Luxurious and historical stay in a beautifully restored mansion dating all the way back to 1878. All of this can be found in Prince Edward County's own Merrill House. With a focus on providing exceptional service and personalized touches, Merrill House Hotel offers guests the ultimate stay in comfort while enjoying charming historic setting.
Location
As locations go, Merrill is found on Picton Main Street, meaning that guests are just a short walk away from museums, top restaurants, antique shops, galleries, and theaters. Since you are slightly off the main strip, everything is easily accessible, but you aren't necessarily hearing the hustle and bustle of the other tourists through your windows.
We love the location of Merrill because most of the time we visit PEC, we do a series of wine tours. Driving after the wine tours is not an option. Being walking distance to key stores and restaurants allows us to truly enjoy ourselves on our trips, worry-free.
Check-in Experience & First Impressions
Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendly receptionist who gave a bit of background about the grounds and related facilities. Complimentary pillow scenting services were also offered as part of the turn-down service – which we thought was a lovely touch. The receptionist also lit an indoor fire in the main sitting area in case we wanted to spend some time lounging in the main area after we got settled in. Additional items, such as extra slippers, were swiftly provided to us on request.
Overall, the staff at the front desk were extremely friendly and happy to answer questions or make us feel at home. They were also happy to help move our luggage from the car to the room if needed. Do note that given this building's age – there are no elevators. If you're worried about accessibility, contact the hotel in advance and ensure you book a ground-floor room.
What amazed us the most about the property was the beauty of the interior. The Merrill common areas feature a wide variety of items such as crystals, plants, and historical artifacts that tell us a bit about the age of the property and its prior owners. However, this is done in a beautiful way with the property being full of colour and unique art pieces. Every nook and cranny of the property has a fun surprise for you. Given the beauty of the space, it is no wonder that many people choose to enjoy an afternoon tea or read a book in the common area of the property before venturing off into town.
The Rooms
The Merrill House has fourteen rooms, each with a unique style and theme. We stayed in two rooms – The Prince Edward Room and the Lithograph Gallery room. However, there are plenty of other options, such as the Parisian Room, the Velvet Room, and most notably, the Tower Suite, which features a marble Jacuzzi Chamber.
Overall, both rooms we've stayed at are a comfortable size. The bed is quite nice and soft, and the rooms overall are quite clean. The rooms are also furnished with fine antiques and artifacts, reminding you of the hotel's long history. The Prince Edward Room in particular featured booklets that speak further to the history of the building, detailing what it looked like when it was built in 1878 and the role of its original owners in history.
The bathroom in the rooms is very modern, featuring great upgrades such as a Dyson hair dryer, a heated towel rack, and a multi-model shower. However, one item worth pointing out is that there is very little counter space in the bathroom, so if you're looking to lay out your makeup and do the full glam, that may be hard. After all, the property was built in 1878, so square footage plays into consideration for things such as counter space.
Each of the rooms does feature coffee and tea amenities. All the rooms also have complimentary Perrier water and candy. The water was a bit of a situation for us as Daria doesn't actually drink sparkling water, so we ventured out to a local grocery store for some water bottles. Considering most guests tend to stay in the area to enjoy the surrounding wineries, this may be a good point for property management to note.
On the flip side, the rooms come equipped with items such as a variety of robes and slippers. The fact that various robes are provided – indoor silk robes versus plush robes for venturing outdoors to the sauna, was a lovely and thoughtful touch. Another great surprise for us was that each room features a Smart TV connected to cable, Netflix, and Amazon Prime video. During our last stay at Merrill, the latest season of Netflix's You had just come out, so this feature was critical!
A few cons to mention with the rooms: the Wifi is a bit spotty, and there are no safes in the rooms. However, you're informed of this by the receptionist upon check-in.
Facilities & Experiences
The Merrill House has a number of great facilities to offer, including outdoor fireplaces and a barrel sauna. We took advantage of the outdoor firepit during one of our stays. It made for a beautiful evening to sit outdoors, sip on wine, and enjoy the fire. One-hour private sauna sessions (found behind the outdoor firepit) are also complimentary and can be booked at the reception desk.
Our understanding is that additional services and excursions can be booked through reception. For example, a wine-tasting course, private yoga classes, and private picnics are available seasonally. However, we have not taken advantage of these during our prior stays.
One item worth noting is that there are no telephones in the rooms. This means that if you need the receptionist or another staff's assistance, you have to either walk out to the receptionist or contact them via your phone. We didn't mind this as our room was only a few steps away from the reception. However, we understand that someone staying on the upper floors may find this a bit inconvenient.
Dining
Breakfast:
For breakfast, you have the option of having it brought over to your room, eating it in the seating space by the fireplace, or enjoying it in the wine cellar/dining room. We ventured out to the cellar for our breakfast and really appreciated the formal atmosphere of the space. If you choose to have the Merrill Breakfast added on to your stay, breakfast includes orange juice, croissants, a choice of tea and coffee (including French press coffee), and finally, a hot meal of your choice. Daria went for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry compote and could not get enough of them. The pancakes were extremely fluffy and light, and had an amazing subtle sweetness with a delicate lemon flavour. These pancakes were plate size – and there was three of them! Daria definitely thought she wouldn’t be able to finish them but they were just so delicious they very quickly disappeared off the plate. We also tried the smashed avocado on house-made sourdough with poached eggs. Unfortunately, the egg wasn’t the perfectly runny texture we expected or requested – however the meal itself was still delicious.
Dinner:
During one of our stays, we did enjoy a three-course meal (with wine pairing) at Merrill House Hotel. Overall we found the food to be quite good & definitely elevated (I mean – how often do you see Pithier or Puttanesca on a menu?). In terms of some of our favourite parts of the meal – we would highly recommend the roasted rack of lamb as well as ice cream-filled profiteroles.
Her Take:
Overall, I really enjoy Merrill House and have even purchased a gift card for my parents to stay here next time they are in PEC. Although on the pricier side, the Merrill House is a beautifully decorated property with a lot of character. If you're looking for classic hotel rooms – Merrill House isn't your place. But this is the place for you if you want a bit of personality and wish to appreciate unique paintings, antiques, and books. Yes, there are a few takeaway points that Merrill could work on to make the experience for its guests even better (e.g., still water bottles) – however, all of these are small and something I can't ding the hotel too much on especially considering its status as a boutique hotel.
A big win with Merrill House is also the impeccable dining and breakfast experience. However, for those, you'll have to wait and see our Plates of Prince Edward County post.
His Take:
Overall, Merrill house is a unique hotel in a great location. The individuality of the rooms adds a lot of personality and character to the hotel, and there is something special about staying at a property with this much history. However, the property is a bit on the pricier side & you definitely have to go into it understanding that this is a remodeled Victorian home. Certain luxuries, such as telephones connecting you to 24/7 concierges or large counter spaces, do have to be sacrificed for the historical aspect of the stay.
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