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Reviews of Hillside Waterfront Hotel

3.5 out of 5
Hillside Waterfront Hotel
9980 Water Street, Ephraim, WI

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 33 out of 39 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 39 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 39 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 39 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 39 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

10/10

Amenities

9.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Pristine accommodations. We will be back:)
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Howard

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nothing to dislike. Accommodations and staff were superb.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Kim

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What an quiet and elegant retreat in the midst of downtown Ephraim and enjoy views of the bay. The rooms were spacious and clean; the bed was super comfy; the property was well maintained. To a person, the staff was welcoming and helpful. Simply wonderful.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Kerry

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The historical part of the property
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Laila

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Charles

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
What a glorious getaway!! The location, wonderful staff, amenities all we do great. We loved the Mayflower room and the beautiful porch view of flowers and the Bay. (A New England feel). Restaurants, galleries etc were within walking distance. We also enjoyed a play at nearby out door theater. Very rememberable time!
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 24 Sept 2021
Thanks for staying with us. We appreciate your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

Sara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect couples retreat- amazing views in a quaint town. Excellent service at the hotel and great restaurants within walking distance
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 2 Sept 2021
Thanks for staying with us. We appreciate your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

kay

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
this is a beautiful hotel! quiet, peaceful. worth every penny
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 2 Sept 2021
Thanks for staying with us. We appreciate your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The setting was wonderful; location ideal. Breakfast on the front porch was so memorable. Room was comfortable and charming. Amenities were well thought out...even a shower cap and nail file. Only thing lacking in room was a full length mirror, but so minor a detail in the overall package that we hesitated to mention it. We did, only so you would know we are real and sincere in our comments. The staff couldn't do enough for us, and the owner was friendly and more than obliging. That would be our choice to stay at should we make another trip to Door County. In fact, if we couldn't stay there we probably wouldn't go back because staying any where else would be a disappointment.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 24 Sept 2021
Thanks for staying with us. We are so glad you had a nice time, and we appreciate your feedback!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This was a nice place to stay in Door County. However, kids are absolutely not allowed so be careful when booking. We unknowingly brought our 3 month baby along, which was frowned upon and we were told the baby had to leave. Upsetting to us, but a good place for people without kids to stay!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 19 Jul 2021
Hi Mary~ We actually do allow children in our 2 cottages, but not in the 5 rooms in the Inn. Nothing was mentioned in your reservation about bringing a baby to your room until you showed up to check in and we are sorry we were unable to accommodate your little one! Glad you were still able to enjoy the room!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful and historic. Meticulous inside and out. Perfect views on deck. A must stay when visiting door county.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 20 Jul 2021
Thanks for staying with us. We appreciate your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 13 Aug 2021
Thanks for staying with us. We appreciate your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We have stayed in many hotels in the U.S. and the U.K. and Ireland. The room was the best ever! Loved the fireplace on cool nights!
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 8 Jul 2021
Thank you for staying with us! We appreciate your feedback, and hope to see you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 8 Jul 2021
Thank you for staying with us! We appreciate your feedback!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our experience staying at the Hillside Waterfront Hotel was absolutely outstanding. Both Diane and Julia made our stay feel first class at every step of the way. They anticipate any questions and do everything they can to make you comfortable. The rooms are private, extremely comfortable, and very relaxing. We visited in the off-season and will be back when it warms up again!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 8 Mar 2021
Thank you for the lovely write-up! We really appreciate that. It was lovely to host you both and we welcome you back at anytime! Hillside Waterfront Hotel

2/10 Terrible

Julian

Disliked: Staff & service
They claim you can't book through hotels.com
Worst experience I can remember with a hotel. I've stayed many more nights in hotels the last few years than I'd like to admit, so felt obliged to write a review for hotels.com users since it directly relates. - We booked about a month in advance but when we arrived and were told that there was no booking in our name. - We were told that the hotel has no relationship with hotels.com and that 'Hotels.com just lists every property without permission' - We were told they could call someone (called Bob or something) who could tell us which other places in the area might have space - we declined this and booked at the nearby Water Street Inn which I can definitely recommend. - The attitude of the owner was a bit shocking. No surprise, no apology, just a "They keep doing this, we don't have a booking" response. It made it obvious that they do this a lot. - When checking in at our nearby hotel, the receptionist said that they've heard the same from other people. So, in conclusion, if you're on here you know that the hotel obviously has listed itself here so the owner is lying. Especially when you consider there are verified reviews from people who have successfully stayed. The only motivation for this that I can think of is that they accept the booking but will 'lose' it if someone books direct as it enables them to avoid the commission to hotels.com. As it turned out, The Water Street Inn was lovely so all's well that ends well. But we got lucky to find it with no notice!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020
Response from Hillside Waterfront Hotel on 29 Oct 2020
I am reaching out with our sincerest apology for this mis-hap! There was a connection issue with our account due to a recent change in reservation software and we were never notified of your reservation with us! Things have been sorted out and Expedia has fixed the connection so we are now notified of upcoming reservations through different channels.

10/10 Excellent

Vasudevan, Belgium, Wisconsin

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
An unique "Bed & Breakfast" place, with a owner & staff that make you comfortable like family
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We trailered the motorcycle, and they had no room for us to park our trailer. Also, the mattress was terrible!
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2018
Response from Carrie on 26 Sept 2018
Thank you for your review. We always appreciate feedback. We wish that you had let us know that you were bringing your motorcycle prior to your arrival as we would have been happy to assist with making arrangements in advance. However, we were happy to work with you to find a few different possibilities for parking the trailer and thought that together we had come up with good options. As we mentioned to you when we were working on it together, Ephraim just doesn't allow trailer parking on our streets but at the time you were here, it seemed that you were pleased with the assistance we did provide and the solution. Thank you for mentioning the mattress as well. I wish that you had mentioned it while you were here, as we would have loved to move you to a more comfortable suite. You are the first to mention this so we will look into it now. Thank you again for choosing our Inn for your Door County getaway.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2018
Response from Carrie on 5 Sept 2018
Thank you for your review! We hope you will stay with us again in the future and are pleased that you enjoyed your stay!

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Hillside Inn
Amazing and outstanding from room accommodations to amenities to breakfast. Staff was helpful in everything! Highly recommended!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Carrie on 5 Sept 2018
We so enjoyed having you here with us and look forward to having you stay with us again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Alan

Peaceful, relaxing retreat.
Perfect from start to finish. Easy check-in, gorgeous room, relaxing and quiet atmosphere. Would recommend to anyone. Families would likely prefer the cottages to staying in the main house.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Carrie on 29 Aug 2018
We loved having you and hope you will return again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Charlene, Naperville, il

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I loved everything. The view looking out to the sail boats to the soft colors of the room to the cleanliness & care given to details to the veranda where I had my early a.m.coffee & late night wine. Everything and everyone was very welcoming . I stayed in the day lily room decorated in soft yellows and clean whites. 4 poster bed, sheets & pillows were so easy to rest in and the bathroom was spotless. The towels and linen looked like new, they were that white They even had wipes next to the t,v. remote. Continental breakfast was fresh with wonderful sweet breads & fresh fruits . Plenty of coffee/tea in the room and also in the bfk, area available all day & night, Loved everything about this treasure of a B&B and the owner & staff so welcoming & warm.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2018
Response from Carrie on 29 Aug 2018
Thank you so much for choosing our Inn and for the lovely review. We so enjoyed having you and look forward to seeing you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved it!
Everything was wonderful! Ephraim was a perfect little town to stay in the winter. Close to everything in door county. We loved it! Awesome breakfast and tea time :)
Response from Judy on 28 Feb 2018
We are so glad you enjoyed your stay and found Ephraim to be a great place to visit! We hope you come back again soon!

10/10 Excellent

Conni, Madison area, Wisconsin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent B&B in Ephraim, Door County
We loved our stay at the Hillside. They only have 5 amazing rooms...so book early. The location across from the water and in the middle of easily getting to shops, restaurants, and lovely walks is perfect. They also have a library of books and lovely magazines to share while enjoying the chairs on the porch overlooking the water, or the back patio, which is secluded and quiet.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

Lois

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great getaway.
My comfort level was purely personal. A recent foot injury made going up and down stairs uncomfortable. Otherwise everything met or exceeded expectations.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

sara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A lovely stay for an anniversary
We celebrated our 10th anniversary and could not have stayed in a better Inn! The owner was adorable friendly and very professional she definitely put thought into her guests experience! The rooms are very cozy and beautiful! My only complaint was the coffee was not good in the morning and breakfast was extremely minimal. We would have hung around a little more in the morning time and enjoyed the porch overlooking the bay had this been better. But we would still return without a doubt! Sister bay was our favorite town and you cannot miss going to the Wickman house, exceptional food exceptional staff, exceptional experience!!!
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Larry, Michigan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Breakfast was disappointing:
The Hillside Inn website indicated that we would be served a hearty breakfast each morning. When we arrived we were told we would receive a continental breakfast. The continental breakfast was "do it yourself" toast, a small bowl of fruit and a small portion of yogurt, and coffee or tea. This did not live up to our expectations for a bed and breakfast. Our previous experience with B&B's has always been exceptional breakfasts. That's one of the joys of staying at a B&B. On the plus side, the Inn and the rooms are gorgeous and we enjoyed our stay. But for the price we were disappointed with breakfast.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relax in comfort
Delightful setting overlooking Green Bay, lovely facility, and great staff who looked to accommodate every whim. They found me a table big enough to puzzle on the one rainy day we had. Our room was light and airy. The bed was fit for a princess and the pea. for little old me a step-stool was provided and worked quite well. I did suggest a balance bar be added to the shower. These use suction cups and allow persons with balance challenges to be more secure. Breakfasts were lovely with baked goods from the best bakery in Door County. Coffee was very good. Best, we enjoy meeting people. One couple had come from South Carolina to escape the heat. To them our temperatures were cool even though I felt the heat. We plan to return and do some bird-watching, maybe take a class at the Clearing and continue to explore the many good restaurants in the area.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2017
We are so happy that you enjoyed your stay and look forward to you returning to our Inn!

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Picture Perfect
Small, clean, convenient. If there is a nicer place to stay in Northern Door County, I am not aware of it. And 100 yards to Wilsons!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2017
We are so happy you enjoyed your stay with us and hope you will return in the future!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Continental breakfast?
My wife and I enjoyed our stay with a few exceptions, the continental breakfast. While the add promised local pastries and other delicious items, we were surprised to find bread, juice and yogurt as our selections. A self serve espresso machine and a carafe of coffee filled out the menu. This is truly an missed opportunity for the hotel to wow their guests. With the many local shops in the immediate area offering delicious treats of baked goods, there is opportunity to improve. Also, the initial greeting card said that the staff would only enter our room if we requested it. After we left the first morning, without our request, our room was cleaned and straighten. We did not feel this was necessary and felt intruded on. We had gone and had personal (medication) gitems out. These items would have been secured had we expected the cleaning. Please don't take this as a overall slam on this gorgeous hotel but as areas in need of improvement.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017
Response from Hotel manager on 10 Jul 2017
We are very pleased that you enjoyed your stay! It is standard in 5 star luxury Inns to have rooms lightly straightened and this is the experience we are trying to provide for our guests. Our breakfast was exactly as we described upon your arrival.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely Stay
Beautiful, comfortable room with stunning view of the lake. Excellent staff. Warm hospitality.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2017
Response from Carrie on 16 Jul 2017
We are so pleased that you enjoyed your stay and hope to see you again in the future!

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This is a beautiful property. Our corner room and balcony had a spectacular view of the bay. I would highly recommend the Hillside Inn

10/10 Excellent

Vivian , Dallas, Tx

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Elegant, Graceful and Charming
One cannot say enough good things about this inn. It is a lovingly restored, elegant inn that provides luxury, peacefulness, spectacular views and heavenly sleep. Our 3 day/3 night stay was a much needed respite. Our suite included a spacious bedroom with its own deck overlooking the garden area, a separate living area with sofa, chair, FP and TV - and- its own deck overlooking Green Bay (spectacular sunsets), and a large luxurious bathroom with 2 pedestal sinks, large glass enclosed shower, and a separate soaking/jacuzzi tub (with a view of the bay as well!) Diane, the owner, is lovely - charming and most accommodating to your needs. dont miss the porch swing for reading and relaxing. Outstanding!

10/10 Excellent

carol, waunakee, wi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful room.....beautiful view
We stayed for four nights in the Mayflower room and it was perfect! We could lay in our bed and stare out at the water. We brought our breakfast up to our room and ate on the balcony. A beautiful Inn!! We will go back for sure!!
Mayflower
View from our bed
Balcony view
Another view from room

10/10 Excellent

Kirby, Cicagoland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Romantic Getaway
Perfect spot for a romantic getaway. Our room had two private balconies, a fireplace, and a private entrance. Diane (owner) was extremely helpful with dinner ideas and reservations. We would definitely stay here again for a special occasion.

10/10 Excellent

Rob T, Chicago, IL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great bed and breakfast, great location
This bed and breakfast was awesome. The building has a ton of charm with all the modern accessories. It's great for walks along the waterfront and walking distance to great restaurants. It's also steps away from Wilson's Ice Cream Parlor, which is a must when visiting Door County. The staff was friendly and helpful. No complaints! We were very happy with our stay.

10/10 Excellent

girls trip, roscoe il

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful hotel with great view of the bsy
The hotel was perfect, the staff was great, snd the location was great! Would definitely stay here again!