The Henderson Castle, Michigan, United States

3Jim T 5:00 PM Nov 21, 2022

Don't stay here in winter
First, let me focus on what was good about my stay. We arrived at 3PM on a day when an unseasonal 10" snowfall was coming down and found the entire staff helpful and friendly. In the morning one staffer actually went out and shoveled the snow from around my car so we could get out. The entire place was clean and well maintaned, and we loved hearing about the history. Considered the second most haunted place in Michigan we may have even had a visit from "The Lady in White" during the night when we found our bathroom light on in the morning even though we are positive it was off when we went to sleep. However, even though I twice emailed about dinner reservations at the Chop House on premises I got no reply and when I asked at check-in about it I was told they didn't take dinner reservations on nights (like this one) when the were hosting a murder mystery dinner. The helpful desk clerk said due to the weather she wasn't going to make us leave to eat, and made arrangements for us to participate in the murder mystery. It was OK, but the menu was far short of what we could have ordered on our own, and since other participants were in costume (mystery was set in the 1920's) we really didn't fit in. This could have been avoided if someone had answered the emails. The biggest problem, however, was the temperature in our room. Although ours (The French Room) was described by our tour guide as their warmest (apparently the marble floors used to be heated), the only time we were warm was in bed beneath the extra blankets the staff fetched us. There were three large, 125 year old, windows that leaked cold air, and a marble floor that radiated that cold. After check-in we had three hours to kill before dinner. We located a movie on Amazon Prime and settled in to watch it on the tiny TV provided. It wasn't long until we put on our winter coats, but by dinner time I was actually shivering from cold. We do't know the exact termperature, but we do know it below 60 degrees. There is no central heat in this Castle, and the small electric heater they provided was entirely inadequate. When the staff brought in a second and let it run during dinner we were hopeful it would take the chill off by bedtime, but it make no discernable difference. I was disappointed by the breakfast. Any other B&B where I have stayed fed us very well. Here I got a bowl of cereai and a little fruit. Anything more substantial was at a healthy additional charge. Your local chain motel provides a better one. My advice: don't stay here in winter unless you get one of rooms with heated marble floors. Another couple remarked to us their room was also cold, but tolerable. However, they didn't have any windows. Since there is no central air conditioning either, I suspect the same problem in reverse in the summer. The Castle is an interesting place, but I think you could be a lot more comfortable for a lot less money somewhere else.

2Van64 5:00 PM Apr 18, 2022

Less that expected
Went there for Easter brunch with my daughter. While the place is very charming couldn't help but notice all the water spots on the glasses and silverware. For the most part, the food was just good not great with the exception of the chocolate mousse which was awful. For a pricey Easter brunch such as this, you would think they could have done better. Also we couldn't believe that coffee was not included in the price. In addition, service started out being good but we were never able to get our water refilled by the server who was refilling water. She served everyone else but us. Overall I would not recommend. There are better places to go especially given how expensive it is.