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Inn At St John

4 star rating
based on 8 reviews

Categories: Hotels, Bed & Breakfast  [Edit]

939 Congress St
Portland, ME 04102
(207) 773-6481
Price Range:
$$
Special Offer Nearby

Brewster House Bed & Breakfast

Category:
Bed & Breakfast
Location:
Freeport, ME
Special for Yelpers

Stay two consecutive nights before December 31 and the second night is 20% off. Mention coupon code YLP20 when booking.

8 reviews for Inn At St John

Sort by: Yelp Sort | Date | Rating | Elites'
Photo of pete k.

Elite '09

15

102

pete k.

Newton, MA

4 star rating
9/18/2008

Solid 4 stars! As a nice, dog friendly in, its hard to beat. It has a very old fashioned feel to it - not just from the decor, but the actual architecture. As someone mentions, the staircases are a tad windy! Tough when you are navigating with a dog crate.

Service was great, amazingly someone is available at the desk 24 hours a day (at an Inn? unheard of). Rooms were very well appointed, certainly for the price. Beds were very comfortable, and everything appeared to be nice and clean. The housekeepers were really nice people as well - very into meeting all the dogs.

My only real issue, and its not their fault, is parking. If you arrive too late, you have to park behind the chinese restaurant next door. The area looks (but probably isn't) a bit shady, so I was not happy to park outside of the private lot. No issues though.

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Photo of Ryan M.

 

1

27

Ryan M.

Santa Monica, CA

3 star rating
9/20/2009

Once I got over the rather maddening fact that seemingly every lodging option in Portland is an antediluvian, victorian-style affair, I came to appreciate the Inn at St. John, for its reasonable prices, good (though not great) location, and clean, pleasant presentation.  Our room was no-frills but perfectly nice, although having to go down the hall to get to our private bathroom proved to be a minor annoyance (spring for the in-room bathroom, if you don't feel like listening for footsteps outside your door to determine whether you can run down to the bathroom in your underwear).   The building itself has its own charm, in a pre-Americans with Disabilities Act kind of way, with steep staircases and a labyrinth of corridors.

All in all, a pleasant, affordable and practical choice for visiting Portland. I recommend.

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Photo of Sogol G.

 

0

29

Sogol G.

Boston College, MA

3 star rating
9/8/2009

I found this place from a bed and breakfast website thinking that is a B&B and we will have a great breakfast. I guess it was my fault trusting the B&B website because we ended up with a continental breakfast that was disappointing.
I liked the interior design of the room. It was homey and cozy. Very close to downtown and they provided parking that was great. The receptionist was polite but not too friendly.
They knew ahead of time that we will be three people in the room but no arrangement was made, which was also disappointing.
All together was not too bad for one night.

Photo of rob s.

 

0

2

rob s.

New Haven, CT

5 star rating
10/3/2009

When we visited Portland, we stayed here and LOVED it! Not only was the room great, but the service was great. We had gone there with http://bedandbreakfast... gift certificates and was told at first that we needed to use them for online booking. We realized our mistake and paid for the room without the GCs. One of the employees (sorry, didn't catch your name!) went completely out of his way to call the company and ask if the Inn at St. John could use the certificates. He eventually got the ok (about a week after our stay!) and refunded our money and honored the gift certificates. You just don't get that kind of service! When we make our way back to Portland, we will definitely be staying here again!

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Photo of Sarah G.

Elite '09

37

201

Sarah G.

Somerville, MA

4 star rating
7/28/2008

This is our favorite place to stay in Portland.  Crazy amounts of character, M.C. Escher-esque staircases all over the place, chandeliers in every room etc.  It's all the way on the west end of town which I love, as you don't have to worry about missing anything behind you (there's nothing but a Greyhound station) - just head east.  

We've shown up early a few times and have had no problem with early check-ins.  The one time our room wasn't ready they let us leave our stuff at the front desk while we wandered around the city.  They have a variety of room types and sizes - we've stayed in a two double bed room with a private bath and a variety of rooms with the shared bath in the hallway and all were very nice and comfortable.  

The staff are super friendly.  Last time we were there my husband got into a conversation about baseball with the woman at the front desk while we were checking out.  He mentioned that we had planned to go to a Sea Dogs game but never got around to it.  She called the park, asked if we could get box seats, and gave us a parking pass to stay in their lot even though we had already checked out.  

The rooms are very reasonably priced for what you get.  I can't wait to go back.

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Photo of Angela C.

Elite '09

302

920

Angela C.

Irvine, CA

4 star rating
4/30/2008

This was my first experience at a Bed and Breakfast and it was absolutely adorable!  This B&B is quaint and cozy and a short walking distance to downtown Portland and the pier.

The beds were comfortable and they offer a complimentary breakfast of simple foods such as bagels, coffee, and orange juice.  We had a room with a private bathroom and that was just perfect for two girls.

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Photo of Liz D.

Elite '09

203

388

Liz D.

Boston, MA

4 star rating
2/5/2008

"If adventures do not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad."

I don't think Jane Austen was talking about a Boston to Maine road trip with a car full of NERD candies
Or maybe she was.

Either way, I had never been to Portland before, and relied on the advice of my friends/yelpers to help guide me as to the best places to stay.

As far as I was concerned, I would be walking on the backs of moose across the rugged terrain wielding a shovel and drinking Poland Springs.

The Inn at St.John came recommended to me by my sweet friend.  The friend-type who bathes with organic soap in the milk of a new mother cow and kisses babies.

So even though I was warned, I was a bit surprised driving up to see smashed windows on nearby shops, graffiti, broken down gas station, and a man who fell asleep standing up in the middle of the road.

Maybe I got the name wrong?

As we got closer, I realized that this really was a quaint and old-fashioned Victorian B+B.  The lobby featured velvet chairs, oriental patterned rugs, a fireplace, grandfather clock, and several of those paintings featuring dignitaries in powdered wigs.  

I wish I had brought my EVP device, I bet this place is haunted! Not by anyone scary though..probably just a Louisa May Alcott spector who just bumps into you on the way to the bathroom with her cookie tray.  I was surprised they didn't have those paintings with the eyes that follow you (MINUS ONE STAR.)

We had booked the room that day(decent prices) and eagerly bounded up the two flights to our room.  I was pleasantly surprised!  A hugeee room with a dresser, TV, mini fridge, window seating, radio, king sized bed, and in room bathroom.

First order of business?

Jump on bed.

The room also featured a chandelier and the floral wallpaper when reflected in the mirror looked almost like The Garden State wallpaper when he blends into the scene with his shirt.  Really cozy, clean, and bright.

We wasted no time and went back downstairs to talk with the receptionist who was extremely helpful in color coding a tourist map for us of eateries and bars in the area.  I usually trust the gays, but he had recommended two restaurants owned by the same person which suspiciously made me feel like they had some arrangement.

Just an FYI, the B+B is a bit outside the downtown so it equates to a ~$10 cab ride or a 1mi walk.  You don't need heels anyway since everyone is frumpy :x

He also gave us good advice on taxi cabs in Portland which I will share with you:

-hailing cabs is illegal
-elite cabs is a reliable service : (207) 871-7274
-you can pick a cab up from a cab stand
-its best to call ahead with a time of pick up(ie:"come in 20 minutes") as opposed to an open ended request, as the actual time sensitive requests get priority.
-bars close at 1, but they set their clocks 10 minutes ahead...so call a cab early.

In the morning the hotel includes a complimentary Continental breakfast which included OJ, tea, bagels, english muffins, otis spunkmeir(?!)double chocolate muffins, and other assorted carbs.  

Cookies and tea are left out until 11pm

And if you ask nicely, maybe they will tuck you in and read you a bedtime story ;_;

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Photo of Karen B.

 

4

26

Karen B.

Buda, TX

5 star rating
11/4/2008

We only stayed one night but recieved excellent customer service.  The room was clean and beautiful (Although I am not much for victorian).  The place was better than the pictures, the price was unbelievable, and the amenities were above and beyond.  We usually stay at the Hilton and I believe this stay was better. Great location.  I cannot say one bad thing our stay (okay, so I did not like the color combination of the towels).  We did not have a car so i cannot comment on the parking and we stayed on the first floor so I am unfamilier with the stairs.  I say- stay the night here.

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