Give me quirky any time over a sterile modern hotel. If you hate individualism, eccentricity or hosts chatting over breakfast, don't book the Apple Tree. But if you relish being treated as a houseguest rather than an anonymous visitor, this is the place for you.
Contrary to what someone said in an earlier review, this is a HOME, not an hotel. The guest rooms are small but luxuriously appointed and although I was a bit offput by various small notices, they turned out to be extremely useful - such as the Jacuzzi will let off steam about 10 minutes after you've drained the bath. I bet lots of people thought there was a ghost before this note was included!
Gail serves the most sumptuous (and filling!) breakfast you could ever wish for - home made muffins and scones, delicious hot dishes, juice and proper coffee - and nothing is too much for her. I was in the town for a wedding, went shopping for ribbon to finish gift wrap, forgot it (came back with clothes...) but Gail provided both ribbon and sticky tape. She and her husband left us alone to eat but chatted when we had finished our food and gave useful information about places to visit and about their 1820 home. Without her I would never have found the lavender farm where she buys her guest toiletries. It was a thrill for a Brit to open the curtains and find a black squirrel holding a nut on the roof outside the window.
I chose the Apple Tree because of its close proximity to the venues where I was a guest but it turned out to be a pleasantly memorable part of my 2-week trip to Canada.
