I loved it. I read the previous review and it sealed the deal. Me and a friend needed a place ASAP and I took a chance on Gilbert's and we're so glad I did.
It really is JUST like your grandparents' house. The furniture is quaint and charming and the hosts are just the sweetest couple. They made us feel like old friends visiting for the night. Jeanne and Don were made to run a B&B. When making reservations the day of check-in, I told Jeanne we wouldn't be arriving until at least 8pm. So she made arrangements for us to get to our room ok. She also left little hand-written notes which were so sweet, I had to take them with me. No one writes notes anymore. One note told us where to find things in our room and asked if we had any dietary restriction requests for breakfast at 8:30.
The beds were great. A little firm for my friend but I thought my bed was perfect. Maybe bring a mattress pad if you're concerned. We both slept like logs.
Our room had a private bathroom which was a little extra, but considering the price of the room, paying extra for a private bath was nothing and I'm pretty frugal.
Everything was so quaint. From the quilted bedspread and rocking chair in the bedroom to the little hotel soaps and porcelain tooth brush holder in the bathroom. They even left out a few books for us, just in case.
Breakfast was amazing. It was made to order. We sat down to breakfast with the other guests and Don & Jeanne set out dishes and silverware, served us fresh coffee (they didn't even pour in the water until they asked if we wanted coffee or tea), made eggs to order "Over easy? Scrambled? Omelet? Onions? Peppers? Mushrooms? Would you like French toast instead?" It was great! I asked for my eggs over hard and my friend asked for an omelet with all the goodies. Both were amazing. She asked what kind of toast we wanted, how many slices, and marmalade and other condiments were put out. We had juice, choice of sausage or bacon. I mean, a full, quality, home-cooked breakfast. Everything was delicious.
We had delightful conversations with the hosts and other guests. We're in our mid twenties and they were all clearly in their sixties but that didn't seem to matter to anyone. And they all seemed avidly interested in the conversation so it was really nice. I don't think you can be in a bad mood in that place...Not after a breakfast to rival your mom/grandma and hearing cute stories about the hosts' grandkids. Oh! And Jeanne mentioned some of the other guests had been there for a week and to not bore them with the same food, she made something new every day if extended-stay guests are there. I wish we didn't miss French crepes (made from scratch) with strawberry preserves and whipped cream day.. Oh well.
When we left, we signed their guestbook. They like handwritten things and it felt good to use some good old fashion cursive to tell them how much we enjoyed our stay. And then Don shook our hands and Jeanne didn't hesitate to give us great big hugs. I didn't want to leave. I hope next time I'm in Massachusetts, I can stay there again. Sweetest folks you'd ever meet.
They only charged state tax. Jeanne said some places pass on state and county taxes so a lot of Massachusetts B&Bs charge 14.5% sales tax (which I noticed while look at other B&Bs). Imagine that with your $200/night stay and 2 night minimums and warm yogurt and bag of English muffins on the table for breakfast. 5.4% sales tax, no minimum stays, and amazing food at Gilbert's.
It wasn't even hard to find the place in the middle of nowhere (iphone GPS) because there's a sign out front and Jeanne told us where to park when I made reservation. Also, free parking off-street and free wifi.
My friend would've liked some AC but the fan on high sufficed. I actually woke up cold and it was 90 and the windows were open. Too lazy to grab the blanket I kicked to my feet at bedtime. Fan wasn't even aimed at me. My only complaint is missing the crepes and preserves day. Maybe next time. read more