Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Collection

The setting is beautiful, and the Mayflower Inn and spa is still quaint and comfortable. Our room was lovely, with a cozy fireplace, but it wasn’t ready when we arrived. We waited in the lobby for an hour and a half and didn’t get in until 5:30 p.m. Service is usually wonderful here, but parts of the spa could use an upgrade. The steam room doesn’t get very hot, the showers look dingy, and even the towels seem worn. The restaurant is good, though overpriced for what it offers. Breakfast disappointed me; my dinner was delicious, but my partner’s sea bass portion was tiny. Spa treatments are also very expensive, with facials over $300, and the nightly rate feels too high. The place is lovely, but the spa and restaurant need more attention.

Layla and Eric at the front desk were so friendly, anticipated what we needed, and paid attention to the little things. Brandon also made dinner feel special, with great food knowledge, thoughtful dish recommendations, and ideas for modifying the menu. Chef Luke had only arrived three months earlier, but he’d already hit the ground running. He’s friendly and down to earth, and his food was phenomenal. The location is beautiful and there’s a lot to do nearby. Service, food, and spa were all top notch, and I was impressed, especially after staying at hotels and inns all over the world. It’s a magical place. One restaurant suggestion: for somewhere of this caliber, the $10 glass of orange juice should be fresh squeezed or at least better quality. The Minute Maid being served was gross.

We spent our time wandering the grounds and gardens, enjoying the spa, and finding cozy spots for books and games. The restaurant and bar kept us fed throughout the stay, and we came across so many thoughtful details that made us feel spoiled. Can’t wait to return and see the place in every season.

UPDATE TO RESPONSE: If you’re considering a stay here, please take our experience seriously. The replies to bad reviews sound apologetic but empty. People keep reporting the same problems, and the hotel doesn’t make an effort to fix them while guests are there. The minimum they offer isn’t good enough. Stay somewhere else. We booked this for a special memorial and should have realized from the hollow service at the start that it was a mistake. The property has a beautiful setting and good bones, but hasn’t been maintained. Nearly all the Auberge properties have become influencer bait, and this one felt the same. Staff seemed poorly trained and inexperienced for a hotel that claims this level of luxury. We stay at luxury hotels wherever we travel, so price alone isn’t the issue. There’s a difference between being luxurious and simply being expensive. At $8,500 for three nights, this was the latter and not worth the time. Our room was falling apart: stained carpet throughout, torn drapes that my husband had to pin shut, ripped lampshades, cabinets that wouldn’t open or close, windows stuck open, and dents in the ceiling. We’d asked for a quiet room six months ahead, arriving on a Wednesday, and were placed under a room with hardwood floors and too few rugs. Someone above us woke us every hour from 11 p.m. through the morning. Staff didn’t seem to care or try to fix anything. Before the cancellation window, we called and spoke to two people who promised there’d be no issue, and that they’d move us or resolve it if one came up. Neither thing happened. We asked to leave and get a refund for the remaining nights, but were refused. We were never put in touch with a manager. Nobody followed up about the ongoing problems, and our emails went unanswered. It took more than a week to reach anyone about a billing problem, which had also gone wrong. It’s great that the hotel cares what influencers think and caters to guests whose stays are paid for, but people like us regularly pay to stay at places like this. We don’t care what an inauthentic influencer thinks. We trust real reviews and word of mouth. If you want somewhere that looks beautiful from a distance but is noisy at every hour, with appalling service for this price, book here. Otherwise, stay in the city. There are plenty of great hotels with excellent spas, like the Carlyle, Four Seasons Downtown, The Greenwich Hotel, Fouquet's, Aman, Baccarat, and Peninsula. Then rent a car or hire a driver to see Connecticut’s Litchfield area for a day. That’s all the time you’ll need there anyway.