I have never felt so unwelcome at a hotel. I booked a room at the Greyfield inn last minute as a splurge after camping with my family on Cumberland island the night before. I was also planning a larger trip to celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday and wanted to see if the Greyfield would be a good location for it. Because I had been camping, I arrived at the inn on foot instead of the typical ferry and I got there a few hours later than the other guests who had arrived that day. When I got there, the staff seemed very put upon when I told them I was trying to check in. I found myself apologetically asking someone if they could show me where my room was. She did less than the bare minimum in terms of making me feel welcome. Nobody smiled, nobody offered any information about how things worked, in terms of meals, drinks, activities. I asked if my husband could join me for a drink before dinner- the bar is self-serve and pay per drink, so I didn’t see why it would be a problem, I got conflicting answers. The staff members said they would let me know and then never followed up with me.

Not relishing sitting around during cocktail hour alone, I told my husband to join me but warned him that the staff was weirdly unfriendly. Sure enough, just as we had made our drinks out of their surprisingly poorly stocked bar, someone came up to my husband and told him very rudely that out of respect for the other guests’ privacy, he was not allowed to stay. As one of said guests, who was paying $800 for my room, and had just paid for his drink, I found their complete lack of accommodation on a relatively minor request to be quite appalling.
The food, which I had heard such rave reviews about was fine, but not innovative or anything particularly special. The service again was poor. The server asked what I wanted to drink and I had to request a wine menu. After she brought my drink she did not check back on me again until well into the meal.
Breakfast was standard bacon, eggs, pancakes. For the price, and hype, I had expected more. They also didn’t serve it until 8:30 and if you wanted something before then, you were stuck with toasting your own English muffin.
I had to check out earlier than the typical time to help my family load up camping gear. When I went to find someone for check out, I was told that I would have to wait 15 minutes to do so. When I told them I actually didn’t have 15 minutes to wait since I had to help my family load tents and get to the ferry, they again acted put out and handed me a bill. Who makes a guest wait 15 minutes to check out anyway?
Cumberland island is a beautiful place, and the Greyfield is one of the few places to stay on property without having to camp. Maybe because of this and the fact that gratuity is included in the cost, they have decided they don’t need good customer service. I don’t regret staying there, my bed was comfortable. But I honestly don’t think I have ever been treated so rudely at a hotel, luxury or otherwise. For the type and the price they are charging, I had expected much MUCH more. I will never go back and will look elsewhere for my mom’s 70th. I hear the inn at little St. Simon is nice.

Cumberland Island is the star here - a real star what with the wild horses outnumbering the people. The Inn, the only real lodging on the island, left me with mixed feelings. It certainly was exclusive with prices to match but left me with mixed feelings. The Inn may be a lovely historic structure but small, uncomfortable beds and barely functional baths do intrude on the comfort. Dinner was (all meals included in rate) excellent but note there are no options - everyone gets the same meal served in a noisy dining area. Absolutely nothing special about breakfast or lunch. There is a well stocked honor bar and a reasonable but excessively priced wine list. At times staff hard to find. Islamd touring vehicle is sitting in back of pickup truck. But it is famous.