The Hermitage Inn

Terrible — if I could give less than 1 star I would — overpriced, chaotic service, zero vibe — we had the steak frites — and while the fries and greens were good, the steak was a grizzle fest (all 3 plates) — we used to love this place and we will not go back — overpriced food hall

What used to be a wonderful, quintessential New England Inn Restaurant has gone way down hill with the new menu, new chef and inexperienced staff.
Our recent experience could not have been worse from uncooked burger, swampy salad, forever long wait to downright rude service.
Used to be our go to when up here. Won’t go again until we hear things have changed.

New year’s eve. Rude condescending bartenders. Over priced cold food. Save your money and go somewhere that the bartenders don’t suck. Mark and Anthony. Lame

Not sure why we keep going here but they did get a new chef so figured we’d try again.
$ 45 for a piece of steak that was thinner than my iphone. Not prime, not aged, not even a nice thick cut you’d expect for $ 45. The flavor was severely lacking even though a special butter was to accompany it. Unremarkable and grossly disappointing at that price point.
The burger, again, was missing ingredients. The 7 hour lamb shank… wholly bland. Are they using salt back there?
They should head down to Cask and Kiln in Wilmington to experience good local food. Otherwise, turn the place into a grill. Another annoying feature is staff turnover, but I’m not even grading them on that because I understand it’s a tough thing in Dover, VT.

Absolutely terrible!!! Refuse to waste any more time with this place even to write the review.

We had a 7.30pm reservation for 15 and started eating at 8.45pm. The restaurant was empty and the service while pleasant was extremely slow.
The portions were very small and as expected over priced.
There was not one offer of a drink on the house or dessert.

We got the recommendation to come here from our awesome inn keeper at Wilmington Inn. He told us to request a table with the big comfy chairs. We made the reservation and headed over. We got there on time and requested the big chair tables. There were two options. The host denied us both from both. The food was mediocre and the ambiance was pretentious.

Ate there last night, their final night of serving dinner for the season.
Was there the night before for a few cocktails and the bone marrow app (delicious) and great bar service from the bartender who (found out through chit chat) was not the usual guy there. He worked more typically in the clubhouse.
Now for the dinner: about 20 minutes after we were seated we were asked for our our drink order.
My Manhattan (straight up) was terrible. Not shaken and warm. The glass was not chilled nor was the mix properly shaken in ice to actually make the drink. It was merely assembled. After that, I stuck with water.
With the drink order we were asked for our selections. However we we told, at that time, that about half the menu was unavailable because it was their last dinner service for the season. ???
While waiting for our meals, which included two kids meals that most places serve sooner, we asked for some bread. Exactly 4 small pieces in the basket (one for each person)
When I asked for more bread… guess what… they were out.
The food that we did have was absolutely excellent. However they should either not open with empty pantry or restock and be serious about a dinner service. Less than half the menu available? No bread?
In the end I felt lucky that they had coffee for us.
For a place that takes its image so seriously, along with its price point, it’s a bit disappointing.

Service was not good and atmosphere was beautiful. Old but updates charming. Veal was cooked well and tuna was perfect. Definitely the better place to be in Mt. Snow area! I give it a three because waitress was not busy and rushed everything from beginning to end! Never asked if we wanted coffee and kept running away from table. Ok she was nice and took a photo for us so maybe 4 stars total! Food was a 5 star! Specially for Vermont.

Pretty good. Service was ok. Could have been better but all the staff was distracted by March madness prelims on the tv (who can blame them but…) Food was good but not exceptional. The place has a classy feel to it and the potential to do an outstanding job; I’m guessing the weren’t at their best last night. Overall the night was very pleasant. The valet were exceptionally nice and that help start and end the night on good notes.

Bartenders are slow for a 16 seat bar.,.can only make 1 drink at a time & think they are great cuz of location & how much they charge… go to a local bar… better service & food is great… wouldn’t know about food from this place cuz the bartenders can’t make a drink & take a food order at the same time… double thumbs down

After White House Inn moved our reservation to Hermitage, we were forced to have Christmas dinner here. Appetizers (tuna tart was awesome!) were great, desserts (sweet potato crème brûlée-​you could die for!) were delicious; main dishes would be ok for regular dinner, but not for Christmas. Our waitress was nice, but didn’t know menu. Our final bill had extra items on it (and no tips were added). When we pointed at additional items to our waitress, we got a new bill with 20% tips added. We were planning to leave a nice tip anyway, because of the holiday, but the new bill changed our minds and we just paid the bill in full.

Ok, we arrive at 2pm on a Friday based on our hotel’s recommendation. The joint was PACKED! Good sign, right?
After 15 mins, we were hastily sat at a small table and our waitress «Carrie» came over and took our order. I ordered a Pinot Noir and the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, and my partner ordered Water and a Grilled Chicken Sandwich. «I’m sorry, we’re completely out of anything with grilled chicken.» Weird at 2pm but ok. Turkey Club Sandwich.
My wine comes immediately and it’s delicious. Busboys and runners are running like chicken with heads cut off, delivering food everywhere, but in spurts. A table of 8 next to us got served in over 4 different trips over the course of 15 mins. Strange.
Well, it’s been about 20 mins now and I finished my wine. Carrie swung by and asked if I’d like another glass, to which I said sure, and he ordered a coffee. She asked «milk & sugar?» He replied «sugar only, please» The wine shows up with the coffee and sugar boat which only contains Splenda and Sweet & Low, no regular sugar.
Another 30 mins go by and my wine glass is just about empty and still no food. I mean, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Turkey Clubs are assembled ahead of time, and fries are made in batches. Yet, no food. So, I hail Carrie and ask for our check. She looks at our table and asks «did your food come out?!?» I said «no, and we don’t want to wait anymore». She walked away and within 10 seconds came back to us and said «I’m so sorry. This is all on me». We tipped her (she did HER side of the business promptly) and left to go have lunch at the Maple Leaf Tavern.
The food that was going by us LOOKED good. But, if you’re a fine dining restaurant, service issues like this should NEVER happen. This isn’t the first busy day you’ve ever had. Sorry Hermitage. I wouldn’t recommend you to anyone.
The

Best place in the area that we have found for breakfast. Very pleasant staff and great food. Will come back, highly recommended.

Ok
This place is a gem! It’s not New York or Boston, or Philly, it’s Vermont. The facility at the inn is wonderful. I stayed there with the previous owner and Mr Barnes has definitely raised the bar! Think the service of the four seasons at Nevis meets New England. Now look. If your looking for a bargain or a cheap meal go elsewhere. The hermitage is really an oasis of luxury in southern Vermont. Literally 4 hrs by car 45 min by private plane from one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.
Private plane, yes they have their own airport. The inn also has a club membership which in my opinion is the best value on the east coast! A membership gives you discount at the inn but more importantly allows you access to the ski mountain. Haystack mountain is a wonderful mix sized east coast mountain. It features ungroomed expert trails and excellent lower groomers. This year they are featuring tree skiing. Think western skiing meets east coast. In the summer the membership also features an incredible golf club!
This is the place for a high end weekend get away for 2 or a whole family.
I’ve read reviews regarding the wine list. I must say I have no idea what so of the negativity is about. Perhaps jealous competitors ! The wine list is second. To none. The wine cellar is amazing ! If you visit make sure your tour the cellar.
There are many comments on cell service and wifi. Look if your going away perhaps you should unplug. But honestly AT&T provides at least 3 bars of service at the inn and Verizon is 5×5 wifi there has always worked for me. Wifi in Vermont is NOT wifi in NYC or Boston and Internet connectivity in the green mountain state is not what metro areas are used too. But honestly why are u going away?
All in all I believe a great value for the dollar !,

A great spot to get away from it all! No cell service, not noisy cars, nothing! Just woods, stars and fresh air.
We bought a Groupon last summer and spent a few mid-​week days here. We loved every minute of it!
We stayed in the Pondview room at the Carriage house and it was like something out of a movie. The room was clean, comfortable and had plenty of rustic charm. We were lucky enough that the entire Carriage House was empty our first night, so we had the hot tub to ourselves. There are few things in life that can beat a nice quiet soak while looking up at the clear night sky.
Our first day we borrowed a few bikes (for free!) and took a ride up the road. It was a little too hilly for our liking, so we turned around and hit the trails. That was fun!
The amenities include a second hot tub in the main building. A gym, with treadmills, stair machines, free weights and even a steam room with a TV. I made good use of that! There’s also a game room with plenty of board games, darts and a pool table.
The food at the dinning room was great, but brings about my only complaint. Because you’re so far away from everything else, your dining choices are limited to the Inn, or nothing. We really did enjoy the food, but it was a bit pricey and I can imagine the four dinner and lunch choices they offer would become old after more than a two meals there.

I went there last summer… I bought a groupon for three days. so when we went there I was surprised to see a inn deep in the lush green and middle of no where, my cell phn wasnt able to get any reception. lolz .but the location is amazing. I loved the lil pond the horse stable. and my room was really romantic, warm n cozy. there was a fire place and… a nice jet tub and also a shower… and we were totally isolated from the main house n nobody were in anyother rooms… So it was awsome. totally secluded.there was a pond in front of the cottage/​stable where we lived… whole place is beautiful… loved that place…
I would have given them five stars… but when I got there no one was in the reception and they were little reluctant about the groupon thingy, I guess… The owner or the manager (I forgot) who was in the reception when we were checking out was not nice… we even paid extra 50 $.on the top of 22% gratitude and service charges… he did not even said thank you…
Every morning they put cookies after house cleaning, which was sweet… and the food was great in the pub and the restaurant … I did not went to the hiking trail they have and the indoor pool… so do not know about that …
All in all it is a nice beautiful place…

I’m local to this place and I love food. IMO Paul Eschbach is the best chef in the area. Sure I can’t afford to go here often, but they do have an excellent pub menu in addition to the main dining room that is quite reasonable considering the quality of ingredients and preparation.
So yeah, def. on the short list of places to go if you’re here and into food.

Adorable restaurant. The covered bridge as you drive in, the homey feel, it was everything I expected from a VT restaurant. The staff was super sweet and attentive. My friend and I got the beet salad and kale salad to start. Both were fantastic and quite large. For entrees we got the burger and the pork. Again, large portions and very well done.
We ate in the pub and it was a nice, relaxed atmosphere. Exactly what we needed after a long day on the slopes.

Took my husband to the hermitage inn for a romantic birthday getaway and was not disappointed. Our room in the carriage house was cozy, clean and spacious with its own fireplace. The common area had its own kitchen, dining table and living room, I imagine its great for families or wedding guests who want to rent out the entire carriage house. They even have their own outdoor jacuzzi in the back! One small con — as stated in other reviews, the walls are pretty thin, but we weren’t too disturbed by other guests.
Great intimate b&b experience, but at a much more luxurious scale as everything was updated and modern. The surrounding grounds are so picturesque and beautiful with the cute covered bridge and horses and plenty of trails for hiking — ask reception for trail map. The guest amenities were great — i loved the cozy game room and beautiful jacuzzis that opened up to nature.
Dinner in the formal dining room was so nice. For a fancier restaurant, there was no attitude and the staff were so pleasant and welcoming — not pretentious at all. They even gave us a complimentary cheese plate because they took a little longer than expected in serving our entrees — who does that?! Don’t get that treatment in NY! We had the scallops as an app, I had the pork chop and my husband got the steak. Everything was so delicious, but I think my pork chop stole the show — it was served with mashed sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts (usually comes with broccoli rabe, but as we came in late for dinner, they ran out and apologetically asked me what I’d like as a substitute). We thought the meal was worth the price tag because of the quality of food and service. The portions are also very large.
We had dinner in the pub the 2^nd night (they have live music only on fri/​sats — we didn’t get a chance to hear them play, but caught some of it while we were walking outside, they sounded amazing!). My husband’s venison burger was SO good. I had the Duck Confit Poutine, which was very salty and only came with a few bits of duck. Mussels were flavorful, but I could tell a few pieces were not quite fresh. The spinach salad was very good, with pancetta, blue cheese, walnuts and cranberries.
Breakfast was good and steal at $ 10 (we had vouchers with our stay), included coffee and orange juice.
We were supposed to come the weekend after hurricane sandy, but could not due to the mess in the aftermath of the storm, the hermitage was so kind to change our reservation at the last minute at no cost (they usually need 60 days notice since its a small inn, which is understandable)!
Overall, one of the best trips we’ve ever been on, beautiful accommodations, cozy amenities, WONDERFUL staff, can’t wait to go back.