Copper Beech Inn

“Good strategic location; master suite is excellent; lacks a personal touch”

We stayed here two nights in the master suite in the main house. The room was decorated nicely and the bathroom was fine. Takes a long time for the hot water to come on in the bathroom sink but that's my only complaint about the room. We liked the sheets and blankets in the bed if you didn't want a… more

We stayed here two nights in the master suite in the main house. The room was decorated nicely and the bathroom was fine. Takes a long time for the hot water to come on in the bathroom sink but that's my only complaint about the room. We liked the sheets and blankets in the bed if you didn't want a duvet on you during the summer. Breakfast is meager if you don't eat eggs; the pancakes were pretty tasteless. There are some little Smuckers jams on the table but that's it aside from juice and coffee. You can supplement breakfast with Dunkin Donuts nearby or Cooked about a mile away that has some decent items to take out such as smoked salmon. Dinner was decent enough. The inn is easy to get in and out of with a car if you park in front. The best reason to stay here is that it is strategically located within an easy drive of Chester and Essex. There is nothing here within walking distance except maybe the Ivoryton Playhouse (surprisingly really good professional theater) and a large pizza place next door, but with a car you can get to things quickly. The main street within a mile lacks tourist-friendly conveniences such as supermarkets or gyms (the local gyms are member only places behind locked doors), but you can get to an excellent gym in Old Saybrook "Coastal Fitness" that sells day passes within 15 minutes drive and there you would also find groceries. Our main beef with this place is that some inns are a labor of love and you have an inn-keeper who is on the premises, devoted to his or her craft and loves people and wants to talk to you and offer travel advice. A good inn will have some special recipes and serve some nice items at breakfast to help you remember the place and want to return. That's not happening here. This place is managed and has employees who do their jobs. They don't know much at all about the local area and can hardly answer any questions a tourist would likely ask. The person who served breakfast which is supposedly free brought my wife a bill to sign so that she would add a tip to it. When I asked for something later that he couldn't charge for such as toasting my bagel, it just sat in the kitchen and he forgot about it. The dinner chef was nice though; at dinner I asked for some fruit, and he sent out some cherries and orange slices and didn't include it in the bill. So if I were in this area again, I would give this place a go but it could be even better if they put some love and a stronger breakfast into it.

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“Nice but not worth the cost”

This is a Victorian style house set back on a large property. There are two other buildings at the back of the main house. There is a lovely garden between the house and other buildings. GPS lists it as being in Essex so it was a little difficult to find. When I booked my room on the website, ther… more

This is a Victorian style house set back on a large property. There are two other buildings at the back of the main house. There is a lovely garden between the house and other buildings. GPS lists it as being in Essex so it was a little difficult to find. When I booked my room on the website, there was no mention of multiple buildings. I thought my room was in the main house. It was not. That was disappointing. The room I had was simple but very clean. It also had a very spacious bathroom. The biggest complaint I had was that the room description stated that there was a queen bed in the room. It was a full size bed and the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept in. For the prices they charge this should not have been an issue. Our two day stay included breakfast which was served is a lovely sunroom. The breakfast was adequate. My husband said the coffee was good That’s very important to him. Staff was polite and helpful. Although the inn was unique and very pretty I do not think I would return. Just a little too expensive.

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