Brookview Manor Inn

The location is beautiful, and the owner/contact was kind to us, but the state of the place left us horribly disappointed. Our bathroom still hasn’t had housekeeping service, and we’ll have to manage our own toilet paper. The breakfast area hasn’t been restocked, despite contacting the owner and being told it would be. Breakfast was self-serve continental fare, not something nice. The only fresh fruit was bananas, and by day three of our six-day stay, the last one was rotten. When my Dad stayed last October, breakfast was freshly made. Trash wasn’t emptied unless we did it ourselves. The front door was hard to unlock and barely opened when I pushed and pulled it. One window in our room was broken. Someone came to work on it but couldn’t fix it. Luckily the other window opened for fresh air, though it had no screen. Other guests we spoke with had issues too. I doubt we’ll return and can’t recommend the place. I’d only consider staying if new management guaranteed an onsite host or hostess.

We paid to eat breakfast out both mornings, since the bed and breakfast’s self-serve spread wasn’t the freshly made breakfast we expected. It was in the main house: yogurt, packaged cakes and bagels, unripe bananas, cereal cups with milk, and frozen Jimmy Deans breakfast items to microwave. There was nobody on staff to greet us, either. It sounds as if things were much better under the previous owners. We’d booked for a weekend marriage conference, but before we arrived we were told a septic problem at the main manor meant our room had to be moved to the carriage house. That smaller building felt run down. Our second-floor room was small but quaint and suited our needs, though the temperature was hard to manage. We were freezing the first night, then the in-room electric fireplace made it overly hot. There was no thermostat or other way to adjust it. The towels were tiny, the shower head was somewhat broken and aimed water at our feet, and the radiators banged loudly enough to wake us both nights. I’d look at another bed and breakfast nearby, even if it costs a little more, for a better stay.

Room 1, the Victorian suite, was cozy, and breakfast was delicious. The place is off the beaten path, about 20 minutes from Marshall's Creek, and I’d stay again. I’d ask for replacement bulbs, since some in the room were out and never replaced. There weren’t enough outlets, the lampshade kept falling off, and the bathroom tub needs replacing even though the room is very large. A check-in sign said renovations were underway. I never met the owners, or they didn’t introduce themselves. And don’t put your toothbrush in the holder, it’ll fall off.

The house felt cold and lonely when we arrived. There was no fire in any of the electric fireplaces, furniture was scattered around, and trash was on the floor and tables. Nobody was there to greet us. Outside, the steps were icy and had trash on them, there was a greasy kids’ sweatshirt by the door, and beer bottles and more rubbish on the porch. We hadn’t received an email with the door code, but luckily I still had the number from earlier calls confirming our stay. We went upstairs and found housekeeping. Our room wasn’t ready, so she gave us another one she’d just cleaned. They hadn’t known we were coming. The bed was uncomfortable, and the pillows were flat and hard. Tim tried to help by bringing an electric heater because it was cold. We tried to get our money back but couldn’t, so we stayed one night. We were offered another place an hour away, but after driving four hours we declined. The available breakfast was frozen sandwiches. We were the only people in the house all night after the cleaners left. They said the house was under construction, but that wasn’t the problem. We wouldn’t recommend staying, even at that price.