Millstone Hill      
59 Littlejohn Rd. , Barre, VT 05641, USA    
 
 
Innkeeper/s:

Pierre Couture

Description

Circa 1890. Spanning 400 acres with private trails and historic quarry lands, Millstone Hill offers romance, recreation and relaxation in the central Vermont location of Barre. Accommodations include guest bedroo...


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Good if you like Boy Scouts....

there are no t.v.'s and the like so that one can enjoy the solitude of the Lodge. Could not be further from the truth. My partner and I were in need of some serious R&R. Owner responded quickly after our email inquiry. Upon arrival, showed us the room which was o.k., said that there was 1 other couple staying there-the place was empty, so it would be quiet. Well, I guess he forgot to tell us, since it wasn't mentioned on the website, that he allowed 25 boy scouts to romp around, scream and wrestle on the lawn and grounds right outside our room! Our evening there was spent not having any way to drown out the loud music coming from one of the trucks outside from 5:30-8, when we finally left for dinner, plus the boys screaming doing who knows what! It was scary, dark and very unsettling, as we are 2 women and are not from here.We had no idea what was going on, we were concerned for our safety and the owner was not answering his phone. The walls and ceiling of our room were also paper thin, as we heard everything the couple above us was saying as well as their snoring! The next morning after a bear of a breakfast of pancake from a mix and sausage links (ick!), I asked the owner what all of the 'boy on boy' action was last evening outside our room. He curiously looked at me with cocked head saying, "Oh, do you mean the Boy Scouts?" Shocked does not come close to what I felt. I asked him if he thought that maybe we should've been told that we'd be sharing our space with dozens of screaming kids, oh-by-the-way there were 4 adult men watching them. Hmmmm. What's going on here? Not romantic, not private, and definately not relaxing. He has no clue and should get out of the service industry. Pass this one by
Reby M.
10/12/2010

Management Response
I am quite surprised by this review. We are located in Barre Vermont. Barre Vermont was the location of the first boy scout troop in America. Last year was the 100 anniversary of the founding of this first scout troop in Barre. As the Inn is a part of a 70 mile recreation trail network, last year the Scouts approached us about holding a 100th anniversary camporee on the property. Because we try to support all local youth groups we agreed. This was so successful, that the Scouts now hold this event each year in May. In gratitude for our allowing them to hold this event on our property, the scouts visit the location once a month and work on projects for our trail network. This outdoor monthly meeting was the last of the season so they decided to hold some competitions and just have fun. That is what was going on the night that upset these two women so much. It is a real shame that the boys and their parents chose to hold some of their games outside, near the area of the Lodge where these women were staying. I had no idea they would be doing so. I was out doing work on the trails myself that night, though I did stop in around 7pm to check in the other guests who were arriving. Although I did see the scouts playing games on the property, I heard no loud music and did not realize that the fun that they were having could be a problem for my guests. That was obviously a mistake in judgment on my part. I will be more aware from now on that young people enjoying themselves may be an inconvenience for some of my guests. I will make sure that in the future, the boy scouts and other local school groups we support, hold their meetings farther away from the Lodge itself. We are a recreation center, we expect people to be having fun on our 70 mile trail network and 350 acre property. We will need to be more careful in the future to make sure that in doing so they do not annoy the guests. What is really troubling about the review though is the implication and innuendo that something "scary, dark and very unsettling" was going on. These women were obviously bothered by the noise and they have every right to complain about it. But to turn an innocent gathering of local boy scouts with their scout master and fathers (there were 2 mothers there as well, I might add), however annoying it might be, into something scary and dark is hard for me to understand. What appeared to me to be a page right out of a Norman Rockwell evening is now being reinterpreted as a Steven King novel.. Choosing to interpret this gathering in this way says a lot about the attitude these women brought into the situation. These women arrived angry and I am very sorry that their experience with the boy scouts resulted in their leaving Millstone Hill even more angry. I understand that the noise was a nuisance and I understand that they found it annoying. When they spoke to me about it the next day I apologized to them several times and tried to explain to them how it was an unfortunate and very unusual event. What I find dark and scary is that someone would spend so much time and energy over the last week trying to use this site and others like it to ruin the good reputation we have worked so hard to build over the last 6 years. It is very unsettling for me as an innkeeper, that the positive impact of having hundreds and hundreds of satisfied guests over the last 6 years can be so quickly trampled on by one unhappy guest. Pierre Couture Owner of the Lodge at Millstone Hill.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of iLoveInns.com or American Historic Inns, Inc.
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InnSide Tip - Good if you like Boy Scouts...
Eat and shop in nearby Montepelier.
This review is the subjective opinion of an iLoveInns.com user and not of iLoveInns.com or American Historic Inns, Inc.

Loft needs help!!!

Loft needs a GOOD cleaning and owner needs to up his game if he is going to call this a "top of the line", "luxury suite" retreat. Antiques and nooks and crannies might be appealing to some, but the place was very dusty; burns in the living room carpet, crumbs in the pull out sofa, cat hair in the rug. Kitchen appliances are disgusting and some don't work or barely work. Leftover food in the frig (and I don't mean just condiments). Furniture and window screens have been ripped and scratched by a cat. Linens were cheap - look like he washed his personal linens and gave them to you to use on the beds. Not one smoke detector in this 100 year old wooden structure! Peeling paint on the balcony and deck - neither looked safe or up to safety codes. Might be a fun hangout for people who don't really care what the place they flop at after a day outdoors looks like, but if you are looking for "an ideal choice for the discriminating guest" that he posts on his website, this may not be the place for you –especially at $250 a night with a 2 night minimum stay. Too bad, because the architecture in the loft is beautiful. It could be a magnificent space, but it's not.
P Loucks
New Haven, CT

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Beautiful spot, great place to stay

Just back from 3 nights at the Millstone Hill Lodge and 3 days of mountain biking on Millstone trails. The lodge is the perfect place to stay, right on the trails, comfortable rooms, a large open common area, indoor bike storage, and spectacular views. Ask to stay in the room with the best view. Pierre is a gracious host. Being from Barre and being a major force behind the conservation of Millstone trails, Pierre will fill you in on everything from the history of the granite industry to the locals' views on conserving Millstone trails to the best places to eat dinner in the area. We had a wonderful vacation, riding the trails, marveling at the quarries and enormous piles of granite blocks, and relaxing on the Lodge's adirondack chairs to admire the expansive view. We will definitely be back!
L C

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BOTTOM LINE: I would stay here again.
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This review is the subjective opinion of an iLoveInns.com user and not of iLoveInns.com or American Historic Inns, Inc.

At A Glance

3 Review(s)
33% would stay again
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