Blue Shutters Beachside Inn

My friend and I stayed at the Blue Shutters for two nights this past Father’s day weekend and we were extremely pleased. The hospitality and professionalism of the two owners Tony/​Ed and their wives were outstanding. The view from the front common area of the Inn was Extraordinary of Good Harbor beach. The owners were very attentive to answer questions or give hot tips where to go for a great lobster/​clams.
The nightly bonfire hosted by Ed was a major thumbs up from all the guest and the other co-​owner Tony got to sing along with all the friends of the Inn.
A very quaint décor with spacious rooms for comfort. We highly recommend this place.
Bill/​Allison

I just got back from a 4 night trip here and loved my stay. The two major draws to Blue Shutters are the location and the comfort of the inn. The location is kind of insane, it’s a very short walk to the «other end» of Good Harbor Beach by a footbridge and an estuary that kids love to play in. Plus, many of the rooms have ocean views. The inn is clean and really well equipped with things that most B and B’s forget about/don’t care about: free wifi, TV, AC, and a microwave and small fridge for each room. Honestly the fridge/​microwave and AC really made my trip significantly more enjoyable. And they have plenty of beach gear for you to borrow (chairs, boogie boards, nets, sand toys.)
I felt that the owners were just the right amount of friendly and helpful and knew when to leave you alone (unlike what another reviewer said.) The only downside was that they didn’t really give us any warning or notice about when work was being done on the driveway or when they were having an outdoor fire. I suggest they put that on their whiteboard that has the tide times and emergency phone numbers.
The breakfast was nothing super exciting, but perfectly adequate and better than I expected for «continental breakfast.» They had hard boiled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt, bread and english muffins to toast, mini muffins and breakfast cakes that looked like they were from BJ’s or Market Basket, instant oatmeal, decent coffee (I was surprised), tea, and jam/​butter/​milk/​cream. I don’t eat that kind of yogurt and hate breakfast cakes but I had no complaints because everyone else seemed to like it. I have a suggestion for the woman who complained about paying $ 175 for a room and suggested they spend $ 5 per person on breakfast. Stay in a cheaper room (one is $ 135 and one is $ 145) and use the remaining money to buy yourself some local yogurt and artisan granola.
I really loved my ocean view room, so I suggest you try to book one too. Just book early. I booked in March and had plenty of rooms to choose from. And if you don’t mind sleeping in a twin bed, you can get away with paying one of the lowest rates and still get a private bathroom and ocean view (Twin Lights, $ 145, two twin beds)
As of 2014, the in season (summer/​fall) rates are $ 135 – 215 for a room and $ 250 – 300 for an apartment. Winter rates are much lower, but unless you were visiting family or in town for a funeral it beats me why you would want to stay in Gloucester in the winter.

I was lucky enough to stay at the Blue Shutters TWICE this summer in Widow’s Walk. I love everything about The Blue Shutters. From the beachy laidback manner of the owners, the authentic cape décor and by the time we left, all of the guests that came in were new friends.
Fires at night, the closest you can get to the beach without being on it, ample parking — this is by far my favorite beach location and I only HOPE I am lucky enough to stay next Summer.
They gave us fantastic dinner recommendations (mentioning their name got us a bit of priority) and they were incredibly accommodating in every way possible. This is a great place to go with family, friends and DEFINITELY with your significant other. The sunrises and sunsets are out of this world! Stay one night and you will be hooked!

Adorable inn with salty charm! I love the Blue Shutter Beachside Inn. Ed, Tony, AnnMarie, and Patty were warm and friendly hosts. I agree with other reviewers who said it was like staying at a friends beach house for the weekend. We lucked out to be there on a weekend when they were having a wine tasting. Tony’s brother is the head chef at one of the hotels in Boston. The food was amazing and the wine pairing was spot on! I think I would go back and stay just to experience that hour of foody bliss with an amazing view of Good Harbor Beach.

I love this place! My whole wedding party stayed here for our wedding and it was awesome.
The owners were fabulous, very personable and helpful. They made a fire for us every night and answered my one billion and one questions I asked then leading up the event.
The price is dependent on the room you get– lots of cute options to fit anyone’s needs. At least when I went there was not a 2 night minimum which was also fantastic, I am not sure if that is true year round or not.
They had a nice little breakfast spread in the morning.
The location is great– right across from the Good Harbor foot bridge, able to see the beautiful sunrise and sunset. It is only a few miles from downtown Gloucester and lots of restaurants.
All in all I cannot complain! Cute, clean and comfortable.

We stayed at the Blue Shutters, for just one night, back in June 2011.
I have held off writing an honest review because I think the owners have their hearts in the right place. I enjoyed chatting with the wife. The husband can be overbearing and I felt I couldn’t get away from him to do my own thing. Maybe they need to work out some of the quirks of their style. They are obviously hard-​working people with interesting stories. I would never stay here for a romantic getaway, but maybe folks with kids will find it decent.
What I have to criticize the most is the HORRIFIC breakfast. It was one of the worst B and B breakfasts I have ever eaten. The added kicker was that, although we came in shoulder season (the place was fairly empty, the beach not crowded), we paid a huge sum for our small, crowded, hit-​your-​head-​on-​the-​ceiling room (I think it was $ 179) with a double bed and a twin day bed. Unforgivable.
The proximity to the beach is obviously unbeatable. I liked their grounds and outdoor hose to rinse off with. The living room was pretty and comfortable, but every time I sat down in the evening, the owner pigeonholed me into a long conversation and I couldn’t escape.
Beware of any thought that you’ll get a decent cup of coffee or pastries in the morning. Everything laid out was pre-​packaged crap, even the yogurt was flavored and full of corn syrup. At least get some healthy options if you are not going to bake anything yourself. For the amount of money we forked over, they could have spent at least $ 5 on each of our breakfasts without hurting their bottom line. Let’s say I expected something much better for the price. Good coffee and some locally homemade pastries would have gone a long way to pleasing me. How about fresh juice? Decent, real yogurt? Homemade granola?
We paid way too much for the mediocre accommodations.

My wife & I love it here. Location, location, location, literally across the street from Good Harbor Beach (click on their live beach cam to see)
Ed and Tony are so friendly, informative of the areas sites and restaurants (they have menus on hand of almost all the places in the area), tour pamphlets too. Free breakfast (toast, cereal, fruit, donuts, bagels, coffee…) cozy rooms, lounging area to read newspaper, watch ocean from the couch, free wi-​fi, chairs and tables outside to drink and eat by (or listen to Ed play guitar), what more can I say, it’s THE perfect place to stay in Gloucester. If you’re going to Essex or Rockport stay here & it’s just a short drive.
We will be back

This Inn is my (new) favorite place to stay on Cape Ann!!! Simple place with amazing views, real people and it’s proximity to the beach is unreal! You basically cross the road and walk over a footbridge and you are there. When I heard about it through a friend, I took her up on it and was amazed to realize that we were all but right on the beach. It literally took 2 minutes from front porch till we were on the sand.
The staff is super friendly, Eddie in particular showed us around and made himself available whenever we needed anything. He is definitely part of the charm of the place too-​as he has a lot of good stories and is such a genuine guy! What a character.
We also met some nice folks while hanging out in the yard. Honestly, till now I have been mostly a hotel guy, but if you want to stay near the beach and the focus is relaxing, meeting friend people, going to the beach and enjoying the beauty of the ocean, this is the place!!!
I strongly advise at least checking the place out. If you can’t enjoy yourself at Blue Shutters, you probably don’t have a pulse.

Love, love love this place! Ed, one of the owners, is so awesome, I felt like I was staying at a friend’s beachhouse for the weekend. BSBI is just steps from the Good Harbor Beach, which is so convenient when you want to just go to the beach for a walk without having to pay a parking fee.
Ed greeted us very warmly when we arrived. Our room was one of two that have shared baths; the rest have private baths. That was ok though as we booked very last minute. We had a great view of the beach as did most rooms, which was nice. There was also AC, a microwave, refrigerator, and TV in the room. Breakfast is in the morning and is a basic breakfast. Parking is free at the inn. There is also an Incredible picture window in the main room which I could look out of for hours!
The only downside of the place was how noisy it is. We were on the second floor (there are 3) and anytime anyone walked around their room, you could hear it so loudly. As well as those next to you. So it might be smart to get a third floor room.
Defintely worth staying at if you come here…