Cottage Grove Inn 1711 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga, CA 94515

"My husband and I experience the WORST stay of our lives here. What’s worse is the owners’ refusal to make anything right. Soon after we arrived and were hoping to relax next to the fire, a noxious odor began to infiltrate the cottage. We contacted the innkeeper, who came in and immediately agreed that there was a bad odor coming from the fireplace. She suggested changing to another cottage, which emitted the same noxious odor as the first cottage we were staying in. She said the fireplaces had recently been serviced. We think some harsh chemical was used to clean or service them. The innkeeper suggested that we spend our vacation time finding a cottage that didn’t have a smell, while she attended to other things. That should have been her responsibility. We ended up having leave the windows open all night along in December! We contacted the inn after our stay and they said they acknowledged that there was a foul smelling odor, but said “It's our sincere hope that our offer of a different cottage and the complementary wine will demonstrate our dedication to ensuring your future experiences with us are delightful and stress-free, in line with the visits you've had in the past.” They offered us a cheap bottle of wine to compensate for a cold, stressful, toxic night. The offer for a “different cottage” was no offer at all: we tried another cottage and it was just as foul smelling due to the fireplaces being serviced. And the innkeeper did not assist us with finding another cottage because she was too busy. This place used to be beloved to us. This experience has caused us to do further research in the Cottage Grove Inn business to see if we were not the only ones who has experienced this. We read reviews on various sites. Several guests have left negative reviews recently. Some of these complaints are very alarming, such as non-compliance with ADA rules, faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that required a 911 call and a visit from the fire department, fraudulent credit card charges, poor management, customers feeling they were treated rudely by the manager, and an extreme decline in quality in the last year, charging more and offering less. It appears this business has undergone a change in ownership in the last few years, being purchased from its longtime owners. As returning and longtime customers, we (myself and my husband) feel that we have been disrespected and treated poorly. We hoped that we would be treated with more respect with an offer for a resolution due to this incident. We are reporting this Inn and its owners to the Department of Consumer Affairs and the California Department of Public Health. For your own health and well-being, we advise to stay away from Cottage Grove Inn."

"My husband and I stayed here recently and we loved it. Our cottage was very sweet - when we arrived, our loaner bikes were out front (sadly it was raining and we didn't get to use them) and we had a personalized postcard greeting us when we got inside the room. The king bed was very comfortable and we enjoyed having a fireplace. One thing we liked the most about staying here was that Calistoga is very charming and walkable. We enjoyed strolling through cute shops and eating pizza at the farmers market. We were in town for a wine-tasting event and Cottage Grove Inn was close enough for us to walk there. Our cottage felt very quiet and private - we will definitely stay there again. I didn't give the room a higher rating, because I think the rooms could use some updates. The bathroom needed a little TLC and the decor looked a bit tired. Our bed was very comfortable though and the room was cozy."

"Charming place & location, but interior rooms are in severe need of major upgrades, including mattress, sitting chairs, light fixtures, bathroom and overall decor. I had this place saved for 12 years checking back here and there to make sure reviews were still solid before we finally could make the trip. Somehow the online reviews are not reflective of the conditions. It is my understanding it is under new ownership. We visited for 6 nights and did not sleep well at all. The bed was sagging on both sides, breakfast was cold pound cake next to a tip bowl and there was no evening wine & cheese. Full breakfast and the evening reception were big selling points in the value add of this place and we did not experience either. I want to be transparent with others regarding our experience so they can plan accordingly. We did share the feedback with the Inn, so I hope that they make the necessary changes for the next generation of visitors."

"Very disappointing at $400+ a night for multiple nights. Stayed multiple times years prior with free full breakfast and wine & cheese in the evening. Now the breakfast is what looks like Costco mini muffins (which were cold), juice from concentrate and coffee. No more wine and cheese in the evening. Presumably as a cost saving measure, they no longer offer the coffee from the nearby coffee roaster. Coffee wasn’t as good as before. I was informed by staff that there’s a new owner (charges more but delivers much less). Good luck getting extra towels. Also the room was very tired and dated. It looked like it had not been decorated since the 1990’s. Frumpy faded and dated fabrics galore including a fabric covered headboard. Sink fixtures were worn out. I expected much better for $400 a night."

"Very cute- perfect location. The staff was very nice! The beds and pillows were comfortable and the fireplace was fantastic. We stayed for two nights and also have a great place to keep clothes or toiletries. If you’re staying for a shorter time then you’ll have no issues. Cottage Grove Inn was very clean as well!!"