The Pitcher Inn, Relais & Chateaux

Many thanks to Ari Sadri and all the wonderful staff at the Pitcher Inn for their warm hospitality. My husband and I enjoyed a relaxing New England Thanksgiving at the inn. It provided exactly what we were looking for, from the roaring fireplace in our bedroom to the picture perfect decor. Ari was an excellent source of information on hikes nearby, when we asked him for ideas; we followed his suggestions each day (using the color-coded map he created for us) and had a great time. The food was delicious - including the pre-breakfast scones and muffins - and the inn was warm and comfortable. Our bedroom was perfect (with a luxurious steam shower and jacuzzi bathtub, which were quite enjoyable after a chilly hike), but I peeked at a couple of others and would have been happy in any of them - each room is uniquely designed and great fun. I recommend the Pitcher Inn highly to anyone looking for a quiet, intimate getaway. And be sure NOT to skip breakfast!

I'm not sure why the above reviews were so rave, but our advice, sad to say, is to spend your money elsewhere. The rooms were charming but the bathrooms were disappointing, and far more importantly, the staff was not only misinformed but intrusive and - worse - discourteous. I'm not quite sure why the Pitcher Inn continues to be so highly rated: it does not deserve it. The below description is long but paraphrasing seemed pointless. My husband and I, and my parents, spent a weekend there recently. Starting from the worst, when we went to pay the bill, we were presented with numerous small charges that didn't look wrong, per se, but were not amounts we had signed for. The desk attendant had asked if we wanted to take a look. So we asked for an explanation, saying carefully that we were sure the bottom line was fine, and were just curious about the charges. We were told first, she couldn't help us, and next, okay, maybe she could help us, but what a drag it would be for her to haul out all of the receipts from Friday night (there were about four occupied rooms) - surely we didn't want to make her do that. My husband and I looked at each other, feeling as though we were imposing, and said, no, of course not, as long as there's an easier way to figure out why we've got all these random charges on the bill. With sighs and eye rolls, she asked, holding the stack of Friday's receipts, whether we had saved all of ours and whether we could go ask my parents (whom we were treating, which the whole staff was aware of) for all of theirs, to spare her having to sift through about nine pieces of paper. Eventually she did, but when she flew through and didn't find all the charges, and we asked politely whether she could please find our dinner and wine charges Friday night, she replied, sorry, no, I'm going to do Saturday, because that is what is in my hand. It went on like this until we sorted it out (weird separation of tax from total, add tax to tip, separate into total without tax, then tax plus tip - odd but not wrong). At the end of the whole encounter, as though we were not feeling awkward and stupid enough for justifiably asking about a weird bill, she announced, "well, see, it was fine after all." Then there were the interruptions. 40 minutes before our dinner reservation, in bathrobes, my husband and I answered a loud knock on the door. It was a housekeeper. "It is 7:05," she said. "I know," I replied. "Your dinner is at 7." I said, "no, it's at 7:45, we changed it earlier." I had also checked the books around teatime to make sure the change was in there, and it was. The woman replied, "no, it's at 7." Taken aback I said, no, we called and changed it earlier. Without the least apology or acknowledgement that she was even perhaps in the wrong, the woman announced, "no one told me!" and marched off. The same thing happened to my parents. My father was using the jacuzzi tub. Never mind that they are vestiges from 1997; he was relaxing after a day of x country skiing and soothing an old shoulder wound. The same woman pounded on their door, and my mother answered. "Is someone using the jacuzzi?" the housekeeper demanded. My mother said yes. The woman replied, "well, it is very loud!" My mother didn't really have anything to say, especially when the housekeeper added, "I wanted to make sure it wasn't raining!" Needless to say, my parents did not feel comfortable availing themselves of the bathtub after that. And there were more things. The desk attendant who was recalcitrant over our bill gave us completely incorrect advice about the cross country ski options five miles away, insisting that two places were one and the same, and that they were both closed. There was never milk or cream with the afternoon tea or the morning coffee - we had to ask. Our breakfast waitress, although she provided us with confirmation that the desk attendant was wrong about cross-country being closed, was wearing, both mornings, a semi-buttoned extremely dirty blouse. And there you have it. The bartenders and the on-duty sommelier Mason were superb, as was the luggage porter, but everything else was severely lacking for a property that charges what it does for rooms. I have had better service at the Comfort Inn in Sandy, Utah. Based on our experience, I recommend that you try some of the other lovely properties in VT, NH and upstate NY. Some of those provide impeccable service as well as gorgeous environs and plenty of outdoors activities.

We have just returned from an incrediable stay at The Pitcher Inn; in the Mountain Room. Everything about our stay was wonderful and we cannot say enough about this property and the area. The service and all the staff were most attentive -- especially the General Manager, Ari Sadri. Ari helped with absolutely everything from assiting with our luggage, to excellent choices for wines, and local road trips and sightseeing. The resturant and food were also excellent and we highly recommend staying here.

I am in love with this place. I stayed in the Ski room and, after seeing a significant number of additional rooms, would highly recommend it. All of their rooms are unique and exceptionally well-appointed though. The service was impeccable, as was the food and wine. They now have a small massage room which was just fine. (The full-service spa that had been located next door has shut down within the last several months.)