Beautiful hotel on very nice grounds. The staff is first class and at your service in the manner of a Ritz or Four Seasons. The rooms are spacious and extremely well appointed including a mini bar. The restaurant is a Price Fix and minimum of 3 courses. Its 5 star but we did not want to spend 32 hours in the restaurant so we dined at the bar which used the same kitchen. The bartender was excellent and the food worthy of 4-5 stars. simply excellent. read more

Just rubbish and unprofessional, I kept trying over the course of three days to make a reservation for afternoon tea, but no one can apparently be bothered to pick up the phone at any time of the day and you are put on hold for an eternity and there is no option for online reservations. read more

Definitely does not rate 4 or 5 stars. The service is not in line with pricing. There are many other spa facilities in the area that provide better services for less $, particularly massage therapy. Also, very difficult to book services unless you are a hotel guest. I've been to the Umstead several times, and each time came away disappointed. Definitely Overrated! read more

I was here for a work meeting, so I didn't actually stay at the hotel. The conference room was beautiful and comfortable. I took a walk around the hotel and the grounds, and was so impressed at the attention to detail. Beautiful! We had a catered lunch that was delicious. The staff went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. read more

Fantastic. I am here for afternoon tea. Looking forward to exceptional service and enjoying great conservation with a friend. Never disappointed when I come to the Umstead Restaurant, Spa or Hotel. Always a pleasure. read more

The Umstead Hotel - Afternoon Tea - Hotels Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

We hosted our daughter's wedding here this weekend. There are not enough words to describe the entire experience - from initial meeting, to tastings, to the affair.. There is nothing you can think of that they have not thought of before. Every base is covered. The service is beyond believable. The rooms are impeccable and immaculate - again.. nothing you can think of has not been though of by the staff. The food is delectable. The surroundings are gorgeous. read more

This past Saturday a group of friends were in town staying overnight at the Umstead, not a part of the large wedding party who was also on site. After going out to dinner, we inquired with the shuttle driver what time the bar would be closing in order to have a nightcap. We were informed Saturday closing was at 11:45 pm. Making our way to the bar at 11:23 pm we were promptly, and quite rudely, informed by the bartender that he would not be serving us anything as there had been a wedding, he had been busy, and he had closed early because of it. Now, keep in mind we are not at the Holiday Inn. This is the Umstead. We were basically told that this hotel cared more for the wedding guests, not standard guests, and that because this bartender was tired we were out of luck. After asking a second time, and confirming with the gentleman that closing was at 11:45 pm, but that since he had "run his report" he would not be assisting us, he promptly went to the back room. After repeated complaints to the front desk and requests for a manager, we were assisted and comped a round of drinks (amazing how that report didn't seem to matter then.) I do appreciate the remediation, although not once did anyone say they were wrong to shun us to begin with, we were told again and again about "the wedding." I must say, this is not the type of service one would expect from this hotel. And trust me, it will not be forgotten when giving recommendations. Its a shame this treatment was bestowed upon a group who had previously frequented the location. Hope all of those beloved wedding guests will be returning, this group will be thinking hard against it. read more

This review comes right on the heels of a 4-star I left for the W in SF... which, let's be honest, was just about the poshest hotel I may ever stay in. So I'm sorry, Umstead, but I just can't give you 5 stars. When you stay at a luxury hotel, you've got certain expectations of grandeur. And the expectations were just not met. Certainly, the service was top-notch... bell-boys at your heels at every second. But I can unload my own handcart, and save myself a few bucks, you know? I get the impression that this hotel is designed to cater to business clientele. And the design certainly reflects that -- very upscale Marriott-feeling. And not special at all. I found myself missing the swanky-chic and cool personal touches at the W. They did have slippers here, which was cool. But the rest was :yawn:-inducing. And the bathroom, well. The sliding doors separating it from the main room were flimsy and cheap--we couldn't even get ours to close all the way! Not exactly the indulgent romantic Valentine's night in mind. And the next day, our room service was about 30 minutes late. They did at least call to alert us they were running behind, but it left us pretty rushed to eat, get packed, and check out on time. I only give such a harsh review because of the amount of money you spend and the reputation the Umstead has. We both were grateful we got the room at a SAS-employee discount, as it would have felt even more lackluster paying the steep full price. To end on a good note: As a huge sheets snob, I will say the linens here are just top-notch. Verrry comfy bedding. read more

The Umstead Hotel - Hotels Near Me - Cary, North Carolina

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Excellent retreat. There is nothing to compare in North Carolina. The staff is really nice and friendly. The place is worth visiting and well maintain. read more

This is for the Umstead Bar from last night, 9-18-21, and all about seriously substandard food. Atmosphere and our bartender was exceptional. Wine and cocktails were really good. My girlfriend and I have enjoyed going to the bar for about 6 years running now. While we had had apps and dinner before, we had never tried the burger. We built it up in our mind, given the hotel image. Last night, we both ordered the burger and fries. It was a severe disappointment. Both of our burgers were served almost cold, but the fries were hot....hummm. In the past, we had seen the burger and fries served with a presentation flair, complete with paper surrounding the fries.....last night, it was just plopped down on our portion of the bar, same presentation as an average restaurant. We joked to each other that Five Guys has better burgers and exceedingly better fries. The fries are not home made at the Umstead...but why does Five Guys or other top drawer hamburger places make their own fries and Umstead not? The Umstead fries were still pretty good and were EXACTLY like McDonald's fries. McDonald's does have a solid reputation for its fries....but Umstead copy them?! Wonder if Umstead uses the same fries vendor as McDonald's? We will return to Umstead in the future for drinks, but not food. read more

My husband and I had such an incredible stay at The Umstead over Memorial Day weekend. Since my husband is in the military, we have had the great opportunity to stay at luxury hotels all over the country whenever we are looking to celebrate an event. Our experience at The Umstead surpassed all of our vacations in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, New York City, and Austin. From the start, we knew we stumbled upon something spectacular. We were met with such amazing service by every staff member, from Amiga and Maggie at the reception desk, David who brought up our luggage, to Vincent at poolside. Although we never told anyone we were celebrating our nine-year anniversary, we were graciously upgraded to a larger suite. Upgrades and special treatment have never been offered to us, even when I showed up for our honeymoon in my wedding dress. We were so stunned and thankful! When we checked in well past three in the afternoon, our room wasn't prepared for us yet. This could easily have been an unpleasant start to our stay, but the staff handled it wonderfully by offering us drink tickets at the bar and having our luggage brought up for us. We didn't mind at all sitting on the outdoor patio and enjoying the beautiful hotel grounds while munching on our complimentary snacks and drinks. Every weekend since then, my husband has been begging for us to go back and I have to remind him that The Umstead is only for special occasions. You can rest assured that any birthday, anniversary, or promotion will be celebrated at this lovely establishment as long as we are in North Carolina. P.S. Most of our day was spent poolside. The staff brought around personal ice buckets with bottled water and misters. At one point they went around and asked, "Would you like to sample some frozen grapes?" Um, yes, please! read more

OK, but definitely not five star service they claim. Staff was friendly, but not overly knowledgeable, or enthusiastic. It seemed more like a 3 star hotel. Customer service was good, but not amazing like I would expect from a five star resort. Stayed Thurs and Friday nights. CONS -I was not told upon arrival that spa was basically booked for the duration of my stay. I tried to book a mani/pedi and they could not do it unless I came back twice(once for each service)-disappointing - TV was difficult to work - did not receive turn down service either evening, even though pushed the button and were gone from the room - not much to do if the weather is bad -food good, but not much variety for a long term stay - Had a suite, but the coffee maker was right by the bed making it would be difficult to get a cup quietly if anyone is sleeping -when they cleaned the room did not replace some of the towels, any of the glasses or robe. - ordered choc chip cookies and milk with reservation, they just brought them when they wanted instead of asking when, so they were not warm when eaten. Had to get an extra ice bucket for the milk. PROS -beautiful room and bath -amazing shower and bathtub with excellent water pressure -fabulous vanity with plenty of space -lovely, high-end Gilchrist & Soames bath products(shampoo, cond, loofah etc). -awesome hairdryer!! -24 hour room service -lots of filtered water and shaved ice - green facility -close to Umstead, RDU, etc. I was able to get up and run in the park in the mornings. -yoga class on the weekends Unfortunately, since it was cold and rainy I was not able to enjoy the pool, pool bar, etc. read more

The most pleasant experience I've ever had with a hotel happened here. First, when you call you speak to a human. Second, the humans have great answers to questions! I had car service, a perfectly comfortable room (pretty snazzy technology too!) and a hot and delicious breakfast in the morning. Regrettably, I did not have time to enjoy the spa, but the next visit (and there will be a next) I will definitely make time to. read more

This review is for the Spa. I will comment on the hotel and restaurant separately. This is as close to the Grove Park Inn experience as I've found east of Asheville. You definitely get in here and feel like you've entered another place, time-zone, world. They have a nice lounge area that is inviting to hang out in for hours, reading a book, snacking on some light nibbles and drinking hot tea. There are windows so you can see the world is out there, but even those are focused on what they want you to see....the beauty of the surroundings....and not the reality of I-40 being within earshot. There are hot tubs in the changing areas that are accessible to you at all times, but unfortunately separated by sex so no chance to share with Hubby. You can make a nice day of it with one scheduled treatment or many by tubbing and relaxing in the lounge. We did the couples massage and a facial. Both were wonderfully delivered. The couples massage included a pre-soak in a tub made for two. The massage itself was the right pressure and focus on areas of concern. The facial was a little light, but still enjoyable. Prices are on the high side, as would be expected, but everything seems approachable, comfortable, not off-putting. read more

I went to a dinner party at the Umstead in late June . When we arrived there was no meat free dish for me to eat. We asked if they could make me a meat free dish. They did but when I went to thank the chef he was very RUDE and replied " I had to get a new pan to make that for you- hope your happy. ' I will never go back this dump of a hotel. read more

I came here a few weeks ago with a friend for her birthday to do a mani + pedi. First, I was kind of surprised that they only allow you to use the spa if you get $100 worth of service (so you can't get just a pedicure and use the spa) - which I thought was kind of lame. But, in all honesty, the spa is totally worth it. The spa: Gorgeous, and I like that they had both a women's lounge/hot tub area and co-ed lounge/hot tub, so if you went with your significant other for a couples massage you could enjoy the spa amenities together. I haven't always seen this everywhere, so I thought that was a nice perk. Before our pedicures, my friend and I enjoyed the outdoor hot tub, which was super nice to sit in on a cold day. The lounge also had the fireplace going, so this was a really relaxing place to sit while you waited for your service. The pedi/mani: Mine was AWESOME. My friend Amy's ... not so much. Both her pedicurist and manicurist (which were different women -- they were pretty booked so she had to split hers up by a couple of hours) were borderline rude. They seemed aggravated and annoyed, weren't really friendly at all, and her manicurist even made several comments about how she "couldn't file her nails because they were WAY too short" (side note: they aren't that short, and she's had them filed during a manicure many times). Back to my pedi, my technician was really friendly, and the pedicure itself was so relaxing. My feet are pretty ticklish, so I don't always enjoy pedis, but this one was the best I've had. They also give you a heated neck pillow while you are getting your toes/nails done - nice touch. When we ordered champagne, it took awhile, and my pedicurist had to go check to see where the heck it was (because my friend's pedicurist certainly wasn't going to go out of her way), which was a little annoying. Overall: the spa is gorgeous and worth a visit. Since you do have to spend a bit of money to use the whole area, I would say to try and go when you have most of the day to spend there and get your money's worth. I would definitely go back (and just hope I don't get Amy's pedicurist...) either with my boyfriend or a couple of girlfriends for a relaxing spa day. read more

I don't want this to sound bragodicious, it isn't but qualification is needed. I've had the opportunity to travel well...and stay in luxurious hotels and accommodations around the globe. The Grand in Venice, The Four Seasons Maui, Dublin, The Ritz Carlton, The Oriental...many equal but few could surpass the level of service, comfort and overall excellence you'll experience at The Umstead. Although the Four Seasons Maui Wailea has the ocean, The Umstead is of course short of the unmatched fabulous Hawaiian sunsets and breaching whales...yet this place rivals the hotel itself sans the pool et al. The staff, the rooms, tech tablets controlling everything from your bed, the fitness center, the bar, shear excellence and yes...the serenity...The Umstead is worthy of each of its five stars. read more

An elegant yet unpretentious lobby, a huge bathroom, and HDTVs in the room.

Where am I? Surely not in BFE Cary? An upscale hotel and spa in Cary you say? I can not gush and drool enough about The Umstead..words like impeccable, gorgeous, superlative come to mind. You have no idea you are less than a quarter mile from I40. You feel if you have been whisked away to a private retreat. Every penny spent was worth it. I have had massages in the spa and made it an all day retreat from the world...no one cares..go relax before and after get lunch in the bar and go back and relax some more. The staff....can they come live with me please? There really is no service like this anywhere besides here. From the doorman, to the front desk, to the spa to the barkeeps there are no better people to make your visit pleasant. Ok the rooms...spacious and comfy, the bathroom? Omg the bathroom was a spa in itself with wonderful lighting a huge tub a nd huge separate shower. If you do one thing this year, treat yourself even if you just go to the bar and go have a drink and get a burger..wonder if I just moved into a closet the notice? read more

Beautiful grounds to the pool t that you don't feel like you are in Cary, NC. Service was outstanding. Our server Shawn was patient, very knowledgeable, professional and spot on with his recommendations. I can't wait to go back. read more

Don't waste your money. All hype no good. Overrated. Pretty rooms nice housekeeping but managers and workers all seem miserable and unhappy. I left top there and they were charging almost $10 to ship to me and I'm only hour away. I stayed in Ritz in Palm Beach. We left and I realized I left my phone there , they sent it to me free of charge , no questions asked. That's the right thing to do. They don't do right at this hotel. read more

Incredible! Hubby and I spent one night here (fifth floor), AAA discount. Instead of doing a plethora of spa treatments like most (although we will be back for that), we did a pool day (tip: sit in Francis' section, he's one of the most amazing service providers we've ever had anywhere). Drinks are very reasonable for a five-star resort, at the pool ($6 beers, $10 mixed). We valet parked - they were very quick about retrieving the car and overnight it was $14 I believe. read more

Upscale comfort. One of the nicest hotel I've stayed at. The rooms were spacious, especially the bathroom. My colleagues and I dined outside and it was a great atmosphere. So happy I was here on the client's expense. Unfortunately, we were only there for 1 might and I didn't get the opportunity to try the other amenities. read more

This review is for dining in the bar & lounge area. Seriously, I love going there! I went today for a late lunch and we had wonderful food and great service. It feels so luxurious even just sitting there that I can't believe I don't come more often. The lunch is (of course) a bit pricey, but a $30 price tag is well worth it for the experience of relaxing in such a peaceful atmosphere. I love the outdoor dining section and will be heading back soon when the weather cools down a bit. This place lives up to it's 5-star name without being snobby- a difficult feat to accomplish. Perfect for lunch, drinks, or just to go to escape from the 'real world.' read more

Wow! I travel every week for business so I stay in a lot of hotels... the Umstead is hands down one of the nicest places I've ever stayed at! And who would have thought you find such a jewel in Cary, North Carolina! The service was unbelievable - very attentive without being pretentious. From the guys at the door to the lady that shows you to the elevators, everything was perfectly choreographed. I will definitely be back on my next visit to Cary. read more

This is an exquisite 5-star hotel in the middle of the Research Triangle. Simply stated the rooms, food, service and facilities are WORLD CLASS--and I travel a lot. In some ways it all seems a bit over the top especially for a business hotel but I would definitely stay here again. read more

We brought my 110lb malamute for our stay and the hotel staff was wonderful! They watched him while we ate dinner on the veranda, and the grounds and trails are great for dog walking. read more

Beautiful facility with impeccable service. Five-star quality all the way. They are also renovating the spa, which was already relatively new and spectacular. Stay here and you'll never want to stay anywhere else. It's not like any North Carolina hotel I've ever been in. Better than Ritz and Four Seasons in most major cities. The staff goes above and beyond and is extremely responsive without being cloying with "my pleasure," every other second. Quality staff. The hotel has a small walking trail, fabulous lake views are available, a nice pool, yummy food. A little slice of heaven tucked away. read more

This is a review for the bar & lounge. We wanted to eat there instead of in the restaurant. The food was great, so much that I didn't finish what I ordered, a chicken sandwich with german potato salad. Two of us had wine, the birthday girl had two martinis with bleu cheese olives which she seemed to enjoy. For desert we shared the pumpkin creme brulee. I ate most of it. Service was great. I would definitely come back here. Funny thing is, a friend of hours told us about her bad experience at the Umstead but our experience was very positive. read more

I found this venue to be very nice but not worthy of an exceptional rating based on a couple of things. There is bellman services (bringing luggage to the room), doormen, turndown service however I have had that at other hotels for a more reasonable rate. The room was fine. It did have a jetted bathtub, but not something I had time to use anyway. Some rooms had balconies although ours did not. The dining room had a dress code which I found to be a bit pretentious. I am sure there are those that appreciate this kind of aesthetic. It just wasn't exceptional. read more

We have stayed at the Umstead twice this year and will definately come back again. The hotel is beautiful and the service has a formality to it, but as other reviewers have noted, the welcoming attitude transcends pretentiousness. The rooms are beautiful, with an artistic simplicity, with great linens, unreal body wash and fluffy robes. The first time we stayed, my husband and I were on different afternoon flights out of RDU three hours apart. As we inquired about about airport transportation, the staff suggested, actually insisted (!), that they would take charge of my luggage and that I simply must enjoy their spa. I was assigned a time to be back in the lobby to meet the cab they would arrange. Everything was better than perfect. When I called to reserve a second stay, the hotel was full on my chosen date. The staff took the information recorded from the previous stay and placed us on a wait list. They honored the list, and called us a week or two before our scheduled trip with all of our preferences noted. Our second stay was also near perfection. Certainly the price is high, but not unreasonable for the quality, especially if the complimentary use of the spa, complimentary wireless internet and complimentary morning coffee, tea and baked treats are factored in. read more

The review has only 3 stars because of the spa, the hotel itself would deserve more. On the positive side, the hotel is very tastefully decorated, the staff courteous, and the food excellent- we were a large group and the buffets were of extremely good quality. One small inconvenience is that the windows did not open in my room, necessitating the use of a rather drafty and (minimally) noisy air-conditioner. Apart from that, 5 stars. The spa was fine but overpriced for the service. I had a massage that was supposed to be 50 minutes, however, counting a slight delay in coming to fetch me and a visit of the spa, lasted nearer to 40. There was no choice in the tip, 20% were automatically added to the price. I have no objections to these rules but the customer should be warned before so that he/she can decide whether to pay a (rather) high price for a (rather) short service. read more

This is a fantastic luxury hotel in Cary,NC. Amazing grounds and extremely professional service aimed to go above and beyond. The bar attracts locals and the craft cocktails are AMAZING! Most nights there is live music at bar as an added bonus. I highly recommend the burger. read more

OK, do not tell my wife, but I'm in love. With THIS place! Tonight is night one of two here, coming down for the Rolling Stones concert (why, yes Ron Wood WAS there having dinner tonight, why do you ask?). The hotel is truly, truly spectacular. The spa is sublime, and Herons, their dinner venue, absolutely inspiring. As with any review I try to post the negatives as well. Uh, we struggled with understanding the lights and the shower temperature? Yeah, that's the best I have. If you want NY/Chicago quality food, a spa that is truly world class and a hotel that competes with the best in the world--Yes, In North Caro-freaking-lina--then look no further. But keep this quiet, cuz I do love my wife! read more

We had a great weekend. Must visit place and food, scenery and service is great. Love the fact it's wonder by one family and they are giving us the best gateway within our own state. read more

My wife and I stayed here for our honeymoon, I had a relatively new job and very little vacation time so we could only stay for three nights, two of them weekend nights. The hotel is awesome. When we arrived we were given flowers that were sent by my brother and his wife as a gift for our wedding ( it was a justice of the peace type event, so we only had two guests -lol). To celebrate our honeymoon they gave us a much nicer suite than what we originally requested (at the same price). Not too often you have a hotel room with two bathrooms, it definitely helped break in my wife -- she didn't have to follow me in the bathroom after morning coffee. We never ate in the dining room but did get room service several times and the food was awesome and the service was great. We did go to the spa for services which were nice but the atmosphere was not up to par with the rest of experience. The professionalism of the front desk personnel was somewhat lacking. They spoke extremely too loud and were a little ghetto. But still the massage was nice and the overall experience decent, though not cheap. Overall, the experience was great. Thanks. read more

Only place to stay in town. Remarkably clean, outstanding service in spa, hotel, and lounge/restaurant. Great price for experience. Would give it 10 stars if I could. Score points with your wife/girlfriend by booking a weekend or overnight here. They offer spa packages on weekends with your stay. read more

The Bar and Lounge is a great place to go for an impromptu date night. Even if you have to wait for an hour to get a table at the bar you can have drinks on a nice couch and wait in a great atmosphere. It can be pricy but it is worth it and I can't wait to go back and try "Heron" for an even more upscale experience. read more

Pure luxury! What an amazing get a way for our anniversary weekend celebration. We decided to make this an annual anniversary destination. Didn't know this gem was just down I40, less than 2 hours from our house. Our dinner at Heron's was phenomenal. Some parts were a little strange, but tasted out of this world. We will be back for our 36Th next June! read more

I have stayed at the Umstead twice a year when driving North to South in the Fall and then again when driving South to North late Spring. I make my reservation to stay approximately a month ahead of time and also make dinner reservations in their fine dining restaurant. This last time I made my reservation to stay the end of May at the end of April and received a call back to ask if I wanted a dinner reservation as was my custom. The reservation lady told me that for May 30th the only times available was at 5:30PM or 8:30PM which I declined and told her I was going to cancel my reservation to stay at the Hotel. She called back an hour later to tell me that I could be seated at 6:30PM. I told her that I had already cancelled and would not be staying at the Umstead. read more