Rebecca D.
Yelp
What you will not find at this inn is an impersonal staff or an army of cleaning women in those awful little maid smocks. You will not find the haughty, nose-in-the-air feeling that sometimes comes with inns of this class. You will not find yourself feeling like an anonymous guest at some fancy-pants resort. What you will find is a relaxing retreat. You will feel pampered, but not intruded upon. You will feel at home. You will find that you want to come back.
Arriving at The Inn at Bath is like dropping in on relatives you didn't know you had. Elizabeth, the owner and inn keep, is like your favorite aunt. You know... the cool one. She's energetic and enthusiastic, but not overbearing. She's like that aunt who might say to you, "Have a great time while you're here and I don't care what you do; just don't do anything I'm going to have to tell your mother about. At least not in front of me..." When we arrived, she was just getting out of her car with her dog. We all stood in her kitchen, which also serves as the main entrance for guests, and chatted for 20 minutes about everything under the sun. It really was like showing up at a familiar place after a long absence. "This is your room, extra towels are in there. Cups are in the cupboard, breakfast is in the morning; let me know if you don't eat eggs or bacon. If you have leftovers from dinner, there's room in the fridge, but put your name on them." In addition to this charming welcome, Elizabeth gave us the low-down on all of the best places to eat at, not to eat at and what things to see and do. She's a wealth of knowledge. One only has to look at the "what to do" tab on the inn's website to see what I'm talking about.
As for the particulars, this inn is situated just outside the "downtown" area of Bath on a shady, quaint street. Everything is within walking distance, but somehow, you don't know you're so near to the hubbub. My husband and I stayed in the Fo'c'sle room on the basement level. The room was appointed with a Jacuzzi tub for two, a queen sized bed, private bath and a fireplace. It was lovely. The décor was pretty typical modern New England cottage. The bedroom was furnished with antiques and painted soft sage greens, whites and warm earth tones while the bath featured light paint and classic, mirrored finish accessories. There is nothing too fussy about the place, but it had a truly comfortable, welcoming feel. An advantage of staying in the Fo'c'sle is that it has a private outside entrance onto a stone patio. I enjoyed a bottle of wine there, in a glass borrowed from the kitchen, and read a book. Ah... bliss.
When we went up for breakfast the first day, we found Elizabeth, cheerfully bustling around the kitchen preparing breakfast. Let me tell you, it's worth staying here just for this breakfast. We helped ourselves to deliciously dark, rich coffee and fresh juice, but passed on the fruit, yogurt and homemade granola to save room for what was coming. We DO eat both eggs and bacon and were treated with an open faced BLT. Atop toasted local artisanal bread sat a little pile of micro greens, thick cut bacon, a poached egg and a perfectly warmed tomato slice. It was made to order and it was divine. The only downside was that we were forced to watch the other couple staying at the inn, who had come up first, devour theirs while we waited for ours, drooling. The following day we noshed on ultra-moist, tender blueberry pancakes with enough butter in the batter to make them feel truly naughty, topped with real maple syrup and served with sausage. This breakfast is included in the price of your room. It features the fruit, yogurt and granola and a different hot dish each day. Do not skip it.
I could go on about all of the things that we loved about this place, but there are just too many. When you stay here, you are staying with someone, in a home not at somewhere, in a room. Its geniune and familiar feeling. When we packed our car and turned in our key, I found myself fighting the urge to hug Elizabeth, like that familiar favorite aunt, and promise to visit next summer.
