The Sailmaker's House

The room had a fantastic shower, with a stone floor and strong hot water that felt great after a cold day out. The common area was always stocked with good coffee, tea, and snacks, and the place was clean and charming, within walking distance of Portsmouth town square. I slept very well except for one night. It was windy, and the sign outside room 3 kept flapping and woke me a few times since I’m a very light sleeper. That was my only negative, and we’d return if we visit the Portsmouth area again.

The location is unbeatable, but the room and check-in issues made this a disappointing stay, especially given the positive past reviews. The person who welcomed us never introduced herself. She was glad we’d finally arrived, then explained that booking through a third party causes reservation errors and prevents normal check-in. Somehow, we were made to feel at fault for problems with the Inn’s booking systems. She even said, “If you would’ve booked through our website, your rate would have been much cheaper.” Not much of a welcome. The top outlets in the room didn’t work, except in the bathroom. The HVAC was controlled by a PIN that housekeeping didn’t know, so getting the air adjusted took calls and trial and error, and then we couldn’t turn it off. At $300+/night in the off season through the much more expensive third party, the room didn’t meet expectations.

We parked the car and left it there all weekend while we explored, thanks to the unbeatable location. The room was clean and quiet, and the hospitality was lovely, with free coffee and tea, snacks, and a welcoming common space. We had a great time at the Sailmaker's House and would gladly return.

The stairs are narrow and steep, so take care. Otherwise, this historic house was a lovely place to stay. It’s been thoughtfully redone, kept up, and modernized. The bed and pillows were really comfortable, there was a nice selection of drinks, and the location and parking were convenient for our visit.