The Inn at Vineyard Lane

We stayed and the Vineyard for our anniversary. It is a nice place. It is in a quite wooded area just up from the ferry. It took us 10 minutes to walk to it and just about the same into town. They don’t serve breakfast anymore so it is not a bed and breakfast, just bed.
The room was nice and comfortable. We had a gas fire place in our room. There is a fridge, tea kettle and coffee maker in the room.
There is a patio and a «social area» in the center of the complex if you want to sit and enjoy a beverage.

I stayed here for two nights with my boyfriend while we were in town for a wedding. There were several weddings that weekend and the burch room at the Inn at Vineyard Lane was the only available room we could find. It was out of our price range but we made it work and were really exited to stay there. When we first got there is seemed really nice but when we got to our room it was significantly smaller than i thought, there was no lock on the door, and the bed was very near the door. The bathroom was a medium size and nothing special. About an hour after we checked in a lady knocked and 10 seconds later came into the room not giving us a chance to get to the door. The next day we got woken up by two calls telling us we needed the breakfast they prepaired. When we were getting ready someone again barged in to put «fresher flowers» into the room, and right before we left yet another person came in to ask me several questions about housekeeping. The service was very intrusive, there was no A/​C, the room was small, and the windows were 30 ft away from condos were people were living. Not at all worth $ 200 a night.

Today I have the worst experience with a bed and breakfast inn in my life. This inn doesn’t have a reception. About 30 min before we checked in, I got an email from them with «self check in» instructions. Also, in that same email, they told me the breakfast room would hold an event the next day and they would bring our breakfast to our room. Guess what, the breakfast is pitifully basic. Two bananas, one orange and two bowls of cheap cereal. The culture of the inn is very unhelpful and callous. Image a guest who doesn’t’ t have a way to check email or messages! He or she will be utterly miserable. This experience, to me, is H E L L !

Unfortunately we were there on a night the «inn» was unstaffed. Thus, the «gourmet» breakfast was only hard boiled eggs, granola, and yogurt. Additionally we had a hard time finding the «path» as the directions were poor and there was no signage or lighting. It was uncomfortable walking back in the dark after dinner. The room was fine, modern/​clean, but it was sparse, had a small TV with no cable and was dark and quite warm. The «inn» is actually a few rooms in a large condo complex so it was a bit unusual. This all would have been acceptable had the price not been so high for what it was. They should offer discounted prices perhaps for nights when it is unstaffed.

The Inn is very much hidden yet close to downtown. If you walk over from the ferry, you’ll have to find a dirt path in a residential neighborhood with no signs… and the path has no lights so I wouldn’t want to walk back from downtown once it gets dark. They have a few parking spaces reserved for guests. If you do come without a car, you may need to take a taxi, especially on Sundays when the buses don’t run.
The setting is rather unusual. The Inn consists of four rooms and it’s in the middle of a condo complex. The landscaping and setting (surrounded by trees) are lovely. You don’t check in or check out with a person and it took us awhile to figure out how to open the door.
The room felt very private and peaceful. The king size bed in the Dogwood Room ($ 179) had this super soft pillowtop… I didn’t want to get out of bed. The décor was tasteful, new looking, contemporary in muted tones.
We found a plate of chocolate chip cookies in the room, tea, and a fireplace. Towels and robes were nice and soft. Amenities included free wi-​fi, TV, mini fridge, and toiletries.
Breakfast is included and it was a lovely meal: freshly cooked strata, delicious sausage links, fresh fruit, orange juice and coffee. We met the friendly Innkeeper who gave us many suggestions for our stay on the Island.

My wife and I were looking for a weekend get-​away to celebrate our 33 wedding anniversary that would be quick and easy to reach from Seattle. I found this «Inn» on Unilocal (but no reviews). A quick look at it’s website and I decided to make reservations.
First, some things you need to know about it:
1) It’s located in a very tasteful, new planned community of townhomes, condos, and houses on Bainbridge Island, so it’s not all by itself out in the woods, though the community itself is surrounded by woods and ravines and the setting is quite nice — nice landscaping, nice gardens, waterfalls running through the site and past the outdoor deck of the B&B. I suspect all the rooms are nice, but «Dogwood» looks like it would have the best outlook.
2) It’s not your typical «historical» house with doily overload. It’s very nice contemporary NW architecture — which was a big plus to me (I’m an architect).
Now, with those two things out of the way, if you go knowing those two things, I think you will really enjoy it. Nice architecture, nice furnishings, interesting setting, great breakfast in a beautiful large, open dining space looking out at the gardens and creek.
And, best of all, you can get there easily without a car! My wife and I took a bus from our home to the ferry dock, took the ferry across to Bainbridge, and walked the pleasant one third mile to the Inn (be sure to ask about the trail to the inn — preferable to the road route). We unpacked and enjoyed a leisurely walk back into town for an early supper and then a walk along the shoreline trail after dinner. The town offers lots of good restaurant choices, nice walking, and nice views. A car-​free weekend!