I hate giving anyone a negative review, but calling this a "hotel" is a misnomer, though it certainly looks like it from the street. The owner, who lives on site, seems to find interacting with guests an unbearable burden. There was no prospect of an early check-in time, no bag drop, no help with checking in. A sign on the front door gives her name and number to call for help. "I don't normally answer calls from guests," she said, when I called asking for help. "Read the instructions that were sent to you (by Expedia)," said the owner, when I finally got inside after waiting on the doorstep for more than two hours and asked for the location of my room. "I don't mind sharing my home with guests but you have to follow the instructions," she said. A sign inside the front door says guests are not allowed to wear their shoes in the "hotel" though slippers, apparently, are provided. In the end, I left, forfeiting my non-refundable deposit for the night as it was the most unwelcome experience I've ever had at a "hotel." I ended up having to book a second hotel for the same night, in effect paying twice for one night in Sydney, Nova Scotia. It's a beautiful, well-kept hotel more than a century old, and it's a real shame that guests who pay money up front before checking in are mistreated like this. To say the least I was surprised and disappointed, and again, regret having to give the place such a negative review.
