Blantyre

Home Sweet Home… not really but they sure make you feel that way. Excellent food, beautiful room, amazing staff, gorgeous grounds, ideally located and all wrapped up in an elegant ambiance. Could you ask for anything more? Can’t wait to go back.

Came for a wedding. It was ok, $ 475/​night ok. Stayed in the carriage house and our room had a queen bed and the shower had very low pressure. Was very surprised at check out when they slapped a $ 85.50 per night house fee on the bill. It was explained to me this was to cover staff gratuity! They also charged local and state tax on the gratuity so it amounted to almost 25% more than I was led to believe. I understand fees, but seriously? My two meals were covered by the bride and groom and nobody carried my luggage. I don’t mind paying for luxury, but I would never stay here again. This place is a rip off.

I surprised my wife with an early 10 year anniversary retreat. This place is beautiful. The service is impeccable. The room is great. The food is amazing.

Quite possibly the most elegant dinner we’ve ever had. This was for a business dinner and the service, food and ambiance were all amazing.

A dream come true! After eloping to the Berkshires, we had our wedding night dinner at the Blantyre. It was extremely romantic and simply perfect! We were first seated in the gorgeous music room with the piano player and after sipping on a martini, we were taken to our own candlelit private dining room. It was an incredibly beautiful room with a private wood burning fireplace, attended by the fantastic and attentive waitstaff. The food was without a doubt one of the best meals I have ever had. The chateaubriand for two was cooked to perfection and every bite was like a piece of heaven. The entire evening was truly magical! If you have a special occasion to celebrate, this is without a doubt, the place to be… Simply Perfect!

My partner and I stayed at Blantyre for a weekend, and overall, we had a very enjoyable stay, though there were some service issues with which we weren’t too thrilled. And, ultimately, at a price point like this, you’re buying service more than a nice bed. We enjoy staying at the Relais & Chateaux association of properties around the world. They are certainly a splurge, but their special little hotels are the kind of hotels and restaurants that you travel some distance for.
I would separate the service staff here into two groups: the food service staff, and the general hotel staff. I would say that without exception, the general hotel staff (such as the concierge and the people at the front desk) were very friendly and helpful. They took us around the property and certainly made us feel special, which of course I appreciated. However, I would say that the food service staff both at dinner and breakfast, and somewhat during cocktails, was haphazard and very lacking for a place like this.
The dinner here, taking into account the price at upwards of $ 200 a person, was slightly above average, but nothing special. After five courses, we were not full at all. The portion size is small, and that’s surprising considering we got their largest menu, the Surprise Menu. I’m not sure they had enough staff for what the atmosphere and price would imply — at one point we have four empty wine glasses at our small two-​person table. We felt forgotten about to a certain extent. The wine pairings were well-​matched, but the wind director was kind of frosty. And for whatever reason, halfway through the dinner, she basically disappeared. That left the back waiter — who is about 20 years old — admitting to us that he chose the port from the cellar himself. That is the antithesis of good service. Wine itself here is at a 3x or 4x markup, which is too high.
The room itself was nicely appointed. I really enjoyed having a fireplace in my room. (Not all the rooms have a fireplace.) We were located in the Blue Room, and the room itself was very large. It looked out over the grounds, and it was nice room. But really, with the rack room price of $ 1000 a night plus roughly $ 300 in taxes and fees, I’m not really sure that this is a $ 1300 a night room. Actually, it isn’t at all. I look at other rooms that we have stayed in at very nice R&C hotels around the world, and I could get a lot better for $ 1300. For instance, they give little small Kiehl’s lotions, and after we used one, it wasn’t replaced at all. We called downstairs twice to ask for more lotion, and they said they didn’t have any. That’s a rather random thing not to have, especially something as small as that. But it’s little things like that where that make you feel you’re not getting the best experience.
Breakfast was also a big letdown. Service was slow and haphazard. And there are only about four different breakfast options that don’t rotate, so there’s not much choice at all. The eggs Benedict were bland and flavorless, and some other guess we talked to warned us away from English breakfast. Breakfast was the biggest disappointment at Blantyre.
Though I have been somewhat picky in this review, the Blantyre is very nice place. The Potting Shed spa was very nice, with an indoor hot tub and an outdoor pool. Because is only available accessible to hotel guests, it’s very small. That’s both good and bad.
Overall, we had a very nice and memorable stay at Blantyre. Yes, there are some service issues and food issues, but the property itself and the hotel staff were very nice and accommodating to our requests. Sitting in the music room and taking tea is definitely something to look forward to.

If I could live anywhere it would be here!
Simply amazing… the staff, the food, the gardens, the art, the books, the linens, the everything! On a scale of 1 – 10 it’s a 100!
I actually include the owner of this property in my prayers God bless you Anne!

My husband surprised me with a trip to the Berkshires this weekend for my birthday. He booked our stay at the Blantyre, and from the moment we drove up the long driveway and entered the house, I knew we were in for an unforgettable experience! The house is absolutely gorgeous and we were lucky enough to be upgraded to the Corner Room. The room was amazing – very spacious, beautifully decorated with a HUGE bathroom that featured not one, but two rain showers (never seen that before!). The staff was super friendly and helpful – we went for a hike up Monument Mountain and they gave us a backpack with snacks, water and sunblock. Our last night there, we wanted to do some star-​gazing with our telescope, so they set up chairs and a table out on the vast back lawn for us once it got dark. Breakfast is included in the stay and was very delicious. We had treatments at the spa (the Potting Shed) which were fantastic and spent some time relaxing in the hot tub afterwards and getting some sun by the outdoor pool. This place is truly incredible!

Blantyre is a Berkshire tudor manor modeled after an ancestral home in Scotland. Swathed in sweeping grounds which allow you to indulge in romantic visions of the 19^th century, this is a B&B not to be missed. Music fills the air at mealtime and wine dinners are multi hour long stunning affairs. Lull into the spa for a day of beauty and relaxation. It’s a place I’d like to call home.

very fancy-​pants. we went for dinner here in march during a weekend get-​away. the space was beautiful and the staff was very attentive. the nuts we got while waiting for our drink had some of the best cashews i have ever had in my entire life. the pre-​appetizers were so-​so; one was very fishy. wine was great. i got a cabernet sauvignon from new zeland. but, at $ 15 a glass it better be good!
once we moved into the dining room the stuffiness reached a whole new level. all of the food was amazing; can’t say enough about the chateaubriand. maybe because i filled up on nuts, maybe because the food was so rich but i could not, for the life of me, eat dessert. i wished the waiters would have clued me into the fact that the menu (which had no prices) was an automatic 3-​course fixed price. i would have had a dessert wrapped up for later.
i’m glad i went — it was an experience. but not totally my style. the super annoying lady sitting near us in the dining room kept talking loudly about how many times she and her husband had been there. whatever! get a life.

heaven.

Not only are jackets required of men, so are ties. Not a big deal, just thought I’d mention it since it’s not listed below. Women, on the other hand, may wear anything but jeans (and, presumably shorts).
Our evening started out with aperitifs (Roederer champagne for me and a Lagavulin for my husband) and canapes in a large, ornate room with numerous intimate seating arrangements. The menus and wine list were also brought to us and we ordered our meal from this room. Two of the three canapes, the cold smoked tomato soup and the lobster «salad» tart, were delicious. The third canapé — a little fried ball of duck with a dried apricot — had a very strange texture and reminded us of a duck tater tot (classy, I know).
The wine list is phenomenally diverse and deep. We opted for a 1995 Gevrey Chambertain Domaine Arnaud Rousseau Clos St. Jacques which was delicious and paired nicely with our appetizers and entrees. There were notes of herbs, spices, and cherries and was well balanced.
The amuse bouche was a mushroom broth with a mascarpone froth served with a very thin sun dried tomato crostini. Now, I hate mushrooms, but the mascarpone froth balanced the not overpowering mushroom broth so well that I ate the whole thing!
My appetizer were 2 diver scallops with pickled carrots and radishes, very small avocado balls, quinoa, lemon coulis and micro-​greens. I love quinoa and I’ve rarely seen it used in the fine dining arena so it was a refreshing surprise which worked very well to give the dish body and texture without the heaviness of many other starches or grains. The lemon coulis was the perfect not-​too acidic foil to the richness of the scallops. My only complaint is that the scallops had no crust on them — they had a nice caramel color on top but there was no crispness which would have added a nice additional textural element.
My husband enjoyed his foie gras with pickled Bing cherries and a reduced paste of the pickling juices along with a hazelnut brioche. He particularly liked the cherries.
I had the roasted sea bass with taggiasca olives, artichokes, heirloom tomatoes, sun dried grape tomatoes, tiny zucchini balls, cannellini beans, micro greens and a fried squash blossom. The sun dried grape tomatoes were so delightfully sweet and were a great compliment to the saltiness of the olives and the richness of the artichokes. The fish seemed just a touch dry, but this type of fish is meatier than (sustainable) Chilean sea bass or a black cod (which are two of my favorite fishes). The fried squash blossom offered a really nice textural contrast to the fish and cooked vegetables.
My husband had the roast chicken with corn, green beans, chanterelle mushrooms, a potato confit and pan jus. The bite of chicken he gave me was incredibly flavorful, juicy and tender. He sat there with a smile on his face while his foot repeatedly tapped the floor (like when a dog has it’s tummy rubbed), the same reaction he had to the foie gras — luckily for others, we were in a private dining room …
For dessert, I had a mediocre at best cherry clafoutis with sour cream ice cream. The cherries in my dessert were nearly flavorless — a poach in balsamic vinegar or something to give them some flavor would have been nice. Similarly, the ice cream wasn’t very flavorful and I’ve had some beautifully flavored sour cream ice creams in the past at other places.
My husband had the olive oil cake with little blls of strawberry sorbet and a strawberry and mint salad. He loved the moistness of the cake and overall enjoyed the dessert.
Finally, we shared a glass of Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine — which was nice (and better than the glass of another producer of the same type of wine we had yesterday).
Overall, the presentation and sophistication of the meal at Wheatleigh surpassed our meal at Blantyre, but the more rustic/​traditional fare at Blantyre was very well prepared. I do prefer the less stuffy atmosphere at Wheatleigh. The wine director, Christelle Cotar, I believe, assisted us with our wine selection — we found her (and a couple of others, a server and a buser) to be refreshingly at ease and pleasant. Many of the other staff we encountered were stoic and seemingly dismissive.
Even though it was nice, not sure I’d go back if I was in the area because of the atmosphere.

Perfect setting. Beautiful grounds. Wonderful drinks and service. One of the worst entrees ever! Monk fish is kind of hard to screw up, but the chef managed. So much salt my blood pressure rose 20 points. Inedible. I’m really not a NY food snob, but I thought cooking like this went out 30 years ago. Prententious and over priced. Must say they removed cost of meal from $ 124 prix. Would rather have had food that matched the setting. Lots of chocolateand deserts. As I said, this stuff went out with Nixon! Few fresh vegetables in spite of abundance in the area and all are in season.

Approaching Blantyre, you gain a sense of what it was like to be a guest at a grand estate during the Gilded Age. Rapid economic growth fueled by industry and commerce, and fortified by the absence of an income tax, lead to the construction of large country homes which were the summer residences of our nation’s elite. With an air of aristocracy, they commissioned renowned architects, such as Stanford White and Richard Morris Hunt, to build their European styled palaces throughout the countryside and ocean fronts of New England. As our car came to a rolling stop near the front entrance, I could almost imagine the hoof beats of horses and the creaking carriage springs of yesteryear.
The architect Robert Henderson Robertson designed Blantyre in the style of a Scottish castle and construction began around the turn of the 20^th century. Unfortunately, Blantyre’s heyday was relatively short lived. Combinations of factors are credited with ending this opulent era by the early 1920s. These once great homes remained deserted and in disrepair for decades. And while some of these estates were completely lost, existing today only in photographs and postcards, others were restored to their former glory, such as Blantyre.
The Blantyre experience must be considered in its entirety. Its inclusion as a Relais & Chateaux hotel and its five Mobile stars assure you that Blantyre is both unique and luxurious, and that your stay is sure to be memorable. Blantyre is decorated with fine European and English styled antiques. Whether you stay in the main house, the cottages or the carriage house, the rooms are impeccably designed. In true form for a fine country estate of this period, Blantyre has four tennis courts and two well-​manicured croquet courts. In addition, you may try your skills at either bocce or shuffleboard. If these are not your sports of choice, the Berkshires afford many additional recreational activities, such as golf, hiking, skiing, antiquing, and classical music at nearby Tanglewood. If your goal is rest and relaxation, perhaps you may opt for a swim in either the outdoor or indoor pool, followed by a massage at their spa.
What truly sets Blantyre apart from other resorts is the cuisine and service. To dine at Blantyre is to take part in a well-​orchestrated affair. To begin, you are escorted to the terrace, where you are served a glass of champagne and an amuse bouche. Casually, you sip your cocktail and gaze at the Berkshires on the horizon, while croquet matches are played out on the lawns below. Eventually, you are paid a visit by the maitre d’ and the sommelier, who present you with your dinner and wine menus, respectively. Once you have made your choices, you are accompanied to the dining room, which is elegantly decorated with fine linen, fresh flowers, and antique sterling silver, bone china, and cut crystal stemware. It is reasonable to assume that these table settings once adorned the tables of our nation’s industrial aristocrats, and they have somehow found their way home.
The service is impeccable. The service corps moves through the dining room like a choreographed ballet. Their steps are silent, their movements are graceful, and all plates are presented to the table in unison. If you must leave the table, an attendant appears to usher you to your destination. At the end of each course, the table is reset with the proper silverware, china, and stemware. The level of professionalism and politeness is astounding.
The dinner was simply one of the best meals I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. For an entrée, I chose lamb three ways — a chop, a loin, and a sausage — each prepared with its own sauce. The sauces were in absolute harmony with the lamb, which was cooked to the perfect temperature. Following dessert, we ended our evening with a nightcap in the music room, listening to a classically-​trained musician play the piano.
Breakfast at Blantyre is included with your stay. Omelets, eggs Benedict, pancakes, bagels with lox, and a variety of sides were prepared to the same standards as the dinner the night before. These were served with your choice of fresh juice, coffee, or a pot of tea. We left the breakfast table satisfied and invigorated to experience everything that the Berkshires had to offer.
Though not inexpensive by any means, a stay at Blantyre is not unreasonable when you consider the quality of the experience, and the number of staff and training that are required to achieve their high level of service. In summary, Blantyre is the perfect place to enjoy a special occasion with your very special someone (s). Now, pack your travel chest with your finest clothing, load the carriage, and ask your driver to set a course for Lenox, because you have an invitation to stay in a fine country home, and the royal treatment is awaiting you upon your arrival.

Blantyre is the epitome of gracious inn keeping and ultimate in fine dining. Your evening meal is served by intuitive wait staff. The string trio plays while you sip champagne. The lovely owner may even dine with you if you are in luck! The dessert table groans under the weight of silver trays filled with treats of every description. Breakfast in the slate floored conservatory is a veritable banquet. The gardens are lovely. Days and nights at Blantyre provide unforgettable experiences of a lifetime.

What a glorious find is this inn in the Berkshires, or anywhere for that matter. Its Relais & Château status makes sense. This is about as perfect & expensive as it gets. For once, you get what you pay for.
We’ve only dined here… twice for weekend lunch (not brunch!). Pascal served us with friendly charm & élan this autumn in the Moiré Room, where we sat round the table on antique settees. The fireplace had a robust fire and the walls were decorated with framed art of the last century and beyond.
Matching the setting was the food, which was top-​notch, carefully cooked cuisine. If you want to blow a good amount of money, this is the place to do it.
Blantyre used to be open only in summer, but changed to a year-​round policy a few years back. This is a family owned establishment of the highest order.
Enjoy!