The food is mediocre and the prices are high. The drinks are ok but nothing spectacular. Service is hit or miss, depending on the night and who's working. Shows in the ballroom are not great, the sound is awful, the bar line is always long and slow. read more

The inn is located in a nice residential area, the rooms are small compared to larger chain hotels. The bathroom lack any type of vanity to place or pug your personal items . only a towel rack, two small table lamps for lighting, the nightstands are also pretty small , room for the telephone on the stand , no clocks , the cable tv had limited channels , biggest issue no room fridge which is always handy , there are no ice machines but a bucket of ice is advisable at the front desk if you ask. It's a nice place for a one nighter but that's the limit read more

I was very impressed with the governors Inn and restaurant it was a beautiful night and you could sit outside and enjoy yourself. The inside was very nice and old plenty of seats the bar had to sides they have a full bar with a good selection of wine and beer. The service was excellent very nice always had a smile the food was just as good I had baked Haddock and it came with a salad and a loaded baked potato very delicious done perfect. When I finished my dinner I went over to the garage and they had live music and dancing it was very entertaining I must say I had a nice time here at the Governor's Inn read more

The worst service. Took 10 minutes to get a drink. The bartender gave me a dirty coaster that was at the dirty spot I was sitting at. I had to ask her to wash the bar! Ordered our appetizer and meal at the same time (salad was ordered with meal that I never received ) appetizer came out and had to wait to get plates/silverware.. once received our meals arrived. Never saw the bartender after the first drink was served. They did right by discounting our food but sadly we will not be returning after a horrible experience. read more

We had an absolutely fantastic meal at the Steak House and a great time at the bar! Clean rooms, great staff and quintessential new England inn!! 5 STARS! read more

Loved this old Inn! Reasonably priced, good location, although the town has a lot of closed shops like every where nowadays. Very clean rooms, we had a bathroom attached and it was also extremely well cleaned. Nice restaurant, food looked interesting but we had already eaten. Drinks are really good, not watered down and the limoncello cake was served with a shot of limoncello to pour over it was to die for. The continental breakfast was lacking. Only bagels and cereal. No fruits or pastries. read more

Had bacon-wrapped scallops that were old and frozen. I threw up on the way home and was sick til the next day. Please take these off your menu if you can't make them fresh. Thanks. read more

The Governor's Inn is several things: It's a comfortable pub where you can grab a beer and some snacks while watching sports on several screens. It's a casual yet classy dining room where you will be pampered with panache. It's a cozy bed and breakfast in a historic mansion where friendly and attentive staff will make you wish you were staying longer. It's a charming place to have your wedding or other event for a large group. It's a performance venue where you can enjoy live music. My sister recently moved to the area and I needed a place to stay while visiting, as she had a full house. My choice of The Governor's Inn was largely logistical: it's close to my sister's new home and it has a restaurant which would still be open when I arrived on a Friday evening after traveling all day. On Friday evening, I arrived just after 9:00 p.m., and after washing up in my room, I dined in the pub. I had onion soup, a burger with fries, and a glass of chardonnay. The soup was not up to the standard of Café Bastille back home, but it was far better than some I've had at chain restaurants. It comes with cheese melted on top, and some fried onions on top of that, which made it seem saltier at first taste than the soup itself actually was. On balance, not bad. My hamburger was cooked as ordered, and came on a ciabatta roll with french fries. Both were good, but not exceptional. On Saturday, I chose to eat in the main dining room, which is elegant, yet not too pretentious. I had the Delmonico steak with sauteed zucchini and a glass of a Chilean Carménère that had the spicy "green pepper" bite for which that variety is sometimes known. The steak was cooked to order, and the zucchini was tender but firm. Again, the meal was good, but not outstanding. While I was staying here, there was live music on the property. Be sure to check with the management to see what entertainment is on offer when you plan to visit. My room was at the top of the stairs, tucked under the roof. Dormer windows, low ceiling that slants downward near the outer walls. It was charmingly decorated and quite comfortable, but I did bump my head once or twice before I learned to duck when approaching the outer walls. For overnight guests, a continental breakfast is served which is pretty standard: breads, fruit, cereal. You've read this far and you're wondering why I've awarded four stars for "good, but not outstanding." It's the service. Everyone here seemed genuinely interested in making sure that I had what I needed and that I was enjoying my stay. The inn staff were friendly and solicitous. The bartender was pleasant and checked that all was well after my burger was served. The server in the dining room made me feel like a Rockefeller dining at the Waldorf, slipping in suggestions adroitly and not missing a beat when I chose differently. This could so easily be a five star rating if the kitchen were to take things to the next level. I did feel that I got good value for what I paid. The Governors Inn has such charm and style that it's a shame that the food is not quite on the same level with the atmosphere and service. read more

Just a quick update - we keep coming! Often for special occasions. We went this week and ordered from a 2 for $30 menu that gave 2 entrees and an appetizer for $30. I noticed that most of the items listed to choose from would basically add up to $30 or less anyway, but the steak tips would be a deal. They are normally $15.99 each. So we were getting a few $ off and a free appetizer...cool. We got the chicken nacho appetizer and it was delicious! We didn't expect to love it so much and honestly, it was so big it could've served as a meal. Our steak tips were delicious and cooked to temperature. The veggies and mashed potatoes were also quite good. The service was excellent, we were visited frequently by a few staff members. Everyone made sure we were comfortable. read more

Visited for the first time this week... I was disappointed to see servers wearing jeans or shorts and sneakers and struggling with basic tasks. The salad was really good but the steaks were disappointing as were the drinks from the bar. Our bill was wrong and no one greeted us when we entered. This place has potential with a few changes. read more

Great experience staying here. We stayed here for just one night as a pit stop to Acadia National Park driving from Ohio. We got caught in traffic and got in pretty late, and the staff was so accommodating. They made sure someone was there for us to check us in around 11pm. The continental breakfast is more grab-and-go style. They things such as muffins, bagels and coffee. The rooms were clean and beautiful. Would recommend staying! read more

Attended a "murder mystery theater" event here. The food was fine and the Inn staff were great but the opening song to the theatrical performance was borderline hate-speech. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly where the line is between being a song being harmlessly politically incorrect and its being pure hateful, but this song raised the question for sure. The song was a twisted version of Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection" song, written and forcefully delivered as an attack on the LGBTQ community's adoption of the rainbow flag as a symbol for the community. It added nothing to the performance other than a disclaimer to the audience that they shouldn't expect a "politically correct" evening. The crude sexual references and lousy jokes that followed were to be expected, but surely the performers did not have to deliver the anger-filled bastardization of an otherwise much-beloved song for the evening to otherwise work out. It was just mean, loud, and cruel. Many in the room thought it was funny, but was it satire or hate-speech? I genuinely don't know... and that scares me. read more

The Governor's Inn - Performers of the abominably awful murder mystery theater - Hotels Near Me - Rochester, New Hampshire

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I'm rating the lodging and not the restaurant. The inn has a cozy look to it inside and out, and the staff was fairly friendly. The morning breakfast was nothing special, granola, cereal, tea/coffee, fruit, yogurt, muffins, etc., but nice to have. I was quite partial to the coffee, it was good. When we asked the front desk for things to do, they did offer some good suggestions (most were outside of the Rochester area, though). Location was close to the small downtown area, and there was a wedding and comedian that weekend in house. What really turned me off from this place (which is unfortunate because it could be a 3 or 4 star) was the room we had. Not only were there cobwebs all over the ceiling, complete with a couple spiders, but our room was so loud from the surroundings. We had the room on the second floor near the kitchen stairs and it really truly sounded like everything going on in the kitchen (cooking, broken dishes, cleaning, etc.) was right outside our door. This continued into the night until restaurant/bar close and resumed bright and early in the morning for breakfast. In addition, the room had a perpetual cleaning solution smell that was nauseating. The big clue, when we walked in, should have been the propped open window when it was cold out. We ended up sleeping with the window open, despite it being cold, just to air out the chemical smell. Unfortunately, to me, the room didn't have the homeyness I came to expect when looking at the description and pictures online. In their defense, I'm sure there are some great rooms there but not for us. I do enjoy traveling to the area, but with the number of choices for B&B's, I'd be hard pressed to stay here again. Very reasonable rate, however! read more

I went HUNGRY on Christmas Eve 2019! What a disaster. I had been looking forward all day to having Prime Rib. I starved myself. NO PRIME RIB at 5pm! So, ordered the 'Bahn Mi Burger'. Supposed to be 'seasoned with curry'. I am BROWN. I know curry. SALT IS NOT CURRY. This was a salt bomb. It was so, so, so salty that I went into a kind of anaphylactic shock! It was like I had eaten a block of salt. Sent it back. I was ill. So didn't order anything else. BUT, they tried to charge me for the salt bomb I had returned. To add insult to injury they charged drinks, we never got, to our check! Thought we would not notice. We were shocked. Service was not great. Never going there again. Disaster. So I had to go to our Christmas Eve service hungry and ILL. What a dump. read more

We have been spending MUCH less time in restaurants since the birth of our daughter so when a family member bought us a gift certificate for this establishment, we were elated. We drive by the cozy-looking place all the time and think it looks inviting. First I would like to say that the hostess, manager and wait staff were excellent and the atmosphere is just as it good on the inside as it looks on the outside. Now for the bad news. We ordered some nachos that we really liked. I would order them again with a beer perhaps. Next we ordered salads and they were mixed greens which I think demand alot of attention from restaurants. Often, if the turnover isn't good enough, some of the greens wilt or rot before the rest so you have a half fresh and half rotten salad that you have to pick apart. The dressing was uninspiring. I ordered surf and turf and my husband ordered BBQ steak. My husband's steaks sauce was overly sweet and it was the same sauce (or very similar) that was on the nachos (not their fault, I acknowledge). Our whipped potatoes were way too salty (and I am known to salt alot of my food). Both meals were topped with fried onions and if they weren't canned, they didn't taste better than canned and combined with the potatoes put the salt over the top. The steaks were cooked as we ordered, but they weren't amazing. My shrimp was not hot and was super rubbery. I never finished them. There were very small and I would say that they were previously frozen, which is a shame when we are so close a great market for seafood. We ordered a cobbler for dessert to share and it was probably the worst part of dinner. It had to be boxed or Bisquick mix as it had an angel food cake-like texture and the fruit was barely there. I am so dissapointed that this place with great staff and such a quaint historical building isn't better than this. I give it two stars b/c I would go back and try the pub food b/c I liked the people and atmosphere so much. The better I learn to cook, the harder it is to part with cash and I quite frankly cannot afford to give a place a second chance. I would rather buy the ingredients and cook at home and not feel cheated when it comes out bad. I think in this economy, businesses like this should ramp up their quality. The place was pretty deserted as well. Only one other table at dinner time. read more

The Governor's Inn is a great wedding venue. It has a few little connected buildings, patios, and a big back yard. There's also a gazebo out back that they're super proud of. The service was great, the food was pretty good for what it was, and the ambiance was classy. The drawbacks here are the neighborhood is not great...and also that the sun sets behind the gazebo and so at 3 in the afternoon in the summer time it's blinding. read more

I booked a room on 8/14. Drove all the way there only for them to tell me they don't have my room. First they said they were surprised I had a room because they have been booked for a while. They said they don't have me in their system. I show them the confirmation email I had. She then said, I see your name but no reservation next to it. How would you have my name then? I told them I booked at on 8/10 at around 1:00 pm. She searched that day and found three other names that booked that day but not mine. I thought you just said you've been booked for a while? They screwed up and all I got was we have no room for you, bye. No compassion, no help on fixing the situation with maybe another inn or hotel. I will never book here again. read more

The Governor's Inn was a beautiful historical building with gorgeous courtyard my daughter and I loved exploring during our stay. She loved the swing in the back by the tree and the next door flower shop/botanical garden was pleasant which made it well worth our stay. The staff were accommodating and helpful. Loved the hand-written welcome notes. Just wished there was a lock positioned a bit higher to lock the doors from the inside so my lovely, intelligent 3 year old can't quite reach but we managed. Took some creativity and maneuvering but we can't wait to visit again! Thank you staff for our pleasant visit. read more

Spaulding Steak and Ale is the pub that is associated with the Governor's Inn, Bed and Breakfast. I have had dinners and lunches there and each time I have not been disappointed. The food has always been well prepared with portions that are a solid value, but not too much. It is casual and comfortable, however you can also have lunch and dinner in the inn portion of the establishment which is a touch more up scale. In the warmer months you can eat outdoors on the porch, but if you are out after dark, the mosquitos might chase you inside, so get there early. The pub introduces outsiders to a little about what the City of Rochester is all about with its theme of Spaulding High School, which is located right up the street, as well as the Spaulding Family, which built the houses that are now the Inn. Members of the Spaulding family were former New Hampshire governors. All in all, if you happen to be in Rochester, check it out. read more

Last night I stayed here with my boyfriend. We have stayed here many times and usually book a room there once a month. After this visit it is unlikely we will return. As I stated before, we have stayed here many times and usually when we check in they hand us the keys and we move on our way. The particular man who checked us in today has checked us in only once before and he gave me the creeps that time too. He seemed insistent that he should walk us up and show us our room which made me very uncomfortable. I was able to walk away from him because the phone kept ringing. We went up to our room and set up as usual and then we went out to dinner. Upon returning from dinner at almost midnight this same man came up and knocked on our door, and when we didn't respond right away we could hear him with keys unlocking and opening the door! It was such an invasion of privacy and to be honest it felt like he was trying to catch a glimpse of something if you know what I mean. It felt perverse. Then in the morning there was a similar situation, where my boyfriend and I were laying in bed and someone started to jiggle the door handle trying to open the door. Ontop of all of that, there was also an alarm clock in our room that had been set to go off at 4 in the morning and would not turn off until we unplugged it. Definitely going to try to find somewhere else for next month. read more

This place has superior Mac-n-Cheese, really top notch. The chicken BLT salad is good - but you may end up with some old salad mix and slimy, blackish lettuce. It varies. The mozzarella sticks are good - good sauce comes with them. The burger is fine, but the meat tastes a little weird. I don't get the sirloin steak anymore - something about the beef is a little off in the place. I ordered the chicken quesadilla appetizer as a meal - it is the size of 3 meals. The French onion soup is too salty. The veggie wrap is okay. They make stiff drinks. Most servers are pretty friendly. We go about 3 times a month because there are very few decent options around. read more

Four ladies walk into a bar....sounds like a joke, doesn't it? The joke was on us! The place was empty, yet we were turned away because the "kitchen was backed up". Hhhmmmm, does the bartender play chef here? The approach was terrible. We would have dropped $100 in drinks. Their loss! I'll never be back. read more

Was minding my own business in the waiting area until "Tonya" an employee wakes me up from my 20 minute nap ( Hadn't slept in over 30 hrs) and tells me I CANT rest there. She then proceeds to kick me out and make me wait outside. Even after I told her I have a reservation and I was waiting for my sister. It's ridiculous the lack of professionalism and courtesy this place has towards their guests. Afterwards, she approaches me while I'm already waiting outside and told me to go back in and wait in the area cuz 'she didn't know I had a reservation' when I just told her before she kicked me out. So angry and frustrated I preferred to stay outdoors until my sister arrived. Work on training your front desk workers. Employee of the year working the complimentary breakfast area was the best host there. Friendly, attentive, and 100% professional. read more

I like this place.. I am rating them based on their bar and grill, not the hotel portion. I visit family in Rochester and I was looking for a place to meet someone for a drink. They close at 9 and had already had last call but were nice enough to serve us one round when we walked in at 9:11 since they still had people there drinking. They do close early but the staff was nice, they did not rush us out and even when we left said we could stay and chat during their clean up. I did not get food but the drink prices were good and they make a good gin and tonic! read more

Sunday Night Dinner in the garden with a great bluegrass band! The food was from the Spaulding Steak and Grill menu and was quite good. The staff did a great job getting food out from the kitchen and navigating the free form seating. A wonderful way to spend a Sunday dinner. read more

I have been living here for several months on a relo. It is a great place. the staff is professional and friendly. Robin, Lisa, Shane and April really make you feel welcome. The owners are on site and involved. The 2 mansions that make up the inn are beautiful. A little tired, but they are working on that. The food: never a bad meal. Some are just OK, some are stellar. Had beef stroganoff last night; flame seared filet on top of an incredible sauce. And healthy portions. the history, architecture and professionalism make this a great spot. Many vegetarian options too. read more

I recently hosted a cocktail party event at the Governors Inn to celebrate my recent marriage in Jamaica. First of all the process to book the hall was very easy and quick. Hats off to their event coordinator Lisa, she made the process simple and stress free. I found the prices for the food, cocktails and the hall to be very affordable. The bartender who worked our event was friendly and very good. I've hosted a few bridal showers at the Inn before and he is great with customers and very efficient. The customer service for checking into our hotel room was ok (reason for the 3 stars). The woman who helped us wasn't overly friendly but she wasn't rude either. We explained to her that we were also hosting the cocktail party in the ballroom that night. She upgraded us for free and we thanked her, but it was our DJ that had the hardest time with her. Apparently our DJ wanted to use their equipment and we were told it would be an extra $50 charge, which actually turned out to be $100 more when I settled the bill the next morning. They also turned off the Wifi Internet so our DJ was not able to stream music either. I wish they would have told me that ahead of time so we would have prepared a little better. Overall, the event went well and the stay was nice. We checked out first thing in the morning so we were unable to enjoy the breakfast. Thank you again to our amazing bartender and to the event coordinator! read more

Excellent food, good selection on menu. Very nice atmosphere. Friendly staff. Will go back again. Not just for special occasions.

Being relatively new to the area we had initially overlooked the Governors Inn as even being a restaurant, but after visit there we will definitely be returning. Upon arriving we were asked if we would like a table in the pub area or the dining room, and opted for the dining room. We were then asked if we'd like a window seat, which was a nice option to a have. The atmosphere was very relaxed and comfortable. The server was very personable and knowledgable about the menu. She was attentive but not overbearing and we could not have been happier with the service. The food was great, we had no complaints about any of our food. Every thing was cooked fresh so you will have to wait a little longer for your food, but they time it well and bring small courses in between what you ordered, like soft rolls and a side salad. This is a great place to come and sit down and enjoy the company you're with over some great food in a comfortable atmosphere. read more

My wife and I went to the Spaulding Steak and Ale for the first time. I think this restaurant has the potential of being great place. I have 20 years experience working in an award winning gourmet Steak House. I feel that I can be overly critical. Let's get started. Wife and I walking in the door and the entrance was a little sloppy. We had to wait a few minutes before anyone greeted us. Hostess approached us with a beautiful smile. She gave us an option and we sat in the tavern. The waitress approached us with a smile she seamed friendly. She took our drink order. We ordered an ice tea, a beer, and two glasses of water. 15-20 minutes later the waitress returned and said "I am sorry I forgot. What did you order?" The rest of the evening her service was ok. We never got the ice water. The waitress did not carry a note pad or pen. She tried to do I all from memory. We had to ask for bread and a straw for the ice tea, bread should be standard when someone orders dinner. Bread and ice water. We both ordered steaks and they were cooked perfectly, delicious, and juicy. Spaulding Steak and Ale has great potential. The restaurant does not look dirty just a little unorganized. It could use a small revision of the wine and beer list. The wait staff could use a little training to include up selling. The restaurant is missing out in a lot of revenue. I know the waitress could have brought my check up from $60. To $130.+Just by recommending some apps, sides, and desert. "Your steak will go perfectly with a Syrah" Her tip would have gone from $12. To $30. You are sitting on a gold mine. Just a few small adjustments, you and your wait staff will be raking in the cash. read more

This is NOT about the Inn's restaurant but rather the Inn's mystery dinner. We would not recomend the mystery dinner! The Inn's resturant was full with people waiting so Inn must be worth trying. The mystery event involves joining 120 +/- guests, some who came under the influence and kept drinking hard, jammed into an old ball room to partake of a meal best described as worthy of being served as political rubber chicken fare with mystery meat. Now you see we do have a mystery! The cast were at times worthy of community theater performers, some had real talent but the potty jokes were stale but did entertain the drunks.A mystery should be scary and after the first act this one sure got scary. The audience was broken into groups and led to a series of upper story and basement rooms up very narrow stairways into areas with no EXIT signs low ceilings and tablecloths for wall in one case. I suggest skipping this 30 minute adventure and hit the bar ( do you remember The RI Station Nightclub Fire!) Finally back to the ball room for the final act, thank GOD. I would pass on this and take some friends out to a nice dinner and catch a show at the Rochester Opera house, unless your friends drink hard and are fearless. Oh yes we figured out who done it! Lastly there was not enough parking for the amount of people that came to the show. Parking lot was full, we had to park down the street in the snow. read more

Sunday night dinner, party of 3. Hostess was very pleasant. Server was quick with appetizer and drink order. Devan was very friendly and timely. Bacon wrapped scallops were excellent. Dinner overall was terrific. The scallop and steak tip dinner in a whiskey reduction was absolutely amazing! Would recommend that dish to anyone who likes tips or scallops! read more

Me and my daughter went to the Governor's Inn last week and it was awesome. Great food, great staff, great atmosphere. We liked it so much that we went back again tonight - Tuesday, 7/24/18. Unfortunately we never got seated. The Hostess needs to be fired! We stood at the door all by ourselves for over 15 minutes waiting, waiting and waiting. No-one in front of us, no-one behind us.....just NO-ONE around. Except for a waiter who acknowledged us and went and told the hostess that we were there and had been standing there waiting, and he kept checking in on us on his trips in and out of the kitchen wondering why we hadn't been seated yet. Finally the lame excuse for a hostess walked by us into the kitchen and on her way out of the kitchen told us to have seat on the couch and she would be with us shortly..........5 minutes later we walked out. The place was NOT busy. We were there at 7:20 pm and just stood there waiting. Unfortunately we were left with such a bad experience that we will NOT be going back. That lady has NO BUSINESS being a hostess! read more

Had dinner in the main dining room. Service was excellent. The staff is extremely friendly and very attentive. The atmosphere is very relaxing. Started with a salad of mixed greens. It was super and the dressing was excellent. For the entree we had prime rib. It was very tender with very little fat but it lacked the usual prime rib flavor. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't very flavorful. Wine is a virtual ripoff at $7.50 a glass. Overall, it's a relaxing place to have dinner and I wouldn't hesitate to try it again. At the same time, I wouldn't jump up and down saying this is a great place to eat. read more