Inn by the Bandstand

Sadly, we just left the inn after a wonderful 5-​night stay in the Wheelright Room. The room was nicely decorated with lush linens and bathrobes. The fireplace in the main room kept us warm and even kept the side room where my young son slept. This is a perfect room for a family with young kids. The breakfast every morning was gourmet and well prepared and the service that Jamie, Kimmy and Agostinho provided surpassed our expectations. They gave us great advice about places to visit and the best restaurants to have lunch and dinner. The inn is centrally located in town so we could walk everywhere in Exeter. This is the only place we will stay when visiting New Hampshire, you’ll be glad you stayed here too!

I wish I could give more than 5 stars!
After a huge let-​down with Exeter Inn in booking the bridal suite (they booked it for another wedding despite the fact that was hosting my reception there!), I knocked on the doors of the Bandstand with tears in my eyes, praying that they would have availability for myself and my bridal party for my upcoming wedding. Sure enough, with open arms and kind eyes, Angostino confirmed they had availability for my entire party!
A few moments later, we booked all nine rooms of the inn and looked forward to our stay.
We met with Jaime several times before our stay to discuss logistics since camera crews, photographers, hair and makeup artists would also be joining us on and off over the weekend, and every encounter with Jaime was fantastic. He was always so on top of everything and extremely patient as I asked a million and seven questions.
Our wedding weekend finally came and our guests from California began arriving at the Inn and were all greeted with smiles and hugs from the staff. Ironically, one of the service staff members was from my fiancée’s home town and quickly charmed our guests with her thoughtfulness and candor.
The house is immaculately kept and is cared for dearly by Jaime and Angostino, their attention to detail, and hospitality are unmatched by any place I have ever stayed before.
I am so thankful for their kindness, generosity, and cooking skills — and am so grateful that they were such an integral part of my successful wedding weekend.
With love, gratitude, and appreciation — Kate and Adam

We chose this Inn for the charm of the outside, location and found it to be our new favorite place to stay in Exeter! The staff is exceptionally kind and helpful and the recommendations were GREAT of where to eat, etc.
Can’t wait to go back… loved it and HIGHLY recommend this charming INN!

i wish there were more than 5 stars to give to this amazing establishment and to the hospitality that innkeeper jaime and staff provide to all guests. our room was beautiful with a gas fireplace. it added so much to the new england charm of this beautifully decorated home. attention to detail everywhere. it felt like the home you would always want to come home to. breakfasts were delicious. jaime is some chef! he made a wonderful dinner one evening for our entire family.
the inn is in the center of town and near everything.
when we left, there were hugs and no good-​byes. just promises that we will be back again.

The Inn was our homebase for a weekend family event and I can’t say enough about our experience. First the Innkeepers are the most gracious people you’ll work with. During the planning stages, months in advance, there was always open and ongoing communication about my event via email, in-​house walk throughs and phone calls. They helped me with any details I needed worked out and were amazing advisors as I put together my weekend plans. My family was arriving from across the country at various times and the Inn was amazingly accomodating and communicated with each family member as well, to assist them as they booked and arrived. Then Jamie and his team created an amazing dinner for the first night that was elegant and delicious. The main dining room was set for my family like a scene from the film Age of Innocence. Every breakfast was creative, in subtle ways, that everyone appreciated. The rooms were beautiful and created these family gathering scenes that looked like a Sargeant painting, with the gas fireplace going and furnishings. My whole weekend resonated with everyone’s relaxing experience at the Inn. It truly felt like a Home and allowed everyone time and an elegant but not stuffy space to enjoy time together. The sherry helped too!

My friends and I recently returned to Inn By The Bandstand for our second visit. Before we left for home, we made reservations to return in late spring of 2015. Here’s why:
Agostinho and Jaime were born to be inn keepers. From the moment you walk in the door of this 18^th century historical home located smack-​dab in the center of Exeter, they make you feel at home. We stayed in the Williamsburg Suite. A lovely-​two room suite on the second floor, it overlooks Exeter’s main drag — Water Street. Our suite had a gas fireplace, a four-​poster bed in the main room and two twin beds in the small bedroom. Perfect for three or even four people.
Each room is richly appointed in antique furniture, including the gracious living room complete with a fireplace and a piano.
Jaime serves the most delectable breakfasts. Our first morning we had spinach-​stuffed omelets with fresh fruit and croissants. Second morning, fresh fruit, a choice of «goldenrod eggs» or pancakes, so fluffy and light they almost flew off the plate.
But what makes Inn By The Bandstand really special is Agostinho and Jaime’s exceptional hosting skills. I am not alone in these praises. The other guests we met at breakfast had the same experiences we did. We left in a snow squall, but were warmed by our special weekend and the goodbye hugs from our hosts.
Exeter is about 20 minutes south from Portsmouth if you can tear yourself away from the good cheer at the Inn.

This was the most amazing experience I have ever had staying somewhere. This bed and breakfast had every amenity that you could possibly imagine that even the most expensive hotel doesn’t provide. Jamie the owner was one of the kindest people I have met, and he truly made us feel like this beautiful inn was our home. Our room the Kensington was apparently one of the smaller ones compared to the rest, and I was absolutely floured by it. Beautiful décor with chandeliers and a very comfortable bed and lounge. Breakfast was amazing. Homemade choices everyday with fresh fruit, juice and coffee. The staff was very friendly, especially Zelda-​the adorable inn doggie. There is an outdoor patio that is amazing, as well as bicycles with baskets for guests to use around town. The owners have literally thought of everything and I highly recommend staying here when in New Hampshire. I was so happy here and very sad to go!

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 2 nights and it was an excellent stay. We have fallen in love with the inn. Inn keepers Jaime and Augustino were warm, accommodating and welcoming. As well as the staff. We received a complimentary upgrade to the Somerset cottage which was a pleasant and generous surprise. They provided an outstanding, hearty breakfast both days which left is full for most the day. The inn is situated in a quiet historic town, which is nice to walk through, but it must be known there is also plenty to do within a half hour. We found plenty of shopping, food, activities and water all close by. Jaime left us with a select registry of other inns across the US to enjoy other inns similar to this. We would definitely recommend this inn.

I bought this Inn via Living social. Me and my bf stayed here on July 4 th night. It was nice little Inn, the place has nice decorated art, the staffs are very friendly. The best part was the breakfast was so good. I love everything they did there and the owner are very friendly. I would reccommend anybody to stay there. It was nice stay!

My fiancé and I stayed here the weekend of our wedding (in nearby Lee) and we could not have been more pleased with our choice.
Before arriving I received a phone-​call from Jamie (one of the caretakers) saying that he was looking over our reservation and wanted to see if we wanted to switch rooms. Initially we had booked the Lakeheath room (which right before our wedding was the most extravagance we could comfortably afford.) Jamie had seen that we were celebrating our marriage during our stay and offered us the honeymoon suite at no additional charge whatsoever. It was the strangest thing, but he seemed more excited that we were getting married than possibly even my mother. :)
Our first night was lovely. The bed was enormous, the room beautifully (and lovingly) adorned, and upon returning from dinner we found a lovely hand-​written card from the caretakers tucked under a bottle of champagne and a bar from a local chocolatier.
Breakfast all 3 mornings was delicious (and frankly too much!) Excellent strong coffee, juice, a fruit + yogurt starter, followed by main course (waffles with home-​made blueberry compote, egg soufflé with home made (from their garden!) tomato chutney…) It just gets more and more decadent. Each meal was finished with a fresh blueberry-​banana smoothie too. :)
Our room had a fabulous marble whirlpool tub, a fireplace, a little TV, and even a little breakfast table by the window so that we could have breakfast in our room the morning after the ceremony.
True to the name the Inn is right across from the bandstand, making for a bustling downtown center right outside the front door. Plenty to do/​eat/​buy though our favorite was the little bookshop across the street. We did not even begin to take advantage of all that was offered (bike rentals anyone?!)
The caretakers were both pleasant, conversational, and sincere. They took great pride in showing us a good time, and after all of this we learned that they were in fact the NEW caretakers, having only taken over ownership 3 months ago.
Bravo, guys. We could not be happier with our stay!

Great food. Great bed in the Edinburgh room. Hospitable innkeepers. I had a great time.

Incredible New England Charm, in Historical Exeter…
On a weekend getaway from the pressures and stress of the real world. We stayed at the Inn by the Bandstand in the Windsor suite which is on the 2^nd floor with a lovely view of the bandstand, and the skyline of downtown Exeter. The suite itself is warm, welcoming, and very plush. We loved the personal touch (bottle of wine, decanter of Port wine, and the luxurious bathrobes). We made good use of the jet tubs after a long day of exploring nearby sights. Breakfast was delicious and was a great start to each day.
Susan (innkeeper), and Zach (mascot, a golden retriever) are very welcoming, and went out their way to provide superior service (knowledge of the town — where to go, etc).
Of note, we booked this location via a Groupon special, which included a voucher for dinnner at the Tavern at River’s edge. I must say it was a great value! Thanks Groupon! IF there is another special, I would stay here again!

We stayed here on a Saturday night and really enjoyed ourselves. Lovely room and well situated in the center of town with plenty of small shops in the surrounding blocks which made for fun window shopping. Recommended for a weekend getaway.
Room Tip: One of the rooms has a fireplace! Nice for a mid winter night.

This place is absolutely BEAUTIFUL for a getaway everyone’s looking for. Came here with my girlfriend on a 2-​night, 3-​day deal through LivingSocial. It’s a quiet, historic town in NH that doesn’t have much to do! The main goal of coming here is to relax, and enjoy life. We brought our bikes up and did some trekking through nearby Portsmouth and Hampton, which were incredibly scenic. The rooms are in the style of a rustic campfire — moose heads posted on the wall, fireplace in each room, old nets and signs from times of the sailors on the walls… it’s really beautiful.
Jim and kate (owners of the Inn) were TERRIFIC in providing us with a terrific stay, great breakfast, and everything we needed to be accommodated. If you’re in need of a relaxing, refreshing getaway, look no further then NH + the Inn at the Bandstand!

Thanks to Groupon, I spent a lovely night here with a lovely man :) Stayed in the Somerset Cottage room on the 3^rd floor. Very charming décor — New England quaint down to every last detail. The complimentary port in the room was a nice touch and free wifi was appreciated (though we were trying to escape our lives for a bit). Jim, the innkeeper, was very helpful and personable. Breakfast was delicious. The location is right in the dead center of town, too.

I definitely recommend a stay here. In the heart of downtown Exeter, it’s conveniently located to all sights and sounds of the town. Jim and Kate (owners) are very hospitable.

My husband and I recently needed to get away for a couple of days to rest after a month of nonstop work and personal commitments. We stayed at Inn by the Bandstand in the Lakeheath room, which is their more rustic, log-​cabin, lake-​house style room. We loved it. That room is on the top floor of the inn, in the corner and only one other room is on that level.
The breakfast was fantastic. The first morning we were there, breakfast was an apple unsidedown something or other — I missed the actual name because I immediately dug in. The second morning breakfast consisted of an egg and tomato frittata, a whole grain home-​made muffin, and both mornings there was fruit, juices and coffees served as well. We spoke with the inn keeper at length one morning during breakfast and it was nice to get to know the person behind the scenes.
The Inn was offering packages combining stays with themes or local services so if you do stay, see what the current packages are. We were there during Valentine’s weekend and there were options that included dinner at 11 Water Street, roses, wine, etc. The Inn isn’t too far from Portsmouth, either. We drove there one afternoon for lunch and to walk around.
This is a small detail, but we really liked it. When you check in, the hallway you walk down has a long table on the left with a Keurig coffee machine and lots of coffee and tea choices. We stayed the two nights and each night when we came in from dinner, there was a big plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies next to the coffee machine. Little unexpected things like that make me happy. :c) Chocolate chip cookies, unexpected or not, always make me happy. The Keurig is on all the time in case you decide that you want a cup of decaf tea before bed.