Inn at Perry Cabin

Perched beside the Miles River, a tributary of Chesapeake Bay, sits a classic white colonial mansion built by Purser Samuel Hambleton and christened the Inn at Perry Cabin. Hambleton, a War of 1812 Navy veteran and aide-de-camp to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, specifically constructed the Inn to resemble the Commodore’s cabin (“Perry Cabin”) on the flagship USS Niagara. The property’s identity changed numerous times over the years: from a private home to a working farm, and then to a riding academy. In 1980 Harry Meyerhoff of St. Michaels converted it into a six-room hotel with a small restaurant. In 1989, Sir Bernard Ashley purchased the property and began a two-year expansion that transformed the building into a 41-room luxury hotel. Orient-Express Hotels acquired the property in May 1999; and, by 2003, completed a $17 million improvement program designed by the architecture firm of Cooper, Robertson & Partners, which included three new buildings and 38 guest suites to bring the total room count from its original 41 to 79. In March 2014, Orient-Express Hotels changed its name to Belmond, and the hotel was renamed Inn at Perry Cabin by Belmond. My companion and I were fortunate enough to spend three blissful nights at the Inn at Perry Cabin, which has long enjoyed the reputation of being the top hotel on Maryland’s Eastern Shore – and with good reason. The Inn is the home of classic elegance – antique & contemporary furnishings complemented by an uncluttered contemporary décor – beautifully blending faultless professional hospitality with the informal & friendly atmosphere of a traditional inn. Through a bit of good luck, and the ministrations of our savvy travel agent, upon arrival, we were upgraded from a deluxe room to a junior suite, which added immeasurably to the pleasure of our stay. The room was beautiful, as was the view from our deck… but there are also plenty of activities to keep you busy. Modern facilities include an outdoor pool, health club, and fitness center, as well as a Pete Dye-designed golf course and tennis complex by Cliff Drysdale. Of course, there’s always the sailing academy if you’d prefer to explore the waters of Chesapeake Bay. On the other hand, if you’re in the mood, you can just join the tourist brigade exploring the interesting shops and restaurants in St. Michaels. But on to the food… The Inn at Perry’s Cabin basically offers guests three dining options: Stars (pictured above), their gourmet restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner; Purser’s Pub, offering a menu of locally-inspired small plates, as well as a collection of rare whiskeys and bourbons; and the High Tide Pool Bar, which we did not visit. The day of our check-in, we arrived too late to have lunch at Stars, so we decided to pay a call at Purser’s Pub, which opened at 3:00 p.m. The bartender mixes a mean Cosmo – Tito’s Handmade Vodka specified – as my dining partner may clearly attest. My wine of choice was a first-class Stoller Famil

Please do not waste your time or money here! This is a 2 star hotel at best. It needs a lot of updating and improvements. We had no air conditioning or control over the temperature of our room. It was so hot that we could not sleep in our room! There was also no concierge on site and we had to play phone tag with someone off site. Daily activities were not listed in the lobby nor in the room. They said the activities are only on TV, but we could not find them. There was also miscommunication among staff about what activities were available. The table in our room and the bed sheets were dirty and gross. Staff tried to make things right but they fell short. This was a very expensive, stressful and unpleasant stay from start to finish.

Fantastic, very comfortable hotel in a great location with great service but for a high price where you would expect not to be disappointed in anything but we were. Breakfast was not included, there was no tea kettle/bags/cups in the room and there was no where to have a drink and socialize at 10:30 PM on the weekend.