Emerson Inn by the Sea

We are here during the down season. Very quite and the staff is very friendly and welcoming.

My coworkers and I attended a daytime leadership retreat here this past summer in August.
Spectacular views and location!
We set up in the downstairs meeting area and had a sea view. It was hard to pay attention to the workshop as we all were dreaming of the sea and the view.
The buffet lunch was very very good and nicely presented.
Parking was tight, but we all found a spot on the lot or nearby street.
I want to come back!

This is a great place to stay on a non-​holiday weekend. The bed and breakfast charm of the dining hall is best enjoyed with only a few other people. Of course, the beachfront view is beautiful, especially on nights with the full moon, which we’ve been lucky enough to experience. The staff is always friendly to us and we see that other couples are quite at ease here as well. The rooms are kept clean and up to date. We’d recommend this Inn for weekdays and slow weekends — only so you can experience the charm of the dining area and lobby. Otherwise, anytime in Rockport ought to be a good time.

Very nice hotel with great ocean views. Stayed in the queen room with balcony. Fabulous view but ‘balcony’ was more of a porch with two rockets and a slider opening to a railing. Great to have the sea air and views and listen to the ocean. We arrived late April and we’re disappointed to hear the restaurant on site would not open until June 1. Very good complementary breakfast and friendly staff. Hotel was very quiet at night and we were surprised to see so many other guests at breakfast the next morning. Found great restaurants in Gloucester on Main st

To begin: Emerson Inn by the Sea is the ultimate choice for a traveler looking for a petite, charming and elegant historic inn. The décor in the Lobby and landings along the Grand Staircase is a delightful hodgepodge of Victorian, Edwardian and maybe a little Art Deco along the way. Expect glass book cases with old volumes of classics and wonderful photos that remind one that this location was a favorite of Ralph Waldo Emerson himself. The exterior of the Inn has a «Grand Dame» feel, slightly weathered but perfectly endearing. There are plenty of large rocking chairs to sit upon on and gaze out on the open ocean. (Side note: The Inn sits directly on the coast and there is easy access to a public path that one can use to go down to the rocky «cliff» below. The walk is easy and you can go right down to the water without much effort.)
Upon checking in we were greeted by Mitch who was very nice and was kind enough to provide an upgrade to an Ocean View King with a jet tub — Room 213. It was located on the first level up from the lobby.
The room was small, but not too cramped. There was a total of three windows that looked dead straight over the porch roof and out onto the sea. It was absolutely the highlight of the stay. The bathroom, albeit being tiny was actually quite chic with navy walls with the rest all white. The window the the bathroom had tiny shutters that you could open and close making it all the more adorable. Everything was very clean and lots of towels were provided. The toiletries were nothing special, but there was fresh lavender tucked with the towels! How nice!
At first I was very excited about the jet tub — but upon being absolutely scared to death on our first morning I decided to forgo using it. I somehow accidentally pressed the button while getting into the deliciously deep tub and the whole thing rumbled and hummed extremely loud — like a old fashioned carburetor. I was so startled — I shut it off straight away. I’m not sure if it was broken or just old since it was so noisy. It did not sound or behave like any other jet tub I’ve encountered. I recommend trying it out during the afternoon as to not awaken the entire Inn.
The bed was very cozy and warm and located right near the windows. Upon waking, you gaze out onto the open ocean. Just wondrous!
Free Breakfast was included in the room downstairs in the Grand Café. (Side note: We ate both our breakfasts and both our dinners in the Grand Café. For details on dinner — please consult the specific review on the Grand Café itself) The full breakfast buffet was lovely. Each morning was different! On offer the first morning was: pumpkin pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, roasted potatoes with peppers and onions, blueberry muffins, assorted cereals and granola, fresh fruit, toast, bagels and juice, coffee and tea. The second morning the pancakes were blueberry, the muffins were replaced by almond croissants and there was bacon instead of sausage. Everything else remained the same. All was clearly made from scratch
(save for the cereal and toast/​bagels and juice) and prepared with care.
Our stay couldn’t have been better. I deducted a star for the small room, (but I’m sure there are larger alternatives) and for the dated jet tub. I would certainly come here again for a relaxing long weekend soon!

Disappointed! Maybe we hit a really bad night for dinner, but on a holiday weekend, you’d think they would «be prepared,» and there were some things that would have made dining more enjoyable and as elegant as the place appears. Clam chowder not hot, no oyster crackers or bread! They served grilled sliced white bread after we asked for it. My husband’s seafood stew was small and the broth was like a pasta sauce. My steak was very good, but not the rest of the food (stringy asparagus and unrecognizable texture and taste in the risotto) at 34 $. The porch setting was nice, but the lighting was so dim, you couldn’t see the food after dark. Others sat on the main porch with no candle or light on their tables. We have lived in Rockport for a while and looked forward to finally dining at the Emerson Inn – so lovely, an ideal setting. The staff was very nice and even apologetic, as they must have realized the slow, unprepared, incompetent kitchen might affect their tips, which it didn’t in our case, but we wouldn’t go back.

Anniversity dinner. party of 12, setting outstanding, service and attention outstanding., I had the duck/​2 Ways. tasty but small portions, wife had pan seared scallops a bit over cooked, one guest returned but was told they ran out of scallops and got salmon witch was cooked perfect.
Overall our party was pleaed and I will return.

My hubby and I enjoyed this venue, for our one year wedding anniversary. Nice and quite. The ocean view was amazing!!!

Beautiful and affordable inn in the perfect location. We had a a great experience here and would definitely return in the summer.

Jamie at Emerson By the Sea was wonderful and made what was a difficult weekend as pleasant as humanly possible. Lovely spot.

great place to stay… beautiful scenery… quiet and not too far from boston. the inn keeper was helpful… and so was his daughter…(problems with my phone. that were solved immediately)

My husband and I came here right after we were married in 2009, ever since we come back as this is one of the nicest places to stay in Rockport by far! This is a unique bed and breakfast with a lot of history.
The service, bar, and food is amazing. There is a piano player at night outside of the dinning room which is really nice to hear after a long day. The pool is heated, its nice to take a dip after dinner while the sun is setting.
The views are breathtaking and in an odd way it feels as if you are secluded… amazing.

This has all the pros of an old, quaint inn, but none of the cons. By that I mean the ridiculous stuffiness and «preciousness» that many old inns and B&Bs have (and strive for!) this place is cozy and even child friendly. The outdoor pool is lovely. The breakfast is delicious and plentiful and just right. We just spent 3 wonderful days at the inn and I’m already planning my next visit.
I would have given a five star rating if only the Grand Café had more than one vegetarian dinner option.
Overall, a real treat!

I am giving 4 stars because I haven’t stayed here, but all the rest is a big 5.
What a location! This place is awesome.
Rooms with a view that are to die for – rocky, picturesque ocean-​side cliffs. Historical and tasteful inside with very period furniture and colors.
I went to a meeting and enjoyed a great breakfast and tour of the place.
It was really awesome.
I think a nice romantic weekend in the room on the 4^th floor would be amazing!

I couldn’t imagine a more picturesque location. Only 32 rooms or so, so book early. The food was delicious and the staff was very attentive. Close to beaches, lighthouses, shopping, and other attractions. Bring sunscreen, bug spray, a beach towel, and your own hard alcohol and you’re good to go.

This is a grand hotel in every good sense of that term! Our stay was short but a most welcomed beginning to a couple of weeks in New England. There is something magical about going to sleep to the sound of crashing waves and then waking to an eastern sunrise over the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean! Our comfy room overlooking the ocean was a wonderful place of rest even though we really weren’t actually in the room all that much. The dining room and the Grand Parlor provide a place to rest and relax in the evening with live piano music, good food and yes, even a bit of spirits in the dry town of Rockport. Wonderful!

This was a perfect retreat for a couple of tired parents, exhausted and exhilarated from dropping their middle child off for the freshman year in college in Boston. The view is incredible. If you are up early enough, the sun comes up right in the front yard. There is a wide open lawn and plenty of Adirondack chairs for reading. Go for a swim or embarrass yourselves with horseshoes, it couldn’t be more relaxing. Make sure to take the «Atlantic Walk», a public access trail along the beachfront.
The crowd tends to be a little older but we met plenty of great people.
The food is fantastic. Whether it was the all included breakfast buffet or dinner in either the restaurant or the lounge, everything we ate was excellent.
Breakfast can be taken inside or outside on a large screened porch that can seat ~25. The Chef is also a great pastry chef and showed through with the breakfast pastries that were laid out.
Our room was a little small, but this is an older resort, built before the age of the 1,100sqft bathrooms. It was very clean, with great bedding and mattress.
We did a lot of hiking and driving around Cape May and also coupled the trip with an sunset sail with Salty Dog Charters (see separate review), a perfect combination.
Very enjoyable experience.

Warning: this inn is beautiful, quaint, charming, set on a hill high above the Atlantic Ocean — all those things you look for in East Coast bed and breakfasts … but beware weeknights in March, my friends. Upon returning from your lovely dinner in town, full with food and drowsy from wine, you will likely find yourselves the ONLY ones in the place. I mean the music from «The Shining» is pretty much playing in the background as you turn the key the concierge gave you when you checked in to «let yourselves in» later. Not kidding. Once in, the Victorian chairs seem to loom in dark corners and the stairs creak a little too loudly on the way up to your room. Once inside, you eargerly lock both locks and turn on something happy and irrelevant, like SNL. *Whew. Safe… for now.
In all seriousness, there was NOTHING creepy about the actual hotel. It’s gorgeous, the rates were great at the off-​season time we visited, the bathroom was very modern and impeccably clean, and there was English breakfast tea and croissants downstairs in the enormous dining room when we awoke. But in the total darkness of a Massachusettes night, I was sure Jack Nicholson was waiting behind our bedroom door. 5 stars for this spellbinding getaway. Visit it… I dare you. ;)