Inn at Glencairn: What Sets us Apart from our Hotel Friends?

Bucolic Setting!

Since we are the only Bed & Breakfast in the Princeton area, we do not have to constantly compare ourselves to other Bed & Breakfasts. So we often compare ourselves to nearby hotels. When we first opened, we thought we could never compete based on location with the in-town places, but after hearing our guests comments and reading countless reviews, we have grown to realize that our setting provides something that an in-town location cannot: peace and quiet. Driving onto the property and viewing the barns and outbuildings immediately takes you back to another time - a welcome respite after a day of touring or hours of endless meetings.

Eggs Glencairn: Our version of Eggs Benedict

Being the only B&B in the area also gives us an opportunity to truly showcase how we are different. Have you seen the breakfasts that Lydia dreams up daily? If not, check out some of the pictures HERE! I would challenge you to find something comparable anywhere in town. Homemade granola AND homemade yogurt? Farm fresh produce and microgreens? Three choices daily to please just about any palate and appetite? Plus, we cater to any and all dietary restrictions!

You know something else you will not see in town? FREE PARKING!!! Chances are you have a car, and chances are you might not want to deal with a valet or endless loops around a parking garage. I LOVE Princeton, but have you seen some of these parking garages? Um, barely enough room to shimmy in and out without a scratch! Plus, overnight parking expenses can add up easily - even just for one night!

Our Great Room dates back to the early 1700s!

And, of course, we have history! Lots and lots of history. Our Inn dates back to the early 1700s. We have oodles of history. Our Great Room has a huge fireplace that you can literally walk into. This is the stuff you see in historical sites and museums - but when you stay at the Inn you are literally surrounded by it as long as you like. This is not a Disney-fied reproduction, this is the real deal and you can explore all the corners and quirky aspects of it.

Finally, we offer comfort and personalized service. We only have five rooms. Lydia is an expert when it comes to reading guests. Want to chat, she will chat. Want to wander around ALONE, she will leave you ALONE! Want to sit alone at breakfast, we can make that happen. Have allergies or sensitivities? We will cater to your requirements. Our rooms, beds, and bathrooms have all received rave reviews from our guests. We want you to be comfortable and we will go out of our way to make that happen. Call ahead if you have truly quirky needs and we will work with you!

So, go ahead and compare us to the hotels around. We offer things that no other property can. Book for visit now and see what thousands of our happy guests are talking about!

Ten Properties in 20 Days

It is always fun to be on the other side of the hospitality equation. We recently had an opportunity to sample ten different properties during a 20 day road trip throughout the Eastern and Southeastern US. By design, we stayed at a mix of five star properties and smaller boutique inns.

My favorite part of planning a trip is agonizing over the lodging, and then driving up to the property and seeing where your hours of research landed - either a fantastic find or a big miss. Sometimes the most gorgeous luxury properties are the most disappointing once you walk through the door and are greeted by a pretentious staff member. Sometimes the properties with less impressive curb appeal have the most helpful front desk staff that you can overlook a few little snags in the carpet, literally. 

These are the top takeaways from our travels:

1. Hospitality matters. From the front desk to the housekeeping staff to the manager, everyone matters and when someone is unhappy with their job, it is apparent. A smile and friendly greeting go a long way toward making a guest comfortable and valued. 

2. Basics are important. A clean room, a modern bathroom, a comfortable bed and nice linens are the bedrock of any positive overnight stay. Top notch amenities are nice touch, but if you do not have the basics down, it does not make the difference. 

3. Knowledgeable staff is key. Asking for directions, wanting to know the best place for tacos, looking for a local flea market- the staff should know these things and not shrug their shoulders and say they are new to the area. Inexcusable! 

4. Breakfast is a wildcard. A lot of properties are now serving complementary breakfast, and in my opinion, many should not. I would rather pay extra for a delicious homemade breakfast than settle for some boxed eggs and stale bagels. Also, I am a sucker for a full on, no holds barred, first class breakfast buffet- think silver chafing dishes and an omelet station. 

5. Tipping should not be expected. This may be an unpopular opinion, but tipping is out of hand. Hopefully the staff is paid a living wage and is not reliant on tips for income. When on vacation, I do not want to constantly have to worry about carrying cash to hand out in case someone helps me lift a suitcase or brings me an extra coffee pod or calls me a shuttle. 

6. Ask questions before you arrive. If you want a quiet room, ask for it. If you want a room that has a fan, ask for it. If you want twenty pillows on your bed, ask for it. Once these requests are in your reservation, the front desk can adequately plan for your visit and has time to accommodate your requests. Also, it is a good idea to follow up on requests a couple days before your arrival to ensure a smooth check in. 

We love sampling different properties: It gives us a chance to come back to the Inn and recognize what we get right and what we could improve upon. It also gave us a chance to appreciate and recognize our amazing staff, who always put on a smile each day and provide our guests with top notch service!

Inn at Glencairn #3 in CN Traveler Readers' Choice Awards for Mid-Atlantic Region!

We are so excited to be a recipient of the Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Award! Being ranked in the top 10 for properties in the Mid-Atlantic is such an honor. We are beyond grateful to our past and present guests who recognized us by voting.

Lydia, our amazing Innkeeper, and our housekeeping crew deserve the accolades. They are constantly striving to improve the guest experience and have been so resilient and dedicated over the past few years.  So, a big thank you to our guests and to our staff. We are beyond grateful to receive this award for the last three years!

Check out the list of winners for the mid-Atlantic below.

1. Sagamore Pendry Baltimore

2. Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh

3. Inn at Glencairn

4. Asbury Ocean Club

5. The Ivy Hotel

6. The Reeds at Shelter Haven

7. The Asbury Hotel

8. The Rittenhouse

9. Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia

10. Hotel du Pont

Puzzles, puzzles, and more puzzles!

You may have noticed Lydia's penchant for puzzles during your last visit to the Inn.  She is an admitted puzzle "addict" and was fully immersed into the craze during the pandemic!  Her favorite spot to piece them together was the dining room table. During the slow days of the pandemic this was ideal until the random guest would show up!

After a few too many interruptions from the brave, infrequent guest and a need for the dining room table, Lydia finally treated herself to a really cool puzzle board (holding up to 1000 pieces and large enough for a 21" x 27" puzzle) that now sits in the Office.  Guests of all ages give her a hand on these puzzles while they visit, and she completes each one.

Flash forward to today: Lydia now has about 40 puzzles that she has completed and we are running out of shelf space at the Inn. 

PLEASE help us!!!!! 

Bring Lydia a new puzzle (that you have completed) and feel free to take one (or two) home from our office shelf. Forgot your puzzle, that's OK, just remember one the next time you visit. And, if you are a serious puzzle fanatic (or know one), Lydia is happy to share information on her puzzle board!  

Not Your Grandmother's Bed and Breakfast

I had the recent experience of visiting a college campus with my teen daughter. We stayed in a bed and breakfast near the campus. Sound familiar? The campus visit was a success, the B&B not so much.

After we checked in and looked around, my daughter said, “Is this what you’re implying when you say your B&B is “not your grandmother’s bed and breakfast?” Maybe the stuffed peacock in the corner, or the extensive collection of glass figurines gave her that idea.

Listen, there’s a B&B out there for everybody, and some people LOVE the stuffed peacocks and glass figurines, but when we opened our doors, we wanted to be different. The best compliment we can receive, is, “We hate B&Bs but we LOVE your place!”

The Hunt Room

Our decor is eclectic. The antiques we do have are mostly sideboards, end tables, and accent pieces. Our artwork is a mix of modern and traditional. Any surface you sit on is new. Don’t worry about encountering a wobbly 100-year old chair or a creaky bed and springy mattress. OK, full disclosure, our floors are random width pine, and crooked, and you can see through the cracks. But, we call that character!

You will never see doilies, stuffed animals, dingy wall to wall carpeting, or drab wallpaper at the Inn at Glencairn. You will see comfortable rooms that complement the era of the building and enhance the ambience. And, rest assured, our electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems are all up to date and working properly! Sure, they didn’t have central air conditioning in the 18th century or flat screen TVs, but wouldn’t it have been nice if they did?!

So, when you book at the Inn at Glencairn. Keep in mind, this is “not your grandmother’s bed and breakfast” and enjoy your stay!

Getting Ready for Jersey Fresh Tomatoes!

This simple recipe allows for the sublime combination of Jersey Fresh Tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese to create the perfect Summer Brunch treat!

Tomato Pie

Ingredients
Par baked pie crust (homemade or store bought)
2 large tomatoes or several medium size
8-10 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Fresh herbs of your choice
Salt & pepper

Directions
Slice your tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices, salt the tops, and place on a paper towel to drain a bit. Leave them for 20 minutes at least. Chop your herbs (our recipe uses fresh green onion and thyme). In a par baked crust, layer cheese, herbs, and tomato, twice in that order. Top with cheese and some herbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Be sure the crust is nicely browned on the bottom. Remove and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm. (NOTE: because there are no eggs, baking longer than stated is fine. Go with how it looks.) Enjoy!

Inn at Glencairn nominated for CN Traveler Readers Choice Award!

We are so excited to be nominated again this year for the Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards! We placed seventh last year for the Mid-Atlantic Region and are so appreciative of the honor. It has been a challenging year to say the least, and to be nominated for this prestigious award among these top hotels and resorts means the world to us.

We would be thrilled to place again this year. To vote, just go to: https://www.cntraveler.com/rca/vote and search for the Inn at Glencairn under Hotels & Resorts. (You will be asked to sign up for a newsletter but you can always unsubscribe.) And, take a moment to recognize your other favorites. Chances are they had a rough year too and could benefit from a little positive recognition! Thanks for your support!

"Best Quiche Ever"

When your Chef and Innkeeper says she just made the best quiche ever, you take note, especially when guests tell you that they nearly proposed to her after having her scrambled eggs! Travel is still slow these days, but Lydia continues to try new recipes and perfect old ones. Here is her latest. Or as she calls it “one of the best quiches ever … really!”

Sausage and Spinach Quiche:

8 ounces of your favorite ground sausage

4 ounces of cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

5 eggs

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

Handful of spinach

Directions: Brown the ground sausage. Add cream cheese and mix so sausage is covered. Remove from heat and pour into pie plate. Add a little water to the pan used for sausage and wilt the handful of spinach. Layer the wilted spinach on top of the sausage mixture. Cover with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Blend the eggs with the heavy cream and pour over the mixture in the pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let the quiche rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Inn at Glencairn receives the 2020 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Award!

Inn at Glencairn receives 2020 Travelers’ Choice Award from TripAdvisor

We are thrilled to receive the 2020 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award! The award has replaced the former Certificate of Excellence, so this is the sixth continuous year the Inn has received this award. As our guests know, we take our job seriously, and we strive to give each guest a wonderful, authentic stay. Thank you to the nearly 400 guests who took the time to sit down and give us their honest feedback. We continued to maintain our pace of hitting the mark with 98% of our reviews in the Excellent to Good category! Kudos to our Innkeeper, Lydia, who is often mentioned by name and whose breakfasts are nearing legendary status. 2020 has been a tough one, to say the least, but it is the kind words of our guests that keep us going!