The Barboursville 5 Course wine pairing dinner was perfect...the wine and food were spectacular. Janet, Mark, Luca, Kat, our breakfast waiter (I can't believe I forgot his name, because he was the perfect waiter!) as well as the entire wait staff were so gracious, fun, down to earth... Hospitality came naturally for all staff...It's just a great place and we enjoyed a wonderful get-away from the DC area!
The only thing lacking was a place to "hang out" and read or play a game with maybe a cocktail or coffee. A relatively private den/library type room I guess that we're accustomed to in an inn would have been great there... If the room had a view all the better. Also, the couches in the corner of the diningroom would be really nice flanking the fireplace in the pub during winter months...I would love to drink a Bailey's on one of them near that huge pub fireplace! In the summer they could be removed to make room for tables. (Just a friendly suggestion). The pub bar with the TV is nice, but not as the only place to go as a guest in the winter. Our room was not condusive to hanging out and is in need of renovating.
I believe the emphasis has been on excellent food...with great success. I suspect the next effort will likely be placed on bedroom renovating and tweeking of the little details. Don't let any of the negatives stop you from spending a night or weekend, because over-all it was truly a great place to spend a night (if not for anything, but the great breakfast!) We had a great time...you should definitely check it out. We're curious to see how the inn evolves over time. We are sympathetic that the tough economy won't allow for over-night improvements of the guest rooms and that a 300 year old inn is not exactly easy to improve. Great luck to the proprietors! Hats off for all of their hard work.
