The Shire Woodstock

My wife and I had a wonderful one night stay at The Shire. The staff is friendly, hospitable, and attentive, and we were particularly grateful to Jen at the front desk for her terrific recommendations on sights to see and places to eat. It was our first time to Woodstock, and we were happy to find that the shops and restaurants in the village were an easy 5-10 minute walk from the hotel. Our premium king in the River House was spotlessly clean, quite comfortable and very well appointed. The river views from our room were beautiful and, upon returning from dinner, we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to relax by one of the fire pits as the sun set on the the bucolic Woodstock countryside. It was a quintessential Vermont experience, and we’re looking forward to making another visit sometime soon!

We stayed here two nights last week to start our New England leaf peeping vacation. We stayed in room 110. The room was a good size, bed fairly comfortable. Easily walkable from the hotel to downtown area. We also walked to the grocery store a few times right across the street to pick up items. Free onsite parking. We loved the fire pits at night. Very relaxing. Would stay here again if we find ourselves in the Woodstock area

Pros: - friendly, helpful staff at 'front desk' - clean - lovely view of river - easy walk to town of Woodstock (5 mins) - very comfortable bed if you like FIRM - fire pits outside in the evenings Cons: - The Shire is really a well kept motel. Facilities are really basic. There is no reception, just a small area in the main building to get your keys. No lounge for you to sit at, just your own room or the chairs outside. No housekeeping, which is fine if you are just there for a short stay. Communal Keurig coffee machine and hot water to make your own coffee and tea on a little table at each building. The bathroom was dated and the light was dim. I guess I wouldn't have minded if I hadn't paid what I came to find out was more than double their regular rate but that's my fault (my hotel in downtown Boston was almost half the price). (Great coffee at Mon Vert. Food was also good at Dr Tonic and Angkor Wat)

Pros : Beautiful setting and nicely kept hotel with large rooms and view of the river and road into town. Wrap around balcony (shared) had inviting seating. Cons: Lacking personal touch. People have been replaced with a (very professionally made) brochure telling you everything you need to know. Not what I want at this price point. And make-your-own Kuerig coffee was offered. Why not have one of the local coffee roasters bring in prepared fresh coffee each morning ? Mini fridge was frozen solid. Again, shows lack of attention to detail.

You couldn’t pay me to stay here again. The room that we were given looked nothing like the rooms in the photos. It was thrown together with cheap materials. One side facing the parking lot and the other facing the street so we had to keep our blinds closed the whole time. Felt more like a cheap motel than the luxurious hotel that we paid for. There were renovations going on during our stay which was annoying. They accidentally charged our card 3x for the incidental. Also, the Shire staff literally unlocked our door and walked into our room TWICE during our one night stay.

Stayed here one night. It's clean and the staff was nice but it's overpriced for what you get. The motel has great curb appeal but the room, and particularly the bathroom, were very dated. I thought the shower doors were going to fall off the track they were so wobbly. We wanted to open the windows to let in fresh air, but only one would open -- the crank on the other window was broken. The room (a king overlooking the river, no balcony) was very specious. The bed was super squishy - which I loved but my husband absolutely hated. Coffee/Tea service is communal; there are stations on each floor, not individual coffee makers in the rooms, which was fine. Location is the best thing about the place -- you can walk anywhere in town.

We had a lovely large room upstairs with king bed, lovely views of the stream in back of the hotel, comfortable seating options outside on the deck. Nice large bathroom with ample room for storage. Carved matching furniture throughout. A delightful stay.

We enjoyed the location and the staff was very friendly. I would recommend getting a top floor room as we had trouble sleeping because of the person above us walking a lot! I mean, come on.. ha ha. Seriously, the room we were in required steps so not everyone can handle that so check to see. The river view is very nice and the room was efficient, nothing fancy, but fine. The place across the street had food and there were other places within walking distance. A market was also across the street if you needed any supplies.

Overall we had an easy stay at The Shire and it served it's purpose as we were in town for a wedding. However, it is very overpriced for the level of quality and service received. There isn't staff regularly on hand, it's very casual. We ended up ''checking-in'' via the ring doorbell as we arrived at 9pm. Our rooms were never serviced, bins left full and no toilet-paper replenishment. For the money you pay, you'd expect tea/coffee making facilities in the room. Instead you have to creep out in your sleepwear on a morning to try and get a cup of tea without bumping into anyone. Not ideal and a basic expectation in all hotels nowadays. Aside from that our stay was fine. It's very convenient to walk into Woodstock and we were grateful for the wonderful Mon Vert cafe that opens at 7:30 am. Highly recommend. Overall, I wouldn't stay again. Criminal to think what they might charge in fall as sadly there aren't many other options around, so no doubt they have the monopoly as then Woodstock Inn's cheaper alternative. Some small basic changes and services would have drastically improved my review.