Bee and Thistle Inn

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Dates

January 2025

February 2025

Room Five | Premium bedding, individually decorated, individually furnished

Overview
Rooms
Location
Policies

Excellent

Popular amenities

Breakfast included

Bar

Room service

Spa

Housekeeping

Free WiFi

Explore the area

100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, 06371

Florence Griswold Museum
1 min walk
Cafe Flo
2 min walk
Old Saybrook Station
8 min drive
New Haven, CT (HVN-Tweed - New Haven Regional)
37 min drive

Room options

Room Eleven

17 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Queen Bed

Premium bedding, individually decorated, individually furnished

Room One

26 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Queen Bed

Room Two

30 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Queen Bed

Room Seven

12 sq m
Sleeps 1
1 Double Bed

Room Three

31 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 King Bed

Room Five

18 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Queen Bed

Room Eight

24 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Queen Bed

Room Nine

20 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Queen Bed

Room Ten

23 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Queen Bed

Room Four

18 sq m
Sleeps 2
1 Double Bed

Similar properties

On private beach

Pool

Hot tub

Spa

for 1 night

includes taxes & fees

2 Jan - 3 Jan

About this property

Riverfront inn with free breakfast and spa services

Along with a restaurant, this inn has a bar/lounge and coffee/tea in a common area. Free full breakfast, free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Other amenities include massage/treatment rooms, concierge services and free newspapers.

Bee and Thistle Inn offers 10 accommodations with complimentary bottles of water and free toiletries. Each accommodation is individually furnished and decorated. Beds feature premium bedding. Guests can surf the web using complimentary wireless Internet access. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered on a daily basis.

Guests can pamper themselves by indulging in the on-site spa services. There are massage/treatment rooms and couples treatment room(s). Services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, Swedish massages and facials. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including aromatherapy.

During your stay at Bee and Thistle Inn, you're just a quick walk from Florence Griswold Museum. You'll find features such as free breakfast, free WiFi in public areas and free self-parking.

Free full breakfast served daily
Free WiFi
Free self-parking
Enjoy American cuisine at The Chestnut Grille, a fine-dining restaurant with garden views
Services include a concierge, tour or ticket assistance and luggage storage
Steps from Florence Griswold Museum and 13 minutes on foot from Lawrence & Memorial Family Medicine

There's a restaurant on site. You can enjoy a drink at the bar/lounge. Free breakfast is available daily. Public spaces have free WiFi.

Spa services, multilingual staff, and tour/ticket assistance are also featured at Bee and Thistle Inn. Free self parking is available.

Smoking is allowed in designated areas at this Georgian Old Lyme inn.

Guests are served a free full breakfast daily from 8 AM to 9:30 AM.

The Chestnut Grille – Overlooking the garden, this fine-dining restaurant specialises in American cuisine and only serves dinner. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. Happy hour is offered.

Room service is available.

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

Free self parking on site

Food and drink

Free full breakfast available daily 8 AM to 9:30 AM
A bar/lounge
A restaurant
Coffee and tea in common areas

Restaurants on site

The Chestnut Grille

Conveniences

Free newspapers in lobby
Limited-hour front desk
Luggage storage

Guest services

Concierge services
Housekeeping (daily)
Multilingual staff
Tour and ticket assistance
Turndown service
Wedding services

Business services

Meeting rooms

Outdoors

Garden
On a river
Picnic area

Spa

Aromatherapy
Couples treatment rooms
Deep-tissue massages
Facials
Hot stone massages
Swedish massages
Treatment room

Accessibility

No lift

1 building
3 floors
Built in 1756
Designated smoking areas
Fireplace in lobby
Georgian architecture

Room amenities

Bedroom

Premium bedding

Bathroom

Free toiletries
Private bathroom

Food and drink

Free bottled water
Room service

Individual decor
Individual furnishings

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 3:00 PM

Minimum check-in age - 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 9 AM - 9 PM

Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; front desk staffed during limited hours

To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property ahead of time using the information on the booking confirmation

If you are planning to arrive after 9 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

Children 16 and younger are not allowed at this property. All guests older than 16 are welcome.

Rollaway/extra beds are not available.

Cots (infant beds) are not available.

Payment types at the property

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business or profession.

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

This property accepts credit cards

The front desk at this property is open daily from 9 AM - 9 PM.
To arrange for check-in, guests must contact the property in advance of arrival using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests arriving after 9 PM must make advance arrangements by contacting the property using the information on the booking confirmation. Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in information. Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival.

We should mention

Please note that this property can refuse certain bookings for the purpose of group events or parties, which include pre-wedding stag/bachelor and hen/bachelorette parties.
Reservations are needed for massage services and spa treatments. For reservations, contact the inn before arrival using the contact information on the booking confirmation.
Children 16 years old and younger aren't allowed at this property.

Property is also known as

Bee & Thistle Inn

Bee & Thistle Inn Old Lyme

Bee Thistle Inn

Bee Thistle Old Lyme

Bee And Thistle Hotel Old Lyme

Bee Thistle Inn Old Lyme

Bee Thistle

Bee and Thistle Inn Inn

Bee and Thistle Inn Old Lyme

Bee and Thistle Inn Inn Old Lyme

Bee and Thistle Inn Reviews

8.8

Excellent

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

4.6/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner

19 Feb 2021

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

THEY ARE OUT OF BUSINESS!!!! YOU BOOKED ME A HOTEL THAT NO LONGER EXISTS!!!!!

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

3 Jan 2021

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2021

2/10 Terrible

Dean

21 Dec 2020

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

30 Nov 2019

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

10 Nov 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family

21 Oct 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

I was billed twice for my final payment. First when I checked in and then when I checked out.

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Lynne

16 Oct 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Lovely Inn and staff was very friendly and helpful. Dinner was beyond excellent!

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

30 Sept 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner

25 Sept 2019

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities

Bee and Thistle was a huge letdown for us. The outward appearance of the property and grounds are very nice . The rooms however are a different story. Dark, dreary and desperate for deep cleaning and coat of fresh paint in cheery color. The bathroom is almost unusable. Small , dirty, shower that barely functioned. The bed was very uncomfortable , pillows etc. The owners need to give this place an overhaul. The dinner experience was also bad. A server touched our food with bare hands in front of us. We could not get coffee until 8 am so we had to go to a convenience store . 😭

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

14 Aug 2019

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2014

10/10 Excellent

Bill

31 Jul 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Guillermo, USA / France

29 Jul 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities

Disliked: Staff & service

Lovely area, the hotel could improve in some areas

Overall we would have to say that this hotel was okay. Nothing special but also not horrible. It is a beautiful house that has a lot of charm to it. The grounds around the house are also nice to walk around. We had only a couple issues, though to us they were important. We knew we were going to arrive late, and called the day before to let them know. They contact us via hotels.com and informed us that if we arrived after 9pm then out keys to our room would be in the basket outside the front door. Easy enough. Well, when we arrived, around 11:30pm there was no key in the basket and no phone number to call. Luckily, the last restaurant worker was leaving, making sure the front door was locked, and saw us arrive. They were kind enough to open the door, find out key in an envelope that was inside the house (not helpful) and showed us our room. Definitely not their job, but they did it. Which was very nice. Unfortunately that was the last of the good customer service. The following day no one said hello, gave us a welcome talk or provided us with information. When we went to ask the front desk person didn't know the answers to most of our questions. The second issue was the bed, after two nights sleeping on it, our backs started to hurt. Could use better pillows as well. However, otherwise we really enjoyed our visit to Lyme, the sites and the beach. It is a lovely area to explore.

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Dawn, Hartsdale

10 Apr 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Charming inn

Friendly, helpful staff that provided great information about the area and things to do. Inn was a comfortable charming place with o stay.

Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Philip

30 Jul 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Kim, Suffield, CT

22 Jul 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Absolutely amazing place, very comfortable accommodations. Ate dinner there too, and it was probably the best I have in a long time. A little issue with the hair dryer early in the morning and no one around, but it was such a minor inconvenience I don't want it to detract from the review. I would absolutely book there again in a heartbeat. Staff have limited hours, but when they were there, they were so attentive without being overbearing. Wonderful musicians on a Sunday night during dinner, great wine selections, and chef has a real creative way of using local items. Bar tender also creative with drinks, though I loved the wine selection. Bed SOOOO comfortable. Enjoy!

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Sandiphoto, Baltimore, MD

20 Jul 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Love the original art on walls, the garden with live music and happy hour. The restaurant was fantastic!

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

4/10 Poor

Eli, NJ

18 Jul 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort

For years we have passed the Bee and Thistle and always wanted to stay there. What a disappointment. Great staff and location but boy is the place run down. It looks like there must be absentee ownership that has either run out of money or just doesn’t care anymore. Many areas badly in need of painting, filthy windows and windowsills, poor AC, threadbare carpets, water stains on ceilings etc., etc. Considering the condition of the property the rates should be a fraction of what they are. I’m aware of the term “shabby chic” but the current Bee and Thistle is just shabby.

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

27 Jun 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Nice to experience how people lived in the past.

No TV in the room or on the premises. The breakfast was outstanding.

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Pete

4 Jun 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Unique place. Great outdoors

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Bridget

16 Apr 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Wonderful New England charm &art

My room was nice and quiet, staff were friendly and assisted with local outdoorsy info .The breakfast was delish. I love the shore area in ct.and the inns along the coast

10/10 Excellent

Warner

24 Mar 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

21 Mar 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Quick one night stay

Wish I had more time to explore the area, but the dinner at the restaurant was excellent and the breakfast was plentiful and pretty good too!

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Patric N

6 Feb 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

29 Jan 2018

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Relaxing, quiet... beautiful

Great way to spend our anniversary....great food too

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2018

10/10 Excellent

Karen

19 Nov 2017

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Charming inn

Very charming inn. Cookies were delivered to our room in the evening, and we received a bag with water and apples at checkout. The breakfast was very good, with an egg dish, bacon, toast, and assorted delicious pastries and gourmet coffee and tea. Staff was very friendly and helpful.Only negative was slow-filling tub on the third floor, but completely understandable with the age of the house.Lovely toiletries.

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017