Reluctant Panther Inn & Restaurant, Manchester Center

My husband and I visited the Reluctant Panther Inn in Manchester Village for a much needed escape from NYC madness. I reserved a smallish room in the main house with a see through fireplace and king bed. (rooms look in person exactly as they do online!!!) A good surprise-when we finally checked in, after a windy/snowy drive from the city (lost twice!), we were pleasantly surprised to be offered an upgrade to an available luxury suite for the same rate as Taconic. A corner room-Justin Morgan- with complete, comfy sitting area for reading and unbelievable bath! Robes are to die for. Meals are fabulous. We had a casual dinner in the Panther Pub with great service from Ellen, the bartender and then breakfast the next morning in the airy dining room. The owners, Liz and Jerry, treated us like royalty! Yummy brioche french toast and pretty Villeroy china! Greatest place for rest and relaxation! Not to mention shopping too! Would recommend to anyone wanting to be pampered!

The food was just devine, we loved the salads wrapped in cucumber and my Scallops were to die for with the butternut squash puree and apple butter sauce. My husband had the short ribs, which just melted in his mouth, so tender and flavorful. The Rooms were to spectacular! We stayed in The Mary Porter suite and it was so cozy and warm. Also, the room was spotless, and obivosuly has a lot of great care put into the Inn... Katie a assistant inkeeper was a delight at breakfast. Very caring and helpful with activities around the area. Please Visit this Inn, it is ABSOLUTLY the best place we've stayed in Vermont For a very long time!

Inn Keeper Liz was down right RUDE and petulant when she checked us in. Our room was given to other guests and at first I thought it was a mix up but then another guest came into the foyer area upset because he too was switched to a room he did not pay for! It seems The Reluctant Panther doesn't honor the particular room you reserve at time of paying for the Inn. I guess once they have charged your credit card they figure they can manipulate their bookings to get the most of the rooms they have available on any given night. I could go on and on but these images will tell you all you need to know: 1. Screamed at by Liz who was behaving like a stressed out mother than an Inn Keeper. 2. Paid upfront for the Florist Suite and was without any forewarning switched to a nasty carpeted smokey-smelling room with wood burning fireplaces which actually fall out onto CARPET! When we explained we couldn't sleep in the room for the smell alone, Liz begrudgingly moved us to The Lodge, door didn't lock securely (this to the outside) and hardly a romantic room with it's fishing poles and moose prints and bacteria-laden plastic shower curtain. 3. No one showed as anything! We were literally hurried to a room (again, not the one we clearly booked) but then again on this weekend Liz had plenty to deal with. Seems switching guests reservations is a practice at this inn because there were many irate customers. 4. Noisy. Thin walls. Drafty windows. Cheap, rattly loud bathroom fan which engaged with the overhead light so you either had light and the noisy fan or no light. Vases of plastic flowers. Slick slippery walkways. If you are an innkeeper, I would expect you would enjoy people and customer service yet this woman was clearly miserable. Manchester Village VT is a quaint, beautiful town. There were many Inns we drove by. Check them out.

we found the staff very friendly and helpful , the rooms were clean, food was delicious, it was a quaint little inn in manchester that since the fire of 2005 has risen from the ashes and became a pillar of exquiste service and restaurant is phenominal, My wife and I would definatley go there again.

Recommended by locals, we tried the restaurant for dinner and were so very pleased with our experience. The service, food and atmosphere was wonderful! The salad very chilled and fresh...goat cheese was delightful and the pecan roasted to perfection. The scallop entire was delicate and delicious...a big portion...too big to finish. We were throughly happy and plan to return for a stay at the inn next season. TBF

Newly rebuilt after a fire in 2006 the building is lovely. Dining at the Inn is not a good experience. We were led to our seats by a very large young man who stood in front of the tiny table forcing us to walk around him and seat ourselves. When I had trouble moving the large chair out he did not offer to help but just stood there waiting until we were settled and then thrust menus into our hands and walked off all without speaking. The food is average but the service and attentiveness to guests is so far below what is expected in a costly fine dining experience it is hard to describe. The dishes were too large for the small table and one of them was an eliptical bowl tilted to face the diner. A fad I thought we had seen the end of in the 1990's. The lack of teaspoons on the table and then being told by the waiter that the large, unweildly soup spoons on the table were the teaspoons was just the last example of a totally strange and uncomfortable meal. We were forced to eat our dessert and stir our coffee with the same soup spoons and when we requested a spoon for the sugar bowl, another soup spoon was provided. It is as though the people who own the Inn had never dined in a restaurant and were making it up as they went along.

The room size, furnishings and decore were the high points. The management is cheerful and friendly. Everything you'd want outside the inn [shopping, restaurants, etc.] are very convenient. The town is picture perfect.

The outdoor appeared quaint but the indoor was lousy. We were placed in a room with no running water in the sink. The bathtub, the only source for water in that particular room, had stagnant water that did not drain. What was worse was the aloof and indifferent response we got when we approached the management. Overall, I would not go there again.