The Robert Morris Inn in Oxford MD is very old (1710!) and it shows. The floor in the stair landing isn't even close to level. Doors are often quite short (people used to be shorter). And there is no elevator. But, it has been renovated and it has comfy beds, AC when needed, and even wireless (although their network was a tad anemic, at least from the 3rd floor). The wifi is the only in-room modern convenience, really. There are no telephones or TVs in the rooms. Furnishings are mostly antiques and rooms are varied as to size, especially size of bathrooms.

But the location great-- right on the Tred Avon River in quiet Oxford, but just a short ferry ride and drive from the more touristy St. Michaels. The food is great (there is a formal dining room and a tavern) and the staff were wonderful. The management of the Inn changed recently, and the new owners include a chef who knows how to put beautiful tasty food on diners' plates. Usually we make a point to get away from the hotel to eat, but at this Inn, we figured why leave? The food was great! If you want to get away from it all, this is a wonderful place to do it.

Oxford MD is a beautiful place for a quiet getaway. We stayed two nights in the Bottle Cottage of the Inn. The cottage rooms are roomy and comfortable but in need of updating. The cottage is what might be called a story and a half house from the 1970's (?) which has been split in half. the large picture windows make the room very bright and the view of the river and ferry are terrific. The yard of the cottage, overlooking the water is a great place to sip some wine in the sun after touring the area or enjoying the water. The rooms of the main inn are historical but quirky. I think there is quite a bit of room for taking some of the quirky away, yet leaving the historic, casual charm. I was told that new ownership (3-4 months) is professional and is interested in moving the Inn toward its potential.
The bar area with its brick and wood decor, looks like a great place to enjoy a wintery afternoon, and was a pleasant place to have a drink before dinner on the brick porch surrounding the Inn. The formal dining room is large but also in need of some updating.
The food which has recently been updated by Mark Salter was terrific and the menu provided a nice choice of meals including some vegetarian offerings. The scallops were stunning and herbed in ways that I hadn't considered before. The rockfish over the chorizo-fennel-tomato ragout was also delicious. I could go on about the food, but it should be experienced. Ingredients seemed fresh and as labled on the menu were sourced from local suppliers.
The staff at the restaurant and the inn were also incredibly professional and welcoming without being cloying. Our ninja waiter at dinner, Eric, was one of the best waiters we have experienced, anywhere. He went about his business professionally and discreetly. His was service unseen these days at few but the finest restaurants. The entire staff could not be nicer or more professional.
The new owners are off to a great start. I believe that my rating can only go up in the future. I can't wait to go back and see the progress.

New owners have brought great food to this isolated little village on the water, and the emphasis is now very definitely on the restaurant. There are certainly sumptuous meals to be had, but the owners need to put the same vision into the Inn to up their game.
They have inherited a heritage property and the rooms reflect that with roll-top baths and four poster beds, but there's not a sitting/resting room for guests inside where you can settle down with a book, a coffee or a newspaper -- and that is something that needs sorting out.
Instead -- during our visit -- the obvious contender, a room to the left of the front door, was set out as a private dining room and not used during the three days we were there. Meanwhile if you are staying in the Inn there's no communal space at all that is not about dining. The whole of the glorious old porch is laid out with dining tables, where as guests would love a section of it to be given over to rocking chairs with a view of the bay.
And there is a massive underutilised parking area out back, why not give over some of this space to a leafy garden with outside tables and chairs? Other stuff that inns on our travels offered, but not found here, included bikes to borrow, flasks of tea and coffee that could be taken to your room and boxes of board games.
Our other criticism was the air conditioning which was not up to the sticky summer temperatures at all.
So a glorious old property, offering great food, but right now I would stay down the road at the Sandaway , which has a lovely garden, beach area, and an outdoor summer house stacked with water and games, and head off to the Robert Morris for dinner or cocktails at the highly recommended bar.
Possibly a star of the future, but not at full shine yet.

Dinner at the Robert Morris Inn was unbelievable. The Chef, Mark Salter, only recently opened the Inn to dinner and word has gotten around. We started with wine and weren't sure what we would like so the manager brought 4 bottles for us to sample. A nifty touch to ensure the satisfaction of the customer. For appetizers, we tried Chef Salter's Chesapeake Sample and Vietnamese Spring Roll. Both were fantastic. The peppered steak entre was only slightly overdone but the sauce made up for that. And we topped off our meal with the vanilla/chocolate custard (nicely light after a filling meal) and fresh peach trifle.