We didn't have advance reservations but they had vacancies and the price was reasonable-I had called around to various hotels on the way to Salem to get prices. We were going to stay here only one night but decided to stay a second night because there was so much to do in Salem. Our host, Daniel, was very accomodating and made our stay pleasant. This is a charming bed and breakfast-not a hotel- but we had our own private bathroom and a common sitting area adjacent to our room. A nice continental breakfast was included in the morning. I would recommend that you bring your own toiletries, since only soap was provided

I had read such mixed reviews on this place before I went that I had been nervous about my booking. I will list the positive and negative and that way you can decide if it's right for you.
Positive:

Price is great for the location and time of year

The location was my prime reason for staying here since we were flying and not renting a car it was ideal and within walking distance of every where we needed to be.

Friendly and quirky owner and cat

House always smells wonderful with food

Negative:

Decorations are minimal and not typical of a bed and breakfast

Breakfast is simple (orange juice, box of cereal, fruit, bread/cake, coffee/tea)

Small bathroom

No shampoo and conditioner which can be a problem since the airports are stricter with those items now.

Little on-street parking(if it is busy you won't have a spot)

We enjoyed our time here and wasn't touring for the B&B atmosphere primarily but if that was more our reason for going then I may have been upset with my choice. It met our simple needs for this trip therefore I was pleased with The Stepping Stone Inn.

This house was beautiful and John was a great host and cat lover which alway wins points with me. We had alot of privacy and we got to watch alot of action from our windows. We were right in the thick of things. Great choice for our first B&B. Nice breakfast, easy and conveniant. I will definately recommend this lovely place!

The best part of our visit was meeting John the Innkeeper. He's a delight. If you are into witches and such, the location is terrific. Other than that, it's rather blah. For our $150/night room, we got a small, rather spartan cube decorated by Helen Keller in 1935. I jest of course, but it was terribly plain. The mattress was rather old and lumpy and the moths had been busy with the well worn blanket. The pillows were stained but appeared clean. The forced air heating system kicked in during the night and sounded like an idling Greyhound bus. Stepping Stone does merit high marks for location. It's an easy walk to almost everything (including the parking garage that's two blocks away where you have to park). If we'd paid $40.00 a night we'd have been pleased. That's maybe what it was worth.