By:
Submission
I was so excited to hike and stay there. I heard the food was excellent! So I paid $224 for one night (2 adults).
When booking they asked for dietary information - any vegetarians. I put 2 and noted we are pescatarian.
I booked 2 months early. We hike in early enough, checked in, and all seemd fine. At dinner, two bowls of chili were brought out and was told, "Sorry we don't have fish." Took a bite of the chili and half the spoon was slightly warm, the other half was room temp. Took another bite and the same thing. It was obvious they took a can of chili each, opened, and microwaved (without stirring!). $224 for a badly microwaved can of chili!
The others had a very dry pork loin, and we all had bland Brussels sprouts, and overly spicy corn. Everyone was asking for something to put on the food to fix it. So they brought out Ranch dressing, balsamic dressing, and I think another squirt bottle of something. The rolls tasted ok. The cake was some amaretto cake that wasn't that good.
I will never pay for that experience again, and they should have comped everyone who ate that.
Because of the food, it made me sore about everything else. There weren't enough chairs at the small mountain view area. The walls in the room are unbelievably think. Etc. Etc.
I am so disappointed.
I have loved all my stays here, especially this most recent one on 8/9. The property is scenic (and the hike isn't exactly flat but is an enjoyable one in beautiful Amicalola), the staff are friendly, and the food is great. This most recent visit, there happened to be some pretty intense storms. The power even went out briefly (they're getting the generator looked at), but I never felt unsafe, and in fact, it was just a part of the adventure. I loved sitting in the sunrise room reading, especially in the early morning where I could see the rain coming down and lightning in the distance. My only regret was not staying two nights. I'm currently trying to rope in a friend group to come with me in the winter. With all the fireplaces and heating vents, I'm sure it's going to be a cozy time.
We had a great time and will definitely do again.
Only drawback....other guests need to learn to use a red flashlight instead of the light on their phones when joining others for the early morning sunrise or meteor showers. My granddaughter and I were up at 5 am watching the meteor shower and we could see the night sky perfectly, until someone came down aiming their phone everywhere and kept the screen on when sitting beside us. We walked down with no lights. If you give yourself a few minutes, your eyes will acclimate and you can see the gravel path from the reflection of the night sky. You do not need a bright light. If you do need a light, use red. Please.
Breakfast was awesome.
Bathrooms were spotless.
Avery was a great storyteller and host.
Lovely retreat out in nature. The rooms are just big enough to put your things down and sleep, but the beds are comfortable, the sheets are clean, and the room is warm and dry. The food is delicious and I love that there is regular and decaf coffee available all day. There is nowhere to throw away trash, so be prepared to carry out everything you carried in.
After hiking approx 5 miles in a thunderstorm, the inn was a welcome place. We were able to sit in a nice community room with heaters and dry our clothes. The staff was very friendly and the breakfast and dinner were excellent. Our room was tiny but sufficient.
