Harbor Light Inn, Marblehead

$250-a-night suite at this Inn, in the middle of winter, with both windows wide open, the snow falling outside -- and it was sweltering! Oppressively hot. Especially at night, when they blasted the heat. There was no separate thermostat in the room, and attempting to close the wall vent did not work. We taped a hand towel over the vents with band-aids, but it did little good. Same with the vents in the floor – we put mats and towels on them and then chairs to hold them down, to no effect. Drains in the sink and the tub didn’t work, either (so, you stand in dirty water while taking a shower). If you sleep past noon, forget maid service. The closet doors were stuck in their grooves, and the chest of drawers that was (oddly) inside the closet did too, which made it difficult to hang our clothes. Difficult access to the floor of the closet, therefore, for shoes or suitcases. The skylight – a nice touch – had a shade, but it did not cover the window, so the light poured in by 6 a.m. Plus, with the windows open, you could hear a loud knocking sound somewhere next door all day and night. Bose Radio – another nice touch – but it didn’t work. There was a refrigerator in the room, but it froze our food, water, and soda. The light fixtures were literally falling off the wall. Other than that, it was a great stay, for a great price. We considered just leaving and going home, but decided to stick it out, grin and bear it. Place looks nice from the outside, and seems nice inside – except for the room we rented. People running the place are very nice, but what could they do? Call in an electrician, a plumber, and a carpenter while we waited? Oh, and the promised afternoon snacks? Forget it. In general, a HUGE rip-off. (Comfortable bed and nice TV, though, if you want to lie around in the heat.)

I took my husband here as a combined birthday-sightseeing weekend. I had been unable to find any rooms in Salem,(first weekend in November) so I opted for this inn in Marblehead. While a little bit off the beaten path, it was still located near 2 local places, both of which had good food, good beer and one had live music, right on the water. The service at the inn was impeccable, the breakfasts were tasty and our room, a small room with a queen-sized bed on the third floor with a private deck, was very comfortable. My only complaint was that the room itself was a little warm-we like it cooler- and we could hear everything from bathroom of the room next door. We would go back, however, as the good points of this inn far, far, far outweighed the bad! It was close to Salem, so sightseeing travel was easy, and it was great to be so close to the water.