Blantyre

Blantyre has been closed for several years. It is supposed to undergo a massive redevelopment of the whole property, Hopefully the main house will remain the outstanding lodging experience that it was for decades however it it unlikely it will regain the Ann Brown touch. Stay tuned.

We had an incredible 3 night stay at Blantyre. Our room was in the main hotel. Basically, this is a mansion from the 1800's. There were 4 running fireplaces on the 1st floor. The smell was wonderful. There are books and antique furniture everywhere. Our room was perfect. We used the fireplace there 2 of the nights. One match got it roaring. The bed was very comfortable. We had dinner in the restaurant one of the nights which was amazing. NOTE: As of 11/1/2021, Blantyre has shut down for some period of time, possibly many months They are starting a major renovation to make it even better. We heard this will include building a new pool near the main hotel and other enhancements. We will definitely return after the renovation is complete!

An absolutely perfect vacation in a former Gilded Age mansion that plays host to a two-star restaurant from Daniel Boulud. The service, ambiance, and location are beyond superb. General Manager (Steve Benson) could not do enough for us, Front desk manager (Gabriel) was the epitome of European style. We stayed in the Ice House, a perfectly cozy two-bedroom cottage that oozes charm and quaint woodsy decor. We all agreed the experience could not be improved, from a fireplace set for an afternoon, the Boulud restaurant that is unimaginably good. The grounds were delightful to traipse around and we saw a flock of wild turkeys just to make the experience even more enchanting.

We stayed in the hillside suite in the carriage house. We were introduced to the room by two young men who were very pleasant and helpful. First of all they grabbed all of our luggage and hauled it up the stairs to our room and then told us quite a few details about the room. Nice beginning. The suite consisted of two rooms and a bathroom plus a smallish closet. The sitting room had a really comfortable sofa, a desk, a TV, and a bar that was stocked with some alcohol and a half bottle of wine, all included in our room rate. There were a lot of books that one might look at, although we didn’t seem to find time for it. The bedroom had a wonderful king bed that was really comfortable. We had some nice looking bathrobes but they would’ve fit me approximately 50 years ago when I was a teenager. Now I could barely get it around my body and the sleeves went up to my elbows. The bathroom was clean but really small with a single sink and a very low toilet and a rather claustrophobic shower. There was a really nice window that looked out on the pool through some beautiful trees in our bedroom. We did have a Sangean Radio that looked like it would play music but was dead on arrival. Some amenities that we appreciated were our choice of daily newspapers and the included breakfast. We both thought it was a very nice room and a decently run hotel, but we felt the price was approximately double what it should be. We did attempt to go on a hike on the large property but it was really rough and poorly maintained with large downed trees blocking the pathway. Another interesting feature was the fact that no tipping is allowed. This is apparently made possible by charging 10% of your room rate for “amenities.”

My initial contact with the property was a bit rocky, but after staying here I wish I could award more than 5 stars. In early spring we booked a long weekend stay for the fall, but were contacted in June to let us know the reservation was cancelled because the property was going to close on Mondays and Tuesdays going forward (Covid fallout). We were able to rebook but were disappointed to not be able to reserve the same room. Our concerns were abated when we arrived and realized how lovely and how immaculately maintained the entire property is. Our room was perfect and the service was remarkable, but what really stood out was the hotel's response to an event that occurred on our last night there. I had gone to an art festival in downtown Lenox and when I returned to my car I had a flat. After being on hold with AAA for an extended time I contacted my husband who had stayed back at the Blantyre and he had the idea to call the front desk. While I lingered on hold with AAA, the Hotel immediately sent a capable and friendly person who efficiently put my doughnut on and followed me back to the property. They also took the time to call several local tire dealers in a vain attempt to find a replacement (it was Saturday night and the dealers were all closed the next day). The Blantyre made what could have been a vacation-altering event into a footnote. I got back to my room with enough time to freshen up for our dinner reservation at Cafe Bouloud, and to enjoy one the best meals, with some of the best service, my husband and I have ever eaten. Can not recommend this hotel, or the food service, highly enough.