Lighthouse Inn, New London

I suggest anyone wanting to stay at Light House Inn in Ct should check our news reports about the hotel. They are having major problems and have had to close the restaurant, the bar, and there is no hot water in the rooms. Look for newspaper reports about the hotel.

After reading reviews on yahoo, I was hesitant in staying here. I have had several friends and family recommend this hotel. What a surprise. What character, history and service. We couldnt have been happier. Upon arriving Saturday, I was greeted by valet, and assisted by the staff in bringing our bags to our room. When checking with the staff about where our rooms are located. she stated I would be in the mansion. To my understanding, there are a few buildings on the property and every room being different and unique. I made it clear that i didnt want the carriage house. She stated that this building is undergoing renovations- that are long over due.... We were assigned rooms 14 & 9. Both rooms were spotless and offered the same as any other hotel. They were definitely unique. Room 14 had the biggest bathroom I have ever seen, a dvd player & king bed, while 9 had a sleep number bed, fridge and microwave. Each with a variety of antiques and design. We ordered room service at 7pm and attended brunch Sunday morning. The food and service was exceptional. All the staff were very professional and knowledgeable- all friendly in suggesting several attractions and the areas history. My only suggestion would be better towels. We look forward to returning in 2008

My wife and I stayed at the mansion on October 5 and were sorely dissapointed with our room which was directly over the bar below. To begin with, the toilet didn't flush, paint was peeling from the ceiling above the tub, there was dark mold or mildew on the caulking around the tub, the chrome fixtures were old and worn looking, furniture in the bedroom was old an scratched,and the general appearance was of neglegted shabbiness. When we returned to the room from dinner, it was literally vibrating with noise from the band which was in full swing in the bar below. We called the desk and had our room changed to one at the opposite end of the building which was significantly smaller than the one we had just left. This room had a raw piece of unpainted plywood with a ragged edge screwed into the window frame to support a small air conditioner. The bathroom had mold and the towels were tiny. This old inn has potential to be a fine place to stay but it was sorely in need of major TLC. Overall, a very dissapointing visit and certainly not worth the money.

Our stay at the Lighthouse Inn was excellent-. We stayed in the mansion- room number 4. From what I understood- the carriage house is run down.The pool is located next to this building. One of the staff mem bers mentioned it has been a while since the rooms were remodeled, and the owner focuses on the mansion. Our room huge, spotless and everything in its place. Our first night we had dinner in the tavern. The food was excellent. The best lobster bisque i have ever tasted. The second night, we ordered room service. Though it took over 30 mintutes- it was well worth it. My only suggestion would be to offer a better breakfast...

My husband and I had originally booked a room in the Carriage House for 3 nights. When we got to the reception desk, we waited for almost 40 minutes as the 1 girl working behind the counter stuggled to help the couple in front of us. She didn't even acknowledge us until she was finished helping the first couple. We finally get the key to our room (we got in 2 hours early and waited for 40 minutes only to be told that our room wouldn't be ready until 3pm) and entered the Carriage House, which smelled moldy and had water stains on the carpet in the hallways. We layed down to take a nap. About 10 minutes later, my husband wakes me up in horror. A huge ant had crawled into his ear while he was sleeping. We found more ants on floor of our bed. We called the front desk to ask for an upgrade. She told us that there were no rooms left in the mansion, so she would give us a new room on the other side of the Carriage House. In this room, we found dirty, used tissues and gum under the bed, I stepped on a sharp piece of metal in the bathroom and one of the towels had blood stains on it. Believe me, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. We promptly left the hotel and stayed at the Cedar Park jacuzzi place and had a wonderful time for the rest of our trip. This is not a cheap hotel. There are so many better hotels in the area that it's not worth the risk or the money. And trust me, the beach is nothing special, definitely not worth all the drama we went through. My advice is STAY FAR AWAY!!!!

This place is disgusting. My Aunt and Uncle found a cockroach in their room. The carpets are stained, and most have a years worth of lint and dust on them. The rooms at the carriage house are more appalling than the rooms at the mansion.You will find mold in most of the rooms. I would not plan to stay here unless you were looking forward to "slumming it", because that's exactly what you will be doing.

Nice location, but small rooms, cramped feeling, old bathroom. Brown water came out of faucet. Had to let the water run for awhile until using. Pillowcase had dirt marks on it. Vent system in bathroom looked like it hadn't been cleaned in over a year. Carpet musty. Overall, the rooms need a major rehaul, but the location was nice. Walking distance to the small beach area and the Long Island Sound.

At first, the Lighthouse Inn in New London appears a pleasant and relaxing getaway. However, it takes about 10 different backroad turns off of interstate 95 to find the inn on the New London shore. I, being a local, don't have a hard time navagating these turns but any out of towner could have a hard time finding the inn. Once my party and I arrived at the inn at around noon time we were told the rooms would be ready by 3. So we had a meal at Timothy's where the service was slow, orders were incorrect, but the food was decent. We went to the inn's private beach across the street which was acceptional. Small, but perfect for families who don't want to travel far from the hotel to get a little sun and water. The beach has helpful beach attendants who bring chairs and umbrella's and there is a dock to swim out too. When back at 3pm to check in, our three rooms (which we were told would be next to each other) were not ready and not together, at all. We were all checked in and ready by 4:30, however, we had to move our own twin sized beds to rooms that needed them (even though we were told someone would move them for us). Some other examples of poor service were no towels in rooms, poor complimentary food (moldy bagels with no butter or cream cheese), dirty rooms (undergarments from previous guests behind chairs), very poor lighting in the darker rooms, and phones that don't work. Overall, as you can see, my party and I had a wonderful time at this hotel.

Disembarked from the ferry, we took a surpentine ride along the river to The Lighthouse Inn. Our reservations in the Carriage House had been upgraded (at no charge) to the mansion. Our room was small but cozy (how much can one sit in a hotel room while vacationing, anyway?) The room had a modern bathroom and a problem with the A/C was promptly attended to while we strolled the residential neighborhood and beach at the Long Island Sound. The restaurant was bright and friendly with a hip menu, and later on the 1902 Tavern was pleasant with great service on a lovely patio. One night there was a nice jazz band (I think they were called "The Whalers") that was friendly and unassuming, playing standards and jazz classics. We had fun, the food was great, and the staff was very friendly and accomodating. Being in an "old house" gave the experience character and personality. It is in a residential area, and other eateries are few and far between. Avoid "On The Waterfront," where the menu seems created by their mortgage banker instead of the chef, and the two thugish owners spend their time noticeably bullying the waitstaff . Navigate away from the shoals "On The Waterfront," and enjoy the fine dining and charming staff at The Lighthouse Inn instead!

carpets were worn and dirty. the door disn't lock. the room was bad. peeling wallper and paper thin walls. wprn and dirty sheets. no vathtub stopper. brown bathtub and leaking facuet. towels with holes in it cracked tiles in the bathroom. th tv remote didn't work. the food was bad. the staff was rude.the coffee maker was bad. the lamps didn't work. bedspread had rips in to it. the bed was lumpy and bad mattress. telephone was broken. i wouldn't stay here!