Name: The Wildflower Inn
Address: 2059 Darling Hill Road, Lyndon, Lyndon, Lyndon, VT 05851, United States of America
Rating: 9

Smoking areas

Garden

Terrace

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Concierge services

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Hiking

Picnic area

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Seasonal outdoor swimming pool

Pool and beach

Beauty and wellness

Babysitting and childcare

Kids

Pets allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hotel

Caledonia County Airport

The Wildflower Inn

Lyndon

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golf-view

harbour-view

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park-view

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pool-view

river-view

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water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

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not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

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pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Location can’t be beat, but accommodations can…location to mountain bike Kingdom Trails can’t be beat, onsite bike storage and bike rental plush wash station is clutch. But breakfast is under whelming for a Vermont B&B -basic continental with self made instant oatmeal as highlight and compared to the level of food quality they put out for dinner I was quite disappointed. They ran out of coffee by 8ish and I didn’t see anyone checking in on status so I just made tea. Nice restaurant/pub/tail side bar. If you’re looking to eat a nice meal out PLEASE PAT ATTENTION to the Thursday-Saturday restaurants are the best but limited hours, good thing about this place is that they serve dinner nightly which is unique for the area. 
This place is VERY KID & DOG friendly so if you don’t like screaming kids and barking dog noises floating through the paper thin walls choose another B&B. Kids did seam to love the heated pool -splashing around as soon as the sun came up. 
The building housing guest rooms is very old and out dated, no AC so summer/warm nights quite uncomfortable even with crazy loud wall window AC. No ceiling fan for airflow support. Carpeting that’s tough for lots of use, but musty & musty old couch chairs en-suite remind of old folks home. Bed and bathroom clean, but pillows very flat and in need of refresh. 
If you’re looking for good value you’ll find it here, if you want a luxurious Vermont B&B with great breakfast & comfortable accommodations keep looking.

Location can’t be beat, but accommodations can

My parents, siblings and I used to travel to the Wildflower Inn on an annual basis when I was a child and I had incredible memories of our time there. So when a two-night stay at the Wildflower Inn became available as part of a silent, online auction that was intended to benefit a local (to the Inn) school that one of our closest friends worked at, I thought that it was a perfect opportunity to share the magic with my wife and my own children. I could not have been more wrong. 

I called and booked our stay and mentioned that I was the silent auction item winner and that I wanted to make sure that information was included in the notes for my reservation. I was told that I was all set and that my reservation as the winner of the silent auction item was confirmed 

Upon arrival, I discovered that I misplaced the piece of paper that we received indicating that we had won the auction item - we discovered after our trip that it had fallen in between the seats of our car. Please keep in mind that this piece of paper was not individually numbered, did not have a bar or QR code. Instead it was a black and white printout of a photo of the Inn that said something along the lines of "Two Night Stay". That's it. 

After a 4+ hour ride, I entered the main building to check in and informed the young woman working at the front desk that I was there to check in and that I was the winner of the two night say silent auction. I also informed her that I did not have the certificate on me but that I could show her the email indicating that we won the item and, if necessary, I could also get the person who ran the silent auction on the phone or to come down in person and vouch for us. Her response: "That is not going to work. We need the piece of paper." I asked her if we could work together to find a solution that would work for everyone based on what we had available at the time (the email, our local friends, the director of the auction, and the notes in my reservation). She said no and I told her that was not going to work for us and that we should be able to utilize the silent auction item that we paid for regardless of whether or not we had a non-unique piece of paper, especially given that we had other methods of verification. At this, she stood up behind the desk in an exceedingly aggressive manner, leaned towards me and shouted "You're not hearing me! That's not going to work!" At this I told her that I didn't think it was necessary to shout and I wondered if there was someone else available to speak with. She flashed me a condescending smile, said "I need a moment" and walked out of the front desk area, slamming the door on her way out. I waited at the front desk for a few moments and the young woman eventually returned. She told me "I will finish checking you in and the manager will speak to you later." Given that my wife and children were eager to get checked and settled in, I told her that was fine and completed the check in process. 

The manager never sought me out. Instead, I had to seek her out the next day at which time she offered a curt apology for the young woman's conduct and told me that they would honor my silent auction item. 

We stayed in the Darling Suite and I genuinely wish I didn't  have more to share. However, once we got into the room, there were flies and fly carcasses everywhere. They were all over the carpeted floor, in every window, in each bedroom. It was disgusting. Overall, for the price that they charge on that room in particular, it is run down, tired, and, frankly, not worth it. 

Finally, in a similar vein to some of the other reviews, the breakfast is lackluster at best and it used to be a highlight back when I used to stay with my family. 

The only reason that I gave this review a "Poor" and not a "Terrible" is because my family and our local friends' family had a great meal in the restaurant. I wish I could review the restaurant and their staff separately because I would rate it as "Excellent". The food was very, very good, the waitstaff was extraordinarily friendly and accommodating (we had 4 kids with us and my wife has certain food allergies) and we had a phenomenal experience. 

We make the trip up to the Northeast Kingdom annually and we will not be staying at the Wildflower Inn again, which, honestly breaks my heart because I wanted my kiddos to experience some of the magic I had the chance to experience as a child. I truly wanted to love it and to have a great experience but it was the exact opposite.   

We do, however, hope to return to the restaurant! Again, great food and hospitable staff.

Horrible Reception, Innumerable Fly Carcasses, but Great Food and Friendly Staff in he Restuarant

Our initial impressions upon arrival at the Wildflower met or exceeded expectations. These quickly turned negative and ultimately resulted in an early checkout.
After a long drive from Niagara Falls we were happy to arrive and the property was beautiful, especially the inn’s namesake wildflowers and the sunset overlook. The problem that quickly became a dampener were the large, aggressive and unrelenting mosquitos. Whether on the trails, by the pool or inside the suite these were unavoidable. The indoor spider population was alive and well and helped catch some of these, with corner cobwebs as evidence. It would be worth considering an environmentally friendly pest service around the physical structures. We use that at home, and it isn’t cheap or perfect, but helps manage the mosquito population while being sensitive to bees, plants and animals. Sealing up the window a/c unit would also help. There was a nice gap between inside and outside. Whatever the case, mosquito repellent is a must. 
The other animal issue was a complaint about our dogs barking while we were on an activity excursion the first day. I have never heard a complaint about 11-year-old well- traveled golden doodles being a nuisance until I got a call from the Wildflower. I was certainly disgruntled upon receiving this voicemail. There was no mention of where the complaint came from. There was no barking when we got back to the Wildflower. One explanation though may have been the excitement going on in the suite above. Much of the time it sounded like the ceiling was going to cave in above us. One of the reasons we had reserved a bottom rather than top suite was knowing we have energetic boys and trying to be sensitive to others. It sounded like running, jumping etc. above which may have triggered any dog barking. We made sure there was no further dog barking. If there are foosball etc. tables in the suite above it’s worth considering whether or not to keep those, if causing the wild rumpus. The other thing that could be done is eliminating the dog friendly policy. That’s one of the reasons we picked the Wildflower, and there were other dogs on the property while we were there, but if dogs are causing issues with Wildflower management or guests then consider eliminating the dog policy so there’s no issue whatsoever. 
Regarding cleanliness, besides the indoor bugs, the sofa bed sheets had not been changed. Fortunately there was an extra pair we found and used instead. In the pool, there was a lot of hair (people, not animals). That certainly needs to be cleaned too. 
We were offered another suite, but it may have been the one above us, and we were already making arrangements to find replacement accommodations in New Hampshire. 
It was certainly a memorable experience but unfortunately not what we were looking for on this particular trip to explore Vermont for the first time.

Animal & Cleaning issues

The Inn is definitely in need of some updates but has some truly great points: the saltwater pool, wildflower landscaping, gorgeous views, friendly staff, variety of rooms, onsite pub and restaurant. Yes, everything is a bit dated but was true to the pictures. They were doing some exterior painting while we were there so hopeful some deeper renovations are coming - this place could be so great! I am glad I booked despite some of the negative reviews as overall it was nicer than some old AirBnBs on the Cape I’ve paid more for.

Lovely location and lots of potential

I have been going to the Kingdom Trails since 2003, both for personal and professional outings. Normally, we stay at an Air BnB; however, this time, we had a credit from a canceled event, which included accommodation at the Wildflower Inn. Unfortunately, this has not been very pleasant on several levels. 

First, the owner is surface nice but likes to talk about himself and his fishing exploits, how much acreage he owns, and correcting where people park more than he does just talking to customers about why they chose to stay at the Wildflower Inn. 

The bartender had an awful attitude, and the mixed drinks were overpriced, given the low quality of mixers used. I ordered a single malt neat, and it was put into a shaker with ice. When i asked if that was for me I was reprimanded for ordering incorrectly."Neat means chilled and strained. Up means in a glass straight." The bartender threw the shaker contents in the sink, poured my drink as ordered, and said, "Whatever, you like what you like." I reserved all comments at the moment. 

The room was marginal at best. The beds were incredibly uncomfortable and honestly should have been bigger. The bathroom sink's water pressure was so high that you were soaked when turning either cold or hot on. The AC unit was old and incredibly noisy and the window shade was broken. 

Finally, the bike storage was terrible. The hooks to hang bikes were marginal, and the floor racks fell apart, hitting the bicycle disc brakes.

The only saving grace was the view out the back and the cornhole game for the kids.

Disappointing

My family and I stayed recently, and we had a great time. We stayed in a clean and spacious suite, which had great views. While we stayed we enjoyed dinner at their restaurant. Service was great while we stayed. We were satisfied and will be back!

Great vacation place

the rooms were fine nice beds good shower. the bar was fun bartender was great then we made the hug mistake of eating their first day the food was ok chicken marsala
was more like chicken and gravy with a few mushrooms. day two they sent out a hamburger that was to be cooked med was burnt on outside cold in the middle the next day get chicken fingers they comped them after we told manager didn t mess up the chicken last day ordered another simple meal chicken sandwich wanted lettuce and tomato they sent out black cherry tomatos didnt grill the bun and warn lettuce the last time we were their food was great will never go back do not eat there just sleep go to town to eat

avoid the wild flower food

The stay was poor to fair and I don't see myself staying there again or recommending it to others.

My thoughts of the room-

Exterior:
The wood rot on the of the building made the first impression very poor. Peeling/chipping didn't add charm, just neglect. The patio when entering on the back of building, where you park, had wrapped wood beams that could injury someone if not paying attention. 

Theres no signage on the property of what the buildings are named eg: Carriage House, school house. This would be a great option other than a map for self navigation, because if you don't know where you are on the map, it's not very helpful. 

Room: non-family room in Carriage house 

The bathroom could stand to be remodeled, or at least removal of the unsightly stain in the sink and replacing the knobs one is cracked and missing a center piece of it. The counter that was installed to hold the sink is certainly from the 80s or 90s. I did enjoy a heater in the bathroom. 

The bed was comfortable. 

There was one upholstered chair in the room. The other two seating options were metal chairs. As one could image metal chairs are NOT relaxing whatsoever. Another upholstered seating option in the room would've been nice.

Add-on to your stay: 

They failed to be mindful when placing overpriced items in the room ahead of the arrival. 

My partner and I arrived at the Inn around 830pm, but knew that was the case and had indicated it on the pre-check in and original reservation. The champagne upon arrival to the room was bathing in a bucket of cold water and cloth napkin sopped onto it. The sweat from the bucket leaked onto the wood furniture causing water ring damage and a paper flyer being stuck it. The champagne should've been delivered to the room closer to my time of arrival or better yet, given to the front desk to deliver to the room upon arrival. OR place something under the bucket to protect your furniture. 

The antipasto was yummy, however it came with only one cheese knife. I would expect at least two plates, silverware, and napkins, as that menu item is not a finger food. However none of these items were in the room. Just coffee mugs. 

This place was not my cup of tea. I'll pay a $50 extra to stay down the road the Burklyn Inn next time.

Underwhelmed

We had stayed at the Wildflower Inn many times over the last 15 years. The previous owners retired and it changed hands a year ago so some of these comments may reflect that it is in transition. There were some great things and some not so good.

The great - the location is still stunning, next to Kingdom Trails adjacent to a bike rental store with amazing views and lovely flowers. It is a magical spot. The staff were all very  friendly from pre visit call and in every interaction. Dinner was excellent, perhaps even better than in the past and the bar was clearly likely with good music (although we didn’t visit). I liked that there were new walking trails and we even built a fire pit. These would bring 5stars. 

I knocked off two stars for the following:

Our room was tired. I think it was previously an office. It’s possible renovations are underway. The room was not cleaned during the 3 night stay.  This is stated on a piece of paper at check in. I asked for it to be, accepting that this would incur an up charge. However the inn was very  busy and the cleaners didn’t make it. I think a room should be cleaned at least once for a 3 night stay. I did ask for at least  towels to be delivered, but they weren’t. I was able to pick one up at the desk. 

I did not like the new style of breakfast. I loved the previous cooked breakfasts. They were a great start to a day outside and a lovely way to interact with the hosts.  A continental breakfast could be nice too,  but this one was prepackaged options, like at a Hampton Inn. There isn’t anything wrong with that, I eat at a lot of Hampton Inns, but it is not what I personally am looking for in a country inn. There was a food truck selling crepes. These were delicious but were only there on one day. 

I suspect the inn is trying to up capacity and keep costs down. This may be inevitable for viability but it needs to be careful to not lose the character. On the other hand it is fantastic  to see it thriving.

Under new owners - still a lovely spot with nice people and good dinner, but a couple of issues for us

Our family enjoyed a two week stay at the Wildflower Inn.  We have been coming here all seasons for 28 years,  Under new ownership and management, the inn is thriving.   The energy from the staff is palpable.   Gracious, kind and knowledgable.   The restaurant is excellent be it lunch, dinner, or desserts!!  And the bar staff is fun and  have a great vibe.   We plan on returning several times this winter and again in summer and fall.   Skiing at Burke is 5 minutes away.  And there are trails to explore on the property by fat bike, snowshoes, or cross country ski.    Family friendly/dog friendly.   Thank you to the superb management team.

The Wildflower Inn

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