubbies" from Linda. All my friends love them and I'll have to go back to this small town country boutique when i stay here.. The hotel business is a tough business. This kind of hotel possibly requires a little more attention I would say, but what I have seen is that Jeremiah works 24/7 to meet the high standards of being an exceptional hotelier.

had dinner with the family, food was excellent, beer selection was great. ate outside in their garden area and it was picturesque and ideal. would come back again!

I read some of the slightly negative reviews of The Balch and I had to laugh..."honey is an animal by-product and not Vegan". Hilarious! If having honey added to their oatmeal when a guest has chosen to restrict "insect by-products" from their diet is the biggest complaint here, you can guess just how nice this hotel really is. Well, more of an inn than a hotel, The Balch was built in 1907. So, yes, it's creaky and sounds can be heard throughout, as are all old buildings and hotels. Have you stayed at The Edgefield in Troutdale? Kind of similar here. But, and to address another person's complaint, ear plugs are provided at your bedside. The Balch has 18 rooms, a spa, indoor and outdoor sitting areas, and a place to eat. Many of the rooms are very basic with just a queen sized bed. Some of these rooms have a sink in the corner. Bathrooms are shared and there are several individual bathrooms in each hallway. There seems to be about one bathroom for every 2-3 rooms. Another 4 or so rooms have their own full bathrooms (some with clawfoot tubs), and their is one King suite with a jet tub. In talking to one of the employees, The Balch is moving away from primarily hosting events like weddings (even though they do still do them) and towards a more full service, year round, classic style inn destination. Overall, this place is a hidden gem nestled in the sleepy town of Dufur. The Balch has unique charms and great views of Mt Hood and the surrounding rolling wheat fields. I came away from this one night stay with my wife feeling very relaxed and rejuvenated. I can't wait to come back.

I recently held a private dinner party for 20 at The Balch Hotel in Dufur, Oregon. The food was superb. The setting was charming. And the wait staff did a wonderful job attended to our party.

Really enjoyed my time leading a workshop, 'Healing for Empaths' at the Balch Hotel, November 2018. The staff members and owners were extremely accommodating for any and all requests I made [no matter how "Diva" I thought they might be received!] ... ;-) The food was excellent, the decor magnificent and charming, and the overall energy was so helpful in creating a safe environment for learning!

This place used to be a lot better. Originally (maybe a year ago) they had a very selective menu that was great. Don't know if they hired a new chef or what, but since their menu changed they've become boring and just like everyone else in the area. Kinda sad really. Most of the food in the gorge is pretty much the exact same and the Balch was once the exception. Not anymore. Now they overcharge and underperform. I got a 2oz pour for a glass of wine and my steak was definitely not rare... que será. It was good while it lasted Balch Hotel.

This was a bit of a detour for me, but what gratitude I have that I made the effort to visit this place. It was so fun to stay in such an authentically restored historic hotel. My room on the second floor had an unobstructed view of Mt Hood, and the accommodations were VERY comfortable. I truly enjoyed both dinner and breakfast in the Bistro. I can't wait to return with friends.

What an amazing place! A restored Historic Hotel in Dufur, Or. The service was amazing and the price was well below the chains and was much nicer. We first saw the Balch Hotel last year, May 2012 and we were impressed. They were still, although nearly finished, in the midst of the restoration. It was beautiful. Breakfast comes with your stay and there is coffee/tea/malted Hot Cocoa available as self service. The dining room is large and inviting. The Patio is even better! The rooms have bathrooms or share a hallway bathroom. The rooms on the the North East corner have the most spectacular view of Mt. Hood. Just breathtaking. We arrived about 9pm and were greeted by Denise. She was so helpful, showing us our room and explaining that the front door is unlocked so you can leave or return at your leisure. She also let us know that they had some desserts available. That night it was a luscious brownie with ice cream on the side if you wanted or apple pie. This didn't look like your average apple pie. You could tell the crust was amazing and home made and with love. Coffee was ready at 8:10 and breakfast at 9. It's made fresh each morning. When we were there the breakfast included a fruit and yogurt parfait followed by eggs scrambled with bacon over home potatoes and a Mexican Cinnamon Roll. They accommodated our dairy free friend by substituting the cinnamon roll with a lovely apple muffin. Weddings are their speciality and the grounds would make for a fantastic wedding or reception. The photos of events they have are just stunning. This was one our best hotel experiences ever. We will definitely return next May for the Oregon Trail Rally, 2014, if not sooner.

What a lovely gem, nestled in the beautiful hidden gem country town of Dufur. After a spectacular drive from Portland with a stop at Timberline lodge mid-day, landing at the hotel was a delight. Immaculate, impeccably decorated, well appointed rooms, outstanding staff and warm welcome by the innkeepers. Our evening meal was fantastic and we sat outside in the beautiful garden and listened to terrific live music. What a treat! The next morning, a trip to the Bliss Spa for a facial and a session with Claire made for the perfect weekend. Bonus round, the Dirtfish rally racers completed their rally series in Dufur, the day we were there. The town filled gently with the 70 or so rally cars on display downtown. Thank you Claire for the fantastic stay!

Always a wonderful time at this super quiet and beautiful B and B. It is so very relaxing and tranquil. Service is great and Dufur is quaint.

GREAT hotel. Excellent staff. Excellent service. Breakfast offerings were fantastic and I really enjoyed the breakfast at this hotel. Dinner offering was a little less diverse than I would have liked, but the food was well prepared and presentation was fantastic!

Dufur is a small, quiet town nestled in wide-open wheat field hills. My wife and I enjoyed our stay at the Balch Hotel immensely. Samantha was the perfect host: cheerful, friendly, easy to chat with, and very attentive. Our room was very comfortable, with a big king-sized canopy bed and an adjoining bathroom with a spa tub. We had a great dinner at the Baldwin Saloon in nearby The Dalles. The next morning, Samantha served a delicious breakfast at the hotel. I spent most of the remaining time in the morning snapping photographs of the garden pool and surrounding hills. The Dalles is only about 13 miles away and has lots of interesting shops and restaurants. We highly recommend the Balch Hotel! About a year later...another very enjoyable stay at the Balch Hotel. My wife and I were warmly greeted by Samantha, who was digging up and re-planting shrubs in preparation for a wedding that weekend. Fresh chocolate-chip cookies, still warm from the oven. Wanda prepared a great supper for us: minestrone soup, pulled pork sandwiches, with a very tasty local beer. We spent the rest of the evening reading and talking in the sitting room, just the two of us...mid-week is a great time to experience the Balch! WiFi worked perfectly. Our room was very comfortable, with a big bathroom. Breakfast the next morning was simple but delicious: a yogurt parfait garnished with home-made granola, spinach quiche and a yummy chocolate muffin with chocolate chips. Thanks, Samantha and Wanda...wonderful time...again!

Put this hotel on your travel list. Use it as a transit stop for a long trip like I did or just head out there for a couple days to unwind. Each stay comes with unexpected delights. Beautiful historic hotel. If you don't mind a shared bath (not an issue for me), room 15 can't be beat. Third floor at the front of the hotel and a big window. I have stayed twice, one summer, one late fall (also known as the grey) and both times my stay left me feeling more calm and centered. In true summer, the garden is a beautiful place to lounge in a chair or hammock and read a book. The tea selection is amazing. The hospitality is unbeatable.

I was there for a wedding. The wedding party had reserved the whole hotel for the weekend. The staffs were very nice and accommondating. The area is beautiful with mt.hood view, lavender garden, sun flowers, pond, and endless farm fields. It has a nice country get-away feel. The stars at night were amazing... not something you'll ever see in the city. Overall i would give the ambiance of the hotel 5 stars. They have different kind of rooms.. Ones with private bathroom in the bedroom and ones that you'll have to share with the communal bathrooms on 2nd and 3rd floors. Minor costs differences. No issues with sharing because they kept the communal (one individual bath/toilet room) pretty clean. They did have a sink in the bedroom for the ones without bathroom. the hotel itself was built in 1908. so like any wooden old house, you can hear all the wood cracking from people walking. the room itself isn't very sound proof since it has a window on top of the room door. The bed was really comfy but I still didn't sleep well because I could hear EVERYTHING and everyone from my room. This is the main reason I give 3 stars. If you're a light sleeper that's sensitive to noise... don't expect to sleep through the night... Not sure I would return for a sleepless country vacation...

Completely different experience than a hotel or Airbnb. It's very special to just sit and hang out with new friends. I met 2 wonderful couples that "adopted" me and I met them later after we all checked out. We went up to Timberline for the Labor Day bluegrass festival. Back to Balch, outstanding breakfast! Worth price of admission alone. I liked the room, but if I had my act together would have taken a room with a bathroom. 1st world choices. Josiah was super nice. The grounds are stellar. It's only 15 min from The Dalles. 35 min from my fav, town of Hood River. The walls are not sound proof, so the earplugs were very much appreciated. That was the only thing really. The hotel is so neat with all the history and architecture. Amenity brand of sample shampoo etc were also upscale. Hope this helps!

I had employees working in the Dalles when I discovered I didnt have enough rooms for 4 people. With all the rooms in the Dalles booked, I scouted around and found this motel. The staff was pleasant enough on the phone, but my employees were far from impressed. They described the walls as 'paper thin, you could hear the people next door breathing'. I'm not sure how often the staff checks the communal bathrooms, but they reported vomit in the bathtub the following morning. I was tempted to leave 3 stars, until I found out that they overcharged me the standard rate.

We arrived at the Balch without a reservation and after hours, as our RV had broken down while on a long road trip. The whole town was shut down, and we were truly exhausted and feeling almost desperate. The Balch was an Oasis! We found the room and bath to be sparkling clean, charming, and just the peace and quiet we needed. The breakfast was wonderful. My husband loved the eggs and muffins, and the yogurt and granola and fruit were perfect for me. The grounds are lovely. The tranquil peaceful environment was exactly what we needed. And, the view of Mt Hood was absolutely unexpected and quite a pleasure due to our circumstances.

Excellent! Everything was beyond expectations.. perfect getaway for travel and tranquility.

We had a delightful stay! Our stay was part of a family celebration and the staff was so helpful and accommodating to our needs. Our breakfast meal was delish and a nice combination of items to choose from. The facility was so lovely and well kept and the grounds were just as beautiful. We would definitely stay here again. Thank you to the Balch for making our stay a very nice memory.

This was one of the worst experiences I have ever had at a hotel. My husband and I have traveled a lot. The reviews were very misleading, saying this was a great, romantic getaway and that the restaurant had good food. I don't even know where to begin, as to me it was the complete antithesis. 1. The room had a musty smell and it was very small and seemed dirty 2. The lobby and library had a musty, dirty feel 3. The dinner was awful. The server took a bottle of wine and plopped it on our table with the cork in it. My husband had salmon cakes which tasted like they were a frozen dinner. I had a salad that was tasteless, with rubbery chicken I did not eat. 4. I later chose to not eat breakfast there because I was completely grossed out the night we were having dinner. One of the other servers was chatting with another couple that night in the restaurant. They told her that their room wasn't cleaned. She told them she'd go up and clean it right then (mind you, she was one of the servers, wearing an apron and serving FOOD). She proceeded to leave and then she came back in a few minutes telling the couple their room was all clean -- she was wearing the SAME APRON that she was serving people food with to clean rooms. I found this completely disgusting. I WOULD NEVER GO BACK HERE. It was not my idea of a quiet, relaxing place. I wanted to leave, but it was too late. Much worse, in this dump, they charged us around $180 for one night here. RUN! This place was awful. I want others to read this so they don't make the same mistake we did.

My sister and I came out to explore the ghost towns in Wasco County and stayed the night at the Balch Hotel. The hotel is beautiful, very nicely kept, with homey decor and very cute rooms. The room we stayed in had a shared bathroom, which was very clean, and the bed was super soft and comfortable. No AC, but our room was still plenty cool. Hotel staff provided ear plugs for sleeping (very kind), as the hotel itself is a bit creaky and the walls are thin, but I didn't even need them. Very yummy, if somewhat limited, dinner menu, and delicious complimentary breakfast. Make sure you try their chocolate cake!!! The grounds are small but beautiful, and we really enjoyed walking around and seeing the views of Mt. Hood. Staff was incredibly hospitable and friendly. Thank you for a lovely visit - we will be sure to come back when we're in the area!

Such friendly service, beautiful decor and great food. Make sure you save room for the pie!!!

Historic but they make you feel like royalty. The rooms are cute and decorated nicely. The grounds are very well kept. You can tell they take pride in the environment they have created for their guests. In a somewhat rural area, but the tranquility is priceless. Even accommodated my request for a place to charge my EV (they had a 110v outlet near the parking lot). One drawback was the diesel farm trucks driving by on the main road were a bit noisy during breakfast on the patio.

This hotel is very lovely and charming, we really enjoyed our visit. Its a historic hotel so with that comes both positives and negatives. Positives: Great character in the hotel, rustic and old fashioned everything (which I love), friendly owners, fantastic breakfast (included), comfortable beds and BEAUTIFUL landscaping and direct, clear view of Mt. Hood. And they leave fans in the rooms so if you run a fan, it completely drowns out noise from other rooms. Someone else said it was a terrible nights sleep because of noise, but I actually slept quite well with the fan. Now on to the negatives: Don't come here if you are looking for a quiet weekend away. This is more of a community experience - you will end up meeting all of the other guests and there is really no way to avoid that. We didn't mind, but definitely something to keep in mind. Also I would not recommend the monthly "Supper Club". Its way overpriced for what you get and the food was only so-so. This is probably a big part of why I dropped the hotel from 5 stars down to 4 stars. Also most rooms don't have their own bathrooms, so that is a downside...it's worth the extra money to upgrade to a private bath. Overall I loved the hotel and would return, I would just skip the dinner next time.

Absolutely perfect! It was so quiet and relaxing in the parlor and hiking around the area. The staff is so friendly and generous. We went for our anniversary and they sent us home with a gift. Breakfast was delicious and the coffee was terrific. I commented on how much I loved the muffins and they were so sweet to send us with some for our ride home. We already booked our next trip for February!

Stayed here a year ago and really really like it.Stayed in room one. Awesome view of mount hood. Food and company a one. Best B and b that i ever been to.

If you're looking for a place to unplug and re-connect this is it. Incredibly accommodating staff, involved passionate ownership all surrounded by an lovely historic building and amazing views of Mount Hood. Loved it!

We stayed at the Balch Hotel in October 2010. Jeff and Samantha are great hosts, and have put a lot of energy and love into renovating the place. It's a bit off the beaten track, which adds to the unique feeling about the place, and it makes a lovely detour between Mount Hood and Hood River. We hope to make it back someday!

My rating would be 3.5 out of 5. This hotel is beautiful and has a lovely ambience. It has a friendly staff. However there are some downsides as well. There are communal bathrooms, no television (that fact was NOT posted on the hotel listing when we reserved the room) and the windows really need to be replaced. One of our two windows had a large crack in it, and the other one could not even be shut completely so it got quite chilly at night. Also in this region there is a lot of wind activity so the windows were shaking loudly at various parts of the night with a loud banging noise. One other negative in my personal experience was I was told by the receptionist that there would be a Vegan option for breakfast, she even wrote down the request. I assumed it would be oatmeal or maybe hashbrowns, something simple like that. But nope- the ONLY Vegan thing they had in the entire breakfast buffet was fruit. I felt very disappointed because they had told me there would be a Vegan option. Even the granola at the buffet had honey in it! They did not offer to make me oatmeal or any other alternative. So they could stand to be a bit more honest & accommodating to their Vegan guests in the future. Note re response from owner: Thanks so much for getting back to me on this. Please be aware that Vegans do not consume honey as it is an animal by-product. If they did they are not Vegan but plant based or vegetarian. The website I secured the hotel listing on was not directed from Yelp and did not mention no television. I do agree that is a positive but I would have brought my kindle if I'd known so I could read. :) Overall the Balch is a nice hotel.

We always enjoy our stay at the Balch Hotel with owners Jeff and Samantha. We've been able to stay there when our Family Reunion was right next a door at the wonderful Dufur City park close by...able to visit our camping relatives whilst us non-campers were able to relax back at the hotel when we needed. We loved the old timely decor, warm fRom the oven cookies, YUMMY breakfasts (yogurt with crazy delicious granola topping! My cousin & I were embarrassingly enjoying ours, making sure we didn't miss a bit of it!)...oh & there was a beautiful robins nest w/family outside my cousin's window which I thought was going above and beyond in terms of ambience! ;P there is much more I could say but see for yourselves, I don't want to ruin all the surprises that are the Balch Hotel! Bob and Sue Bastiani Seaside, Oregon

The Balch hotel is a grand 107 year old building that is well maintained with an attentive and friendly staff. Would recommend to anyone that has no problem with stairs. The lobby and sitting rooms are decorated with period furniture, the park like grounds are relaxing and peaceful, and the complimentary breakfast was delicious and homemade.

Great little place for a getaway . Foods been great Everytime we visit .chandeliers are full of cobwebs but it adds to the character and keeps the fly's down !

We had a lovely trip here. We enjoyed the food. My wife is gluten free and was well accomodated. The staff person, Becky is a treasure and really made the place shine. We had a nice view of Mt Hood. When the inn is full, it gets noisy. The gardens are beatiful. We will come back.

I purchased the Livingsocial deal for The Balch Hotel so my sweetie and I could have a nice place to stay while we went morel mushroom hunting in the pine forests of central Oregon. As I've said before, I'm a small business owner. So I give a couple small mulligans to small businesses. After that, they're on their own. And ohmagod. This place rocks. It's part B&B, part Hotel. They cater to Gluten Free and other special diets, leave out homemade chocolate chip cookies for your arrival, cook you breakfast, and treat you great. The place is over 100 years old so there are pros and cons of the place. Nearly everything is original, even the fire hose reels! So cool. It really is a beautiful place to stay. The floors creak and some rooms have a communal, clean bathroom. Their rates are under $85 during the week! For all of that! It's amazing. We'll definitely be back in the fall.

What a gem!! I found this place on Groupon and not having really traveled through central and eastern Oregon before, we thought it would be a great change of scenery (since the coast is usually our go-to spot when needing to get out of town). It's absolutely charming and you can really feel the history when you walk in. The rooms are very comfortable, and I know it's kinda funny to say this, but not having T.V.s in the room is actually quite nice. It gives us a chance to unplug and have this thing they call a conversation with the person you're there with. In the parlor they have board games and cards set up for alternative entertainment which was a lot of fun! The owner Samantha is the perfect hostess! When we checked in she gave us a tour of the hotel and the grounds. She even showed us to our room and made sure we had everything we needed. What a great lady! We can't wait to go back! I told her that we would see her again soon, and it might be even sooner then we thought! So, next time you find yourself traveling through central Oregon, definitely make the little side detour and stop by Balch Hotel in the little town of Dufer. You will not be disappointed!

Wow! Where do I start? This little jewel in Dufur had my husband and I feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. The dinner menu is limited but you will not be disappointed. The food is so fresh and worth every penny. The only thing that i felt could be jazzed up is the breakfast. I was hoping for more options but the dinner really made up for it.The living room and common areas boast an old time feel, I really felt the entire old school experience here. We sat in the gardens that overlook wheat fields, this hotel is surrounded by such beautiful views. The innkeeper, Josiah, is friendly and deeply cares about the experience of his guests. The classical music played throughout the day really added to the elegance of this place. I will tell family and friends!

This is a beautiful hotel with very friendly, attentive staff. When we booked we mentioned we were gluten-free, and they made a delicious gluten-free plum bread for our breakfast!

Staying at the Balch Hotel feels like a dream. I can't say enough good things about it. Deborah is the most amazing woman, she was manning the front desk and greeted us warmly, continuing to check on us during our stay. We were so impressed we decided to upgrade to a room with a private bath and she made that happen for us right away. Maybe we got lucky but we didn't even need the earplugs provided. Clean, historic rooms, a delicious breakfast with an amazing chef who greeted us in the morning and was available if we needed anything at all. We can't wait to go back!

I stayed at the Balch for 6 nights in June and spent many lazy days lying around the hotel reading books and just kind of decompressing. I think the most important thing to start with (and see the 5 stars above, I thought it was great!) is setting the expectations correctly. It's not a Hilton, or a Holiday Inn, or any other type of "modern" hotel experience. The hotel was built over 100 years ago and it reflects the era. Many rooms don't have attached baths, and the ones that do it's obvious they were very "tacked on" and not part of the original build. The rooms themselves are small, but in a cozy way. The hotel is loud, you will hear everything, every door that opens or closes, again, it's an antique hotel, comes with the territory. With that out of the way, it's an amazing place, frozen in time, with some of the most gracious staff I've ever encountered. I had a chance to talk with the entire staff on my visit, some of them at length, and to a woman they were friendly, helpful and kind. The owners, Samantha and Jeff, would happily break their own backs if they thought it would be helpful in some way. They're definitely stressed out small business owners, I don't think I ever saw them work less than a 16 hour day, but they don't let that impact their friendliness or hospitality. The staff, Denise the weekend manager, Mel the cook, Carrie the...everything? were all tremendous as well. The food was really good, if a bit rote. Every day is a parfait of some sort (I had fruit with granola and yogurt on about half the days, and the other half were fruit with honey and no granola or yogurt) and then a main plate that will contain a carbohydrate (I had chocolate scones twice, an orange almond thing once, a blueberry muffin, and a couple of others) and then egg thing. I had three quiches and three scrambles, each with different contents. The food is, however, if predictable in style, fantastic in taste and flavor. I don't think I ever failed to clear my plate. Sadly, the cook, Mel, will be leaving soon, so I'm crossing my fingers they are able to keep up the high standard when she is gone. The public spaces will blow your mind. I don't think I ever saw a guest come in who wasn't blown away. There are two huge sitting rooms, fully furnished in gorgeous antique furniture, and it's all incredibly comfortable. I spent my days bumming from couch to chair to couch to other chair. Great light as well. The countryside is also wonderful, but be advised you will pretty much need to go elsewhere for dinner. The hotel has a limited selection and the only place in town that serves food, Kramer's Market, wasn't great for selection or flavor. anyways, I'm rambling now, but in short, I fell in love with the Balch, and I can't imagine a world in which I won't be returning many times throughout the years.

This hotel was a very pleasant surprise. We generally don't stay at boutique hotels, but this one was perfect. Nice rooms, great service, excellent food (including free breakfast). And it was very affordable and not too far from The Dalles. Definitely worth staying.

After a long trip we were happy to check in at the Balch hotel. The friendly and hospitable staff .did everything they could to make us feel comfortable. And we did. We enjoyed the silence, the possibility to plug off and just be. Make sure, you sit in the armchair right, which stands in front of the desk, and just enjoy the mount Hood view and the wonderful music.