Its really true, no matter what you do, there are some people you just won't be able to please. We've never paid much attention to this site beyond signing up several years ago. But a regular guest told us this weekend about this really unjustified review so we had to respond.

We''ve been here since 1999, and take what we do seriously. The vast majority of our business is repeat visitors. Our guest book is filled with praise about our food, our place, our service, and the entire experience. If you;re in the area, stop in take a peek. Our misson here is to provide guests a whole vermont experience, not just a place to lay their head at night. We enjoy our job immensely when our guests are having a great time! We have had people come up here on a getaway, return to get engaged, and return again for us to host their families and their wedding. There are many independant reviews by professional journalists and travel writers. We've been featured and endorsed by national magazines, and were a date location for an ABC family TV reality show. So this review really baffled us. It just ain't so, as they say up here.

We looked in the booking notes to jog our memories and things became a bit clearer. Its pretty rare that someone checks out early, unless its weather or emergency related, more about that later. But it does happen, and of course it is a concern to us being a seasonal business we really want to minimize this so we do keep notes. This person requested a less expensive available room and upon arrival asked if they could look at other rooms. This is not unusual, many people are curious about the place when they come up. So, as usual we accommodated and showed them whatever rooms that were at that time vacant. We don't show rooms that have a checked in guest, even if the guest is out, that just isnt right.

The room they saw was much bigger, and they asked for a free "upgrade' to it. They were disappointed when we told the the larger room they wanted was already booked and would not be available. At breakfast he told us they had to check out due to a friend who was scheduled to join them skiing later that next day would not be joining them due to a medical emergency and they had to go back home right away.

There was a indeed a friend who had booked to arrive the following day. they did cancel their trip up, but he cancelled before the reviewer arrived, and cancelled due to the bad weather and hazardous road conditions that day. A quick check of the history page at weather underground weather site proves that on that day, December 29 there was a freezing rain, a half inch of it recorded for our town which did give us a not so nice half inch glazing of pure ice over everything. Over the years, history has taught that bad weather can account for things like friend's medical emergency that requires urgent return home. Its an unfortunate part of outdoor recreation related lodging business.

The fact that Michiko is from Japan says all we need to about housekeeping. The towel bar comment has us baffled though. there have been times when guests (generally kids) have managed to either pull or knock a towel rod off the wall, but we do clean the rooms every day and repair what needs to be repaired, so they are there.

We, like all other licensed lodging in Vermont are subject to random, unannounced inspections by the state health department. We score very very well every time and are happy to provide copies of inspections by the official state sanitarian to anyone who requests.

As much as we try sometimes it is just not possible to stay on top of freezing rain here in Vermont. That was one of those days. Some days it falls and freezes on the cold ground faster than the sanding contractors can make their rounds re-sanding.