Hotel Review: Inn at Perry Cabin

The Inn at Perry Cabin by Belmond is a historic property in the quaint Eastern Shore town of St. Michaels, Maryland that I’ve been eyeing to stay at for a long time. Luckily, B is an awesome husband & decided to surprise me with a little weekend getaway there for my birthday. We enjoyed a relaxing weekend at this sprawling inn (don’t be fooled by the name inn – this is a 78 room boutique hotel!), wandering the grounds, enjoying breakfast in the light filled restaurant & soaking up a hint of spring on our private veranda.

The Inn

The original Inn (still standing!) was built in 1816 by Purser Samuel Hambleton, a War of 1812 Navy veteran & aide to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. The Inn, named after Perry, was built to resemble the Perry’s cabin on the U.S.S. Niagara. Commodore Perry & I go way back (he fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, uttered the phrase “Don’t give up the ship” & is the motivation behind my favorite beer), so it’s only fitting that this Cleveland girl should spend her birthday there.

The Inn is a tranquil, coastal retreat, decorated in soothing blue neutral tones without being overly nautical. One of my favorite rooms was the Library, which even had a secret door disguised behind a bookcase!

The Room

Our room, number 49, was a Deluxe King. While it was in one of the newer wings, not in the historic home, the room was still felt charming & was decorated in charming coastal decor. The room’s gas fireplace was surrounded by vintage tile & the giant four king sized bed boasted the most comfortable sheets I’ve ever slept on (this is not an exaggeration!) The bathroom was palatial, with double sinks, a glass enclosed shower & a giant claw foot tub. The only disappointing part of the room was the placement of the TV, on a large chest at the end of the bed, which meant that the TV literally stuck out in the middle of the room & blocked the view of the fireplace from bed. It would have made much more sense to mount the TV over the fireplace or, even better for a romantic weekend on the shore, not had a TV at all (I get that may be an unpopular opinion).

The view from our room was of the Miles River, a tiny sliver of the St. Michaels lighthouse & the property’s manicured lawns (Deluxe Rooms have partial water views). Even in the early days of spring, the lawn was dotted with Adirondack chairs. We were lucky one afternoon that it was nice enough to sit outside at the little bistro table & enjoy a bottle of wine.

Brunching

We had brunch both mornings at the hotel. Saturday morning, we went down to Stars for brunch. Even though we rolled in around 10:50am & they stopped serving breakfast at 11am, they were still kind enough to notify the kitchen that there were some breakfast stragglers. The breakfast room was filled with morning light & beautiful views of the lawn.  I had the most delicious creamy, gooey, sinful eggs benedict ever created in the history of the world (seriously – not an exaggeration) along with a delicious breakfast tea. B had the plentiful breakfast buffet, which included an omelet station, fruit, fresh salmon & all the other breakfast fixens. Our server was super friendly, even though we were encroaching on her break between breakfast & lunch service.

The second morning we ordered room service. The food was delivered on time & was quite good: I had a fruit & yogurt parfait along with hot tea served in a quaint little tea cup, & B had a crab omelet. We enjoyed them on the cushy chairs in our room (if only it had been warm enough to sit outside!)

Overall, our stay was wonderful. The level of service was incredible throughout the resort: doors being held, every staff member smiling & greeting you in the hallway. The little details – like fresh baked cookies left at turndown service – made the experience all the more special. Before we left on Sunday, we took some time to sit on a two-seater swing down by the water. Even though it was a little chilly, it was the perfect place to soak in a few more moments of relaxation. I’m already dreaming about returning in the summer when the grass is green & sailboats are dotting the river.

Know if you go… 

– They offer a number of packages on their website, so be sure & look around before you book. We were able to book a Superior Room (their lowest category) with a guaranteed upgrade & it worked out great.

– There is a daily resort fee which is 10% of your room rate. I loathe resort fees, as I think they’re just another excuse for hotels to nickel & dime you. I was most disappointed that they didn’t tell us about the resort fee at check-in, although B said that there was a note when he made his reservation. Their resort fee provides complimentary wifi (which wasn’t very strong in our room), daily newspaper, complimentary self parking, bottled water & daily resort activities. Many of the activities are off-site & require advance planning; however, we did enjoy the afternoon s’mores, which were held at a giant outdoor fireplace.

– On Sunday morning I went to their Spa for one of the best massages of my life. Their spa rates are actually very reasonable & on-par with what we’re used to paying at day spas in DC. The spa’s relaxation room was a tranquil space with zero gravity chairs & lots of magazines. Just outside the relaxation room was a private patio, that would be perfect for relaxing in the warmer season. I highly recommend a soothing massage with Natalie – & throw in the Neat Feet treatment at the end if you’re a fan of foot massages.

– The Inn is just outside of St. Michaels & is a bit of a walk into the main part of town. However, they do have a number of cruiser bikes available to borrow, or parking in town is pretty easy (at least in the off season).