I recently spent a very expensive night at Blantyre but it was worth every penny! I had reserved a cottage after an interesting and lengthy discussion with the reservationist who described in detail each room I was interested in. This polite and gracious lady was my introduction to the place and each person I encountered afterwards was equally delightful. Upon arrival I was greeted by a staff of knowledgeable and professional people who made sure I was taken care of with discretion and attentiveness. My room was all I had hoped for with thoughtful details too numerous to mention including the incredibly good chocolate chip cookies in a jar on the desk. I managed to eat every one in the interest of science! My room service dinner was delicious and the try and china were lovely. Breakfast came served on a different and more charming china with delicious muffins baked at the Inn. I also experienced the new spa where I had a massage. My only complaint was the shampoo had little lather to it! (Not a true complaint!)
I will definitely return when I can get a reservation which is tough this time of year This place is unusual in that the service provided is unobtrusive yet attentive and the details are truly exceptional. Whoever is in charge really knows what they are doing.

Well, overall this is a lovely hotel...the setting is beautiful, the staff really tries hard to please, and the best part...Kiehl's bath products in the rooms (if you buy these in the store, you know what I'm talking about). My goal in life is to stay in as many Relais & Chateau hotels as possible, and I've stayed at many....but there were some things that missed the mark at Blantyre. First of all, there are a TON of hidden charges that are shocking...the cocktails they offer you upon arrival are not complimentary (so don't be fooled by the bar cart set up in the main lobby)..."would you like a cup of tea, a cocktail or a glass of champagne perhaps?" turned into $42 for two glasses of champagne. They were very aggressively asking us where we planned to eat for dinner that night (we were planning to dine there on the next evening but not for both nights)...it was almost as if they were recruiting for dinner or something. And when I booked the room I was told breakfast was included...well, they didn't clarify that it is continental breakfast that is included...anything else is an additional charge. OK, I'm over it, but they also told me when I booked the room that the weekend of 9/30 is peak foliage in the Berkshires...it isn't. It is almost as green as summer....lastly, the decor in the cottage we stayed in was worn and tired...faded chintz curtains (wasn't chintz popular in the early 90's?), and the bathroom had unattractive floral and swag wallpaper, and the carpets were flat and worn down...and I could hear a little woodland animal of some kind trying to chew it's way into our wall when I was eating breakfast (for $850 a night, it would be nice if they checked for critters periodically). This is a lovely OLD hotel, on gorgeous sprawling property and close to everything but as I said, Relais & Chateau is supposed to be the best of the best....they need to "tweak" things a little to get back to where they should be....

Spent a weekend in September in the Springlawn suite in the carriage house. We had a lovely little balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds and the pool (which was empty on this mid-Sept weekend). The nice touches abounded - a cozy sitting room with a throw to cuddle in, cheese/cracker platter, water bottles on arrival, an offer to park our car for us, Kiehl's toiletries, great magazine selection.
The spa is, indeed, quite cozy - the jacuzzi/small pool was wonderful and although we forgot to look for the Dove bars we did indulge in the cranberry/nut selection as well as the delivery of ice water right into the pool.
When we got back to the room after dinner it had the chocolate on the pillow but a few odds and ends were still strewn on the living room floor and the balcony was not tidied up.
We also stopped by the music room to have a cappucino (on the house) accompanied by petit fours and chocolates.
Continental breakfast was delivered prompty and beautifully but, despite our Do Not Disturb sign, we still got a bang on the door to have the tray cleared an hour later.
Overall, a wonderful experience with a few very minor glitches (then, again, the night was over $660 with all the taxes and gratuities)

With the addition of an elegant new spa, including a beautiful solarium with an indoor hot-tub (more like a small, tranquil pool), and a large new outdoor swimming pool, the Blantyre is more appealing than ever. We were initially disappointed to get only one night in the main house (the Toile room, with the alcove for the bed, is our favorite). But two nights in the carriage house were equally enjoyable, thanks to the new addition, which enabled us to pad down the hall in our robes, and lounge both indoors and out. And despite joining the fitness/spa craze, the Blantyre still keeps dove bars available in the fitness area for guests. The only downside is that it is hard to leave the property to enjoy all that the Berkshires has to offer.