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October 2023 by Q
My wife and I took our honeymoon here in their rocky broad cabin. This place was amazing. Staff was excellent and over the top accommodating. Food was delicious. The cabin is right off the main road, however you wouldn't realize it. Having the river right in your back yard was beautiful.
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October 2023 by Jaime Beaulieu
Closed for renovation.
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June 2023 by Wendy R
Just visited for dinner only. What a beautiful place. The rustic wood brought the outside inside. There were tables lining the windows to view the magical gardens and property. The restaurant was really nice. The creepy wood floor was nice and added to the ambiance. Will have to rent a room and explore the beautiful grounds soon. Will be back!
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February 2023 by Helen “Annie” Champagne
MY husband and I stayed here during a wedding weekend, in 2020. We loved the game room and hot tub and the overall vibe of the place.
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December 2022 by Christina Hinnant
My husband had reserved our dinner reservations a few nights ahead of our kidless weekend. He was very excited to surprise me with this trip. When we showed for our dinner we were early so we waited which was what we were expecting we wanted to look around anyways to see if we wanted to stay at their inn next time we come. The guy upfront where you walk in at the inn was very sweet so we thought our experience was going to be great. Once we got into the restaurant short haired brown headed mid aged girl was our waitress. We love places that have outgoing waiters/waitresses but she was far from that. She acted like it was a problem that we would even ask questions about appetizers or meals since we had never been there before. She made us feel very rushed. Didn’t act like she even cared. we tried to make conversation when she would come to the table and she wasn’t having it. But she definitely had no problems making conversations with the people beside us that were buying bottles of wine and other things to take home. She never even filled my drink until I asked for it to be. We sat there waiting because she was out of sight for a while. When I asked for a side of potatoes to buy because our plates barely had any potatoes it was a tablespoon size that had been spread out. She told me that she couldn’t sell us the side because before we got there the cook had informed her they were almost out and didn’t know if they had enough for the last 3 tables after us. Explains why we barely had any potatoes. I was already upset and disappointed then the potato issue happened. My husband asked for more bread never got it. At the end we had to finally had to waive her down because she still had not been to our table for a bit again just to ask for dessert. It’s really sad that the customer service was so bad because the food was really good. But when someone pays as much as we was for steaks we should have had the correct portions even if they we’re running out of potatoes. You can’t short people. The waitress just did not have a positive attitude. Which ruined the food experience. She could have got a 30% tip which would have been 50.00 dollars. We shouldn’t have left anything but we are not that way. The other waitress who was older that was walking around cutting up with her guest and just all around wonderful personality needs to train that lady. I wish we would have been lucky enough to have her instead. Unfortunately i do not know if we will try again or recommend to our family and friends. I hate that because we are always looking for great places to travel and eat at. THE ONLY REASON I AM GIVING 2 STARS INSTEAD OF 1 STAR IS BECAUSE OF THE GOOD TASTING STEAK. BUT WAITRESS RUINED THE OUR EXPERIENCE. I also left a survey that I filled out the same night with all of this information with our phone number that was left on our table. but I guess the owners didn’t care about reaching out and apologizing.
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November 2022 by Ch D
The place is just wonderful starting when you first walk into the building. There's history and fun just in the lobby! Once getting the dinner, you'll first notice how wonderfully plated the dinner is and how wonderful it tastes. The sea bass is. to. die. for. All in all I can see why the restaurant stays busy.
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November 2022 by Matt Cobb
Awesome views from our cabin. The staff was friendly and attentive. The restaurant had terrific food and wasn't terribly priced. The cabin had some design quirks such as no shower door, only one shower head in a shower of its size, as well as not having have a tankless water heater so you only get about 20 minutes of hot water. Some of the fixtures were loose in the bathroom and room proper. But overall an enjoyable experience and would definitely stay again.
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November 2022 by Michelle Habbard
Be absolutely sure you can make your travel dates. There is no rescheduling or refunds within a 10 day window. I guess they have never experienced life. $1400 donation to The Esmeralda due to unforeseen circumstances. Will not book again.
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October 2022 by LordOfTheDance1776
Back for our 8th year at our home away from home. Chris at the front desk was a particularly bright spot during our stay. Chris felt more like a really helpful friend than just another employee of the inn. We always tend to feel at home here, but cannot overstate how much more comfortable that Chris made our stay. Our room was nice (as usual), and everything was/felt extremely clean. We stayed on the second floor this year as opposed to the top floor. The difference is that you have porch access on the two second floor rooms. We stayed in the room facing the parking lot from the porch (room 1) and I would recommend specifically booking/requesting the room that overlooks Chimney Rock (room 2). Breakfast the next morning was one of the better breakfasts that we have had in our many stays. The muffins are always good, and this year was no exception. I think the major opportunity for this trip would be the spa. We share some blame in this year’s mishap, but it makes two years in a row that we have tried to enjoy the spa and were unable to.
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October 2022 by Joy Kauffman
I wanted to take the opportunity to discuss our experience at the Esmeralda for our dinner reception following our wedding on 10/20/22. To start, I want to say that some aspects were absolutely amazing; the food was fantastic and the staff was pleasant and attentive. However, there were also some details that were extremely disappointing. When we arrived we were ushered upstairs as expected and everyone was able to get drinks, but there was no information or direction on what to expect. We stood around uncertainly with no idea how long we had before proceeding to dinner. Once we finally were herded into the banquet room, we were discouraged to find four separate tables instead of a long table. This completely separated our party and made it very difficult to talk to our guests. When the food finally came out, only one table was served at a time. At first, this was fine. As the bride, I had intended to get up and walk around the tables as people were eating so I could interact and intermingle with our guests. However, not only were the groom and I served LAST, it took 45 min to get our food after the first table. If I had known we weren't getting our food for 45 min, I would have walked around while we were waiting. Once we were finished eating dessert, I got up to use the restroom. When I returned, my cheesecake was gone and the staff was clearing away the tables, and a staff member came up and told us we had to leave. I had to rush around trying to say goodbye to our guests because I had no opportunity to do so earlier. We were pushed out of the restaurant 15 min after we finished eating.For our review we would give the food and staff 5 stars. However, the event was very poorly managed and for the amount of money we spent at the restaurant (about $3000 for 20 guests), we expected more. The organization and orchestration was terrible and extremely disappointing. We gave the restaurant management an opportunity to respond to our concerns but they blew us off, giving excuses like they were short staffed and we should have hired an event coordinator, and took zero responsibility for their mistakes.The setting is beautiful and the food was good, but I would seriously consider looking elsewhere for your special event.
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October 2022 by VATraveller2006
I really thought that the $450/night price tag would bring some country charm with it. It did not. The room looked like it housed a suicidal monk. Not only was it the size of a shoebox, the colors were dark and depressing. There wasn’t even a door to the bathroom. I repeat. THE BATHROOM HAD NO DOOR. Plus, there was no conditioner in the bathroom to counter the effects of the rust coining from the shower head. I think they got the price wrong by at least one zero. To add insult to injury, they left an ominous Traveler's Prayer in the bed. The ultimate irony is that they said they are NOT a money making institution. Neither Christ nor I believe them.
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October 2022 by Holly Carver
OMG! We feel like we discovered a treasure! But it’s been here since 1891! Looking for a place for breakfast on the way from Lake Lure to Black Mountain. Esmeralda’s Inn is amazing!!! This was so much more than breakfast - it was an experience!!
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September 2022 by John M.
one of the fancier places in lake lure area came recommended in a beautiful inn with a beautiful staircase and beautiful fire as you walk in we have dinner in sept we started with the eggplant and burrata it was very good cooked perfectly . big enough to share the spinach and artichoke dip was very good this was fresh and the artichoke and spinach were perfect with wonderful chips. for dinner we had the shrimp special which was flavorful with a lot of shrimp and veggies . the filet was seasoned perfectly with a wonderful sauce and perfectly cooked potatoes. for desert we had a blueberry pecan crumble with vanilla ice cream it was too good ! overall the price was in line with the quality of food. the room and view of fountain in front was lovely. the wine list was impressive
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September 2022 by MN667
Our stay at the Inn was wonderful. I could feel my blood pressure dropping as we drove in to the parking lot. The Inn is very warm - lots of wood and log cabin-esque features. The grounds are small but stunning - beautiful fountains and sweet rock walks dipping into the adjacent mountain face. The windows in our rooms opened to the cool mountain air and had a BOSE speaker/music device. We enjoyed the breakfast each morning and the ample hot tub basin every evening. Finally, my friend and I each splurged on a two-hour massage and reflexology session. It was literally one of the best body work sessions of my life. The Inn's only drawback in my opinion? You have to get in your car to travel downtown safely, just a mile down the road.
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September 2022 by Katybai
What a great little get away from the Florida heat we had at The Esmeralda! Beautiful views from the top front porch rocking chairs. Great place to drink my coffee every morning in my cozy robe that was provided. Super comfortable beds besides that the rooms weren’t too impressive but the lobby, fireplace porches, spa and restaurant made it worth the stay for sure! Had an amazing massage by Cheyanne who was able to get me booked last minute (thank you) and Chris at the front desk was extremely helpful and kind. Also just fun to talk too! Our breakfast our first night was the best shrimp and grits I ever had and dinner portions are large and the drinks were lovely! Thank you for a great getaway. Highly recommend traveling here in September as we had the inn almost to ourselves the entire time. Thanks from your Florida Keys friends!