The Thistle Inn

This is NOT An INN! It is a pretty room in an old house. There is no innkeeper, no housekeeping. No public spaces. Just your room which has a private bathroom. And a tiny coffee machine with no instructions and a good selection of teas. our room was spacious comfortable. The bathroom floor is slick, no rugs anywhere. Up two very narrow sets of stairs. It is an historic home, after all. At 75, I could not bring luggage up. I unpacked at the car and took what I needed up in a small backpack each day.. if this works for you , great! If you are expecting to be welcome at a charming New England Inn, this is NOT the place, Oddly there was an elegantly inscribed envelope for “Housekeeping” ! There was none. No one at all ever made up the room, swept the bare floors, Replenished anything during our 3 night stay.

The best part was how close it was to walk to the harbor. It wasn't super clean, chip crumbs found under bed etc. The air conditioning was annoying and loud. Our door was difficult to unlock and I hated that there was no deadbolt for safety. No staff members there. It was a weird vibe being above the restaurant, like we didn't belong there......the front door was also wide open during the restaurant service hours....anyone could just walk in. We did need to call Florin and he was wonderful.

The inn is conveniently located near restaurants and shops. There is a restaurant on the property as well serving seafood meals and pub food. The only thing we didn’t realize is we had to park across the street down a small incline. We parked there after unloading the car but when we went to park there a 2nd time someone asked us to move. Overall, the inn is clean, quiet and fairly priced for its location.

No one was there when we arrived on time. We didn't get an email giving us the door and room password. No one was there. We made several calls, left voice mail and was told they didn't like my attitude and was told to "talk to Expedia.' Narrow, hazardous stairs, no path to the parking lot. TV hard to operate, no channel guide, no coffee, just tea and no instructions on how to work the Kerug. We were there 3 nights with no housekeeping though we put the sign for it on the doorknob.

The bed and pillows were so comfy. Great location too

Bare-bones room. One chair, extremely poor lighting, no table (had to place drink glass on the floor), saggy-in-the-middle bed, bed mattress 46 inches above the floor, no pictures or wall decorations, no housekeeping: waste baskets overflowing after 4 days, no beds made or linens available even if we wanted to change them ourselves: management had the audacity to include a housekeeping tips envelope, TV service offers only reruns of programs dating back to late 1950s (were it not for our smart phones we would never known Trump bombed Iran), stay not inexpensive considering how little our money bought. Built in 1862, this property desperately needs TLC and professional hospitality management that that knows what it's doing.

The room was not decorated. It made the room very cold and unwelcoming upon arrival, and the empty hooks made it feel like the place was just robbed. The air conditioner is a window unit, which was (very) loud in the rain; and just as loud when running. There was only a table and lamp on one side of the bed (I had to place my eyeglasses and watch on the floor). The bed is also too tall in my opinion and has very squeaky springs. Parking for the inn is across the street, in a gravel, unlit parking area, surrounded by abandoned vehicles. It is a short walk but requires crossing a dangerous intersection and walking thru grass down a rocky hill. It’s terrible. I know the restaurant isn’t related, which is a shame. There were take-out containers in the lobby for four days – the entire stairwell smelled like rotten food. The first two nights we stayed, the staff from the restaurant slammed dishes and argued (outside) from closing til 11 pm. Lastly, our kcup selection was limited to Sleepy Time tea & decaf coffee, and the Keurig was filthy. Oh, and we found extra towels on our own (a buffet in the hallway) – there were no instructions on where to find them. None of these issues was worth a call or a complaint to the restaurant, but the annoyances and inconveniences combined for an overall experience I’d rather not repeat. Limited to 1500 characters, I had to trim down my comments.

I had no one to speak to. Went to put my bags in the car and I returned the door was locked. Very noisy and outside light kept me awake. AC was not on, so the room was very hot when we arrived. Had to figure out how to get key.

Not at all what I expected! I don’t mind that there is no one there to greet you but it would be nice to be able to ask questions about the area and room conditions. No one was ever there!! Some of the issues we found were the following. No soap at bathroom sink and not then found the container in shower was also empty. Very, very little parking. The coffee maker, although a Keurig, was not as easy as it should have been. The day we were leaving there was only one regular coffee. Plenty of Sleepytime, decaf and breakfast tea. I don’t even want to discuss the TV. Most of our issues could have been easily attended to if there was someone on the premises. There was a phone number to call and leave a message. Then they texted us! No human contact ever. I’m a regular business traveler and have never had issues like this. I had heard great things about the Inn. I hope our experience was just an aberration.

We reserved and paid for a room in advance, and then found out that the room was on the second floor and required climbing a long flight of stairs. My wife is unable to climb stairs because of a disability. When I contacted the Thistle Inn, I asked for a room on the first floor. This was their response: "Good morning, we only have one room at the ground floor that’s occupied and the building had no elevator. Thank you!" Not accommodating at all. I have written asking for a refund, and have asked Expedia to help mw receive a refund. As of this moment, I have heard nothing.

I’ve stayed at several different places and Boothbay Harbor over the years. I enjoyed that everything was no hassle. We arrived late due to snow on our way up and my only slight complaint was I wish someone could’ve turned the heat to the room on. Other than that great stay!

Great experience

The house was built in 1861 with original flooring and lovingly refurbished. The sleeping accommodations are tastefully furnished. Being a short walk away from the hubbub of the shopping doesn't mean that your peace and quiet is disturbed. The restaurant, which is located on the first floor of the Inn serves delicious food and staffed by competent and polite people. The only suggestion that we could make is a full length mirror in the room. Looking forward to returning in the future.

This is our 2nd trip to Boothbay, first time at The Thistle Inn, we stayed in the Crows Nest, as a family of 4. The room was beautiful, clean, spacious. We loved having a full kitchen and room to spread out. This would even make a great weekend getaway for 2 during the off season. The fireplace makes a nice cozy touch.

I would say this property is Unique!!! There is no Front Desk;; check in is a code for the main door and coded key lock box with a key to your room. Checkout is the same. Everything is done via email and phone. What makes this place Great is the Restaurant attached to the Inn. Food is Amazing and the service is Awesome as well!!! The are owned by separate entities. There are only 6 rooms which makes it nice as well and located walking distance to downtown Boothbay Harbor. The only downfall is the narrow stairs going up to the second and third floors, I have bad knees so the stairs were a little rough but still didn't take away from a Great Stay!!! Next time I will try to get the room on the first floor lol. I would definitely stay there again!!

We loved our stay!

Overall, clean. Pictures on Expedia don’t perfectly reflect the property. Cover picture shows a full refrigerator and kitchen with huge counter & barstool chairs. Did not see anything like that. The room (which I thought was a 2nd floor room because of the ceiling shape in pics) was actually a 3rd floor (which was not very easy for us older folk to climb) & stairs were very narrow. No elevator. No breakfast, lunch amenities. Keurig in room was great (if you’re a fan of Keurig) I guess this was an average like a AirB&B type situation. If you’re looking for that, it is fine. Anything more is not there. Although it looks like they’re trying to update each room individually. Ours was newly painted & clean. Small refrigerator, no freezer. It’s out of the busy/touristy sections & outstanding restaurant below the rooms (not associated with the rentals.) Open 4pm-9pm. The food, staff, ambiance was phenomenal. All n all, the experience was ok, just lacking any personal touch/service.moo

This place was amazing! Great location. I definitely recommend.

Check in instructions supposed to come 72 hours. Got day of after calling. Bed WAY TOO FIRM! Shower curtain pink and black with mold and mildew-smelled to high heaven when wet. The restaurant is too loud. Heard people singing Happy Birthday and dishes clanging in our room. Thankfully done around 10. Can also smell cooked food in the room. Odd setup.

The room was nice but you have to carry everything up a flight of steep stairs to reach the room. Shower is very small.