See all properties

Bee and Thistle Inn

3.5 star property

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for Bee and Thistle Inn

Front of property
Exterior
Room Five
Interior
Front of property – evening/night

Reviews

8.8 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Spa
  • Breakfast included
  • Room service
  • Bar
  • Housekeeping
  • Free WiFi

Explore the area

Map
100 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT, 06371
  • Florence Griswold Museum
    ‪1 min walk‬
  • Goose Island
    ‪5 min drive‬
  • Essex Steam Train
    ‪8 min drive‬
  • New Haven, CT (HVN-Tweed - New Haven Regional)
    ‪41 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Room Eleven

Room Eleven

Room Eleven

  • 17 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room One

Premium bedding, individually decorated, individually furnished

Room One

  • 26 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room Two

Room Two

Room Two

  • 30 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Room Seven

  • 12 sq m
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Room Three

Room Three

Room Three

  • 31 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Room Five

Room Five

Room Five

  • 18 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room Eight

Room Eight

Room Eight

  • 24 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room Nine

Room Nine

Room Nine

  • 20 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room Ten

Room Ten | Living area

Room Ten

  • 23 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room Four

Room Four

Room Four

  • 18 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Similar properties

Exterior

The Answer - Charming, Unique, Tidal, Riverfront Escape - Kayaks, AC Firepit

  • Kitchen
  • Free WiFi
  • Air conditioning
  • Outdoor space
5.0 out of 5, Exceptional, (1)
The price is €562
for 1 cottage
includes taxes & fees
2 Jul - 3 Jul
The Answer - Charming, Unique, Tidal, Riverfront Escape - Kayaks, AC Firepit

About this property

Bee and Thistle Inn

Georgian 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 bottled water and complimentary toiletries. Each accommodation is individually furnished and decorated. Beds feature premium bedding. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily.
Guests can pamper themselves by indulging in the onsite 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 like 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 by foot from Old Lyme Historical Society
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 free full breakfast daily from 8 AM to 9:30 AM.
The Chestnut Grille - Overlooking the garden, this fine-dining restaurant specializes in American cuisine and serves dinner only. 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

More

  • 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

More

  • 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.
  • Cribs (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 at the property.

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

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 55 out of 87 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 18 out of 87 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 87 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 4 out of 87 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 87 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

4.6/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
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

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2021

2/10 Terrible

Dean

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
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

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

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
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

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2014

10/10 Excellent

Bill

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Guillermo, USA / France

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

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

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2018

10/10 Excellent

Kim, Suffield, CT

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

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

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

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

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unique place. Great outdoors
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

10/10 Excellent

Bridget

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

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

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

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

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

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

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