Gelston House 1853 Inn
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Avg. C$271 /night, 8/8 - 8/9
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C$373
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C$271
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2.5
#1 of 1 inn in East HaddamLocation
Cleanliness
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Value
Gelston House 1853 Inn is an excellent choice for travellers visiting East Haddam, offering a romantic environment alongside many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay.
For those interested in checking out Ray of Light Farm (3.0 km) while visiting East Haddam, Gelston House 1853 Inn is a short distance away.
Rooms at Gelston House 1853 Inn provide air conditioning, and guests can stay connected with free internet access.
You can also enjoy a lounge while staying at Gelston House 1853 Inn. Need a place to park? Free parking is available at Gelston House 1853 Inn.
While you’re here, be sure to check out Sanibel Farms, one of the delis that can be found in East Haddam, which is a short distance from Gelston House 1853 Inn.
If you’re looking for things to do, you can check out Goodspeed Opera House (0.0 km), East Haddam Swing Bridge (0.1 km), or Nathan Hale Schoolhouse (0.3 km), which are popular attractions amongst tourists, and they are all within walking distance.
Enjoy your stay in East Haddam!
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Property amenities
Bar / lounge
Coffee shop
Restaurant
Highchairs available
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Location
8 Main St, East Haddam, CT 06423-1302
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 63 out of 100
63
58 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
17Reviews0Q+A6Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
Next door to Goodspeed Opera House, should be ideal but beyond beautiful bones a mess: room borderline clean and had to ask for service in the morning--they seemed surprised. Above first floor, cartoons and debris visible everywhere. 5:15 dinner reservation for 7:30 show--not served till almost 7 and no time for (included) dessert and coffee. They did comp our drinks, which also took a while to come, and offered dessert after the show--cold and unappealing. May improve as season goes on, but beware. Note: no breakfast, but don't miss Two Wrasslin' Cats, about a mile away.
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Date of stay: May 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed at the inn on the second floor, for our 20th Wedding Anniversary. Both citiperson and hahnundhudn described the hotel spot on. Outside there was junk laying around the windows by the bar and trash and cigarette butts in a large flower pot at the entrance. The room was huge, but kind of sadly run down. Things like a broken safety chain on the door, lampshade all cracked, dirty coffee maker, buzzing fluorescent light in bathroom, masking tape over one of the wall swiches, and hair on my pillow(not my own). Mismatched facecloths-one looked more like a cleaning rag, very sad dollar store shower curtain, and to the resident of Xyztown, CT who left their "People Magazine", I now have YOUR name and address thanks to the housekeeper who left it for me. All these were simple things which could be easily taken care of, but alas, it seems, they were not important. Pretty much no improvement since our visit last year. NOW the restaurant was excellent! Go for dinner and the show at the Goodspeed Opera House!
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Date of stay: October 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Much like "citiperson" said, the room we had (same one from the description) left a lot to be desired: the room number falling off the front of the door; the security bar catch being busted off and the bar itself with the screws falling out; terrible lighting in the bathroom (the over sink fluorescents did not work at all, and if you jiggled the switch the surge protector in the outlet popped); no caulk around the fiberglass tub insert where it met the wall; no strainer/plug in the tub; the pull-up thingy on the tub spigot did not work right so when you took a shower, you got half power from the shower head and half from the tub spigot. The bed, though it had a trough in the center was relatively comfortable and the water in the shower was hot. The view from this room (suite) was good...looked across to the Goodspeed Opera House and the grand bridge, as long as the flat roof of the dining room immediately below didn't distract you. The room has a thermostat that is useless...it was showing 70, which in a motel or B&B low ceilinged room would be okay, but in a 10 to 12 foot ceilinged cavern of a room with 3 floor to ceiling windows, on a 40 degree evening, it stayed chilly, and when we raised the thermostat, nothing happened. There was open, used soap in the soap dish and a wet wipe on the floor of the bathroom when we arrived...felt that though the towels were fresh and the bed was freshly made, somebody forgot to finish cleaning. The food is great, but we will never stay overnight here again...it is one of the worst overnights we ever spent!! Oh, and there was no breakfast either!!!
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Date of stay: October 2013Trip type: Travelled with family
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Room Tip:Â find someplace else
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We planned a musical theater evening at the venerable and always outstanding Goodspeed Opera House. We decided to try both overnight accommodations and drinks and dinner beforehand at the adjacent Gelston House owned by Goodspeed Musicals. Many reviews were rather dismissive and not favorable though the easy parking and walking convenience cannot overlooked. We therefore arrived in charming quaint East Haddam with low or no preconceptions or illusions. We were rather delightfully surprised by the eager young staff and by most of the amenities. The six or so bedrooms are spare but have new comfortable beds and clean modern bathrooms. Though lacking an elevator, there is suitable air conditioning and neat linens in an admittedly old structure. The attractive traditional bar, dining room and outdoor patio and porch are festooned with umbrellas and river views. This is not gourmet dining and does not aspire to be. This cozy low-keyplace is packed at lunch and at 6 pm for curtain times. The waitstaff is competent and quick. Our martinis, shareable fresh salads and bistro-quality tacos of just right chicken and white fish with mango salsa were tasty and ample. A well-priced sauvignon blanc prepared us for an evening of extravagant musical theater and the sleeping quarters right there were ideal at 11 pm. Enjoy the total Goodspeed experience including a very serviceable meal in a glorious setting not fancy but congenial local dining.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â This is a big theatrical experience in a small river town with quirky but adequate parking. There...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our daughter and new son-in-law decided to have their wedding reception at the Gelston House. Part of the package included several of the hotel rooms.
The Cocktail 2 hours and Hors d’ oeuvres was on the patio and was a pleasant experience. Unfortunately the dinner was served about 45 minutes late. Not a problem for the over 21 crowd but the children were not too happy.
Most guests were disappointed with the beef and chicken but those who had the pasta were happy. I personally thought the beef was disgusting.
As I said earlier, the wedding package included several rooms. My wife, son and I had one of those rooms. Because of our flight arrangements our alarm was set for 3 am. After the alarm went off my wife turned the light on and screamed. Both pillows were covered with bed bugs! Apparently they ate well because both pillows were covered with blood spots. We spent the next 15 minutes capturing the bugs with toilet paper and flushing them in the not too efficient toilet. We could not catch all of them. I wish I had taken pictures of them. Needless to say we showered and got out of there at 3:45 am.
We sent a text message to our daughter and told her of the bugs. When she saw someone from the hotel that morning and spoke to them about the bugs they replied they would check into it. She has called several times and left messages for the manager to contact her. Of course no one has contacted her.
My daughter did say her maid of honor also shared her bed with bugs and had numerous bites.
I would not recommend the Gelston House for a wedding reception due to the poor food or as a place to sleep unless you enjoy sharing your bed with bugs.
The Cocktail 2 hours and Hors d’ oeuvres was on the patio and was a pleasant experience. Unfortunately the dinner was served about 45 minutes late. Not a problem for the over 21 crowd but the children were not too happy.
Most guests were disappointed with the beef and chicken but those who had the pasta were happy. I personally thought the beef was disgusting.
As I said earlier, the wedding package included several rooms. My wife, son and I had one of those rooms. Because of our flight arrangements our alarm was set for 3 am. After the alarm went off my wife turned the light on and screamed. Both pillows were covered with bed bugs! Apparently they ate well because both pillows were covered with blood spots. We spent the next 15 minutes capturing the bugs with toilet paper and flushing them in the not too efficient toilet. We could not catch all of them. I wish I had taken pictures of them. Needless to say we showered and got out of there at 3:45 am.
We sent a text message to our daughter and told her of the bugs. When she saw someone from the hotel that morning and spoke to them about the bugs they replied they would check into it. She has called several times and left messages for the manager to contact her. Of course no one has contacted her.
My daughter did say her maid of honor also shared her bed with bugs and had numerous bites.
I would not recommend the Gelston House for a wedding reception due to the poor food or as a place to sleep unless you enjoy sharing your bed with bugs.
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Date of stay: July 2011Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â avoid sleeping here!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After a day of motorcycle touring, my husband and I spent the night at the Gelston House. We arrived too early for check-in but were allowed to leave our packs in the room and did a bit more riding before checking in at 3PM. The main restaurant is closed on Mondays, but there is a large patio restaurant that overlooks the river and has a terrific view of the Goodspeed Opera House lawn where they have live music every Monday night all summer. (I wish we had heard about the "Music on the River" shows earlier, as it turned out we caught the last show of the season, the Cuban group Quimbombó.) The service on the patio is very good; there is also a full sized bar and big screen TV. We ordered several items from the appetizer menu over the course of 3 or so hours which were very good and nicely presented. After the Music on the River show ended,the Gelston House offered it's own entertainment on the patio itself. As for the accommodations, this is obviously primarily a restaurant, so the few rooms available are pretty basic. The furnishings are a cool mix of antiques and the bathroom is adequate, but the bed itself was a bit too firm and the walls are paper thin. We would definitely stay there again in conjunction with the Music on the River show.
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Date of stay: August 2013Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So I asked for the management to call me two days in a row and no reply. So I will reply here. DO NOT STAY HERE! The room was disgusting and looked like a crime scene. The door was left ajar and open when checking in. The top latch lock did not work. The lamp shades were all tilted as if someone had knocked them over. The coffee tray looked like a tornado had hit it and there was a dirty k-cup in the coffee machine. The soap dish was dirty with old soap from previous guests. The sink was lined with several amenity bottles but they were all shampoo. The towels could take off a layer of skin and had been thrown onto a shelf and were not folded. The bathroom vanity was missing a doorknob. One pillow case was put on inside out. The closet was in disaray and contained an ironing board with a towel pinned to it. The sheets had stains on them. The furnishings did not match and were poor condition. In short, this room felt like one of those hotel inspector reality shows where you would think everything had been staged for the camera. But sadly no. Oh and the piece de resistance. On the wall was a 5x7 picture frame that had no art inside it but sadly still had the store insert than came with the frame of some stock photo bride and "5x7" written underneath the photo of the bride. And this room cost $150.00!
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Date of stay: October 2019
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Overall, our experience was positive. The structure is magnificent and the outside patio and deck overlooking the Connecticut River are great. The restaurant is very beautiful with window seating overlooking the Connecticut River. The menu was extensive and the food very good in both presentation and taste.
The guest room was huge, probably the equivalent of three Holiday Inn rooms. It was very clean. However, the room fell extremely short on the amenities. The room lighting was bad and the bathroom lighting especially above the mirror was very inadequate. There was no hair dryer. An iron was provided, but there was no ironing board. The two closets were a nice size but devoid of hangers. The water pressure in the shower was poor and when someone in another room flushed the toilet or used the shower, the pressure was almost non-existent. The bathtub lacked a stopper so as to be able to take a bath. Given the enormous size of the room, there was no desk to be able to write or use a laptop. The entry door had one of the room numbers hanging and the night latch on the inside was busted as if someone had broken into the room. This was a little disconcerting and certainly should be repaired for guest comfort level. And on Friday and Saturday nights, there was a band playing on the patio. This made sleeping almost remove almost impossible until the band ceased at about 11:30 PM. In this type of establishment, you cannot have a band where the music reverberates throughout the rooms. There should be a notice in the website regarding the band for anyone booking a room. In addition, the website should be more informative about the hotel/rooms.
The hotel parking is taken by the patrons of the Goodspeed Opera House in the evening. We had to park a very large distance from the hotel since all hotel parking places were taken by the opera house patrons. Inn guest parking should be marked and available closer to Inn main lobby entrance.
The manager was very sweet and charming but lacked a knowledge of the local area.
Overall, our experience was more positive than negative. However, if we go to the opera house in the future, we will probably stay only one night as opposed to a two-night stay.... and we will be sure to bring our hair dryer, hangers, ironing board and ear plugs.
The guest room was huge, probably the equivalent of three Holiday Inn rooms. It was very clean. However, the room fell extremely short on the amenities. The room lighting was bad and the bathroom lighting especially above the mirror was very inadequate. There was no hair dryer. An iron was provided, but there was no ironing board. The two closets were a nice size but devoid of hangers. The water pressure in the shower was poor and when someone in another room flushed the toilet or used the shower, the pressure was almost non-existent. The bathtub lacked a stopper so as to be able to take a bath. Given the enormous size of the room, there was no desk to be able to write or use a laptop. The entry door had one of the room numbers hanging and the night latch on the inside was busted as if someone had broken into the room. This was a little disconcerting and certainly should be repaired for guest comfort level. And on Friday and Saturday nights, there was a band playing on the patio. This made sleeping almost remove almost impossible until the band ceased at about 11:30 PM. In this type of establishment, you cannot have a band where the music reverberates throughout the rooms. There should be a notice in the website regarding the band for anyone booking a room. In addition, the website should be more informative about the hotel/rooms.
The hotel parking is taken by the patrons of the Goodspeed Opera House in the evening. We had to park a very large distance from the hotel since all hotel parking places were taken by the opera house patrons. Inn guest parking should be marked and available closer to Inn main lobby entrance.
The manager was very sweet and charming but lacked a knowledge of the local area.
Overall, our experience was more positive than negative. However, if we go to the opera house in the future, we will probably stay only one night as opposed to a two-night stay.... and we will be sure to bring our hair dryer, hangers, ironing board and ear plugs.
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Date of stay: September 2013Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
$150 a night for garbage. The screws that hold the security bolt on the wooden door frame are not just loose, they are half-screwed in; a good yank would pull the lock clear off, so it's useless a security device. Bed sheets: stained. Bathroom towels: barely folded and thrown on the shelf over the toilet. Ironing board: has a towel wrapped around it as a pad. Coffee "station" with Keurig and pods: another mess. Everything--cups, pods--just tossed on a tray in a pile. Used pod in the Keurig machine. Bathroom lighting: institutional and yellow. Can barely see what you're doing. One cabinet door in bathroom has a knob, the other does not. Just a screw sticking out. Water pressure: barely. Amenities: eight tiny bottles of the same shampoo. Nothing else. Soap dish: dirty, with old, caked-on soap. Furnishings: falling apart, tired, musty, disgusting. Every lamp shade was crooked. Every. Single. One. Closet: no hangers, so if you need them, you're out of luck. But if you need some garbage on the floor of said closet, you're all set, 'cause they do have that. Called to complain to management: no response. These people do not care about their customers and should not be in the business of renting rooms to people. Disgraceful.
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Date of stay: October 2019
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â There are no good rooms. You will regret staying here.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
no water pressure ...old furniture ...room not clean... parking a problem... bathroom just ok... no front staff overnite... no working thermomstat....room cold...no elevator....sheets have detergent smell = left in middle of nite ...
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Date of stay: May 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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"This is a big theatrical experience in a small river town with quirky but adequate parking. There is nothing else here but a quaint village"Read full review
"Unfortunately there were no rooms at the inn for the weekend of our wedding. If the rooms are equal to the food service then they must be outstanding."Read full review
PRICE RANGE
C$338 - C$422 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United StatesConnecticutEast Haddam
NUMBER OF ROOMS
9
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Gelston House 1853 Inn
Which popular attractions are close to Gelston House 1853 Inn?
Nearby attractions include Goodspeed Opera House (0.06 km), Gillette Castle State Park (4.2 km), and Norma Terris Theatre (5.1 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Gelston House 1853 Inn?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and a coffee shop.
What food & drink options are available at Gelston House 1853 Inn?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant and a lounge during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Gelston House 1853 Inn?
Conveniently located restaurants include Two Wrasslin' Cats, Whistle Stop, and River Tavern.
Is Gelston House 1853 Inn located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.3 km away from the centre of East Haddam.
Are there any historical sites close to Gelston House 1853 Inn?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Goodspeed Opera House (0.06 km) and Gillette Castle State Park (4.2 km).