Name: Mad River Barn
Address: Route 17, 2849 Mill Brook Road, Mad River Valley, Mad River Valley, Mad River Valley, VT 05673, United States of America
Rating: 9

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Heating

Garden

No elevators

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Family room

Hairdryer

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Wardrobe/Closet

Toiletries

Rooms

Accessibility features

Wheelchair Accessible

Accessibility

Laundry

Iron

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Restaurant

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet access

Internet

Hiking

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Event facilities

Business

Playroom

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Ski storage

Skiing

Winter sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Temperature control for guests

Personal protection equipment for guests

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the guest house

Room amenities

Edward F. Knapp State Airport

Burlington International Airport

Mad River Barn

Mad River Valley

Dining at the Mad River Barn was a mixed experience. We had a reservation and we were seated right away in an empty and frigid dining room. The pub upstairs seemed lively but it wasn't the same in the dining room.

The menu offered a satisfying array of dishes, each prepared with skill and attention to flavor. Equally praiseworthy was the service. The staff at Mad River Barn demonstrated efficiency and friendliness, contributing to an overall pleasant dining atmosphere. 

The atmosphere left much to be desired. The cold and vacant setting lacked warmth and character, making the overall experience less inviting. 

If you're purely in it for the food, Mad River Barn is worth a try. Just be prepared for a dining space that falls short of matching the brilliance found on the plate.

Tasty Food in a Not-So-Warm Spot

The rooms are a 2 star, basic in need up updates.  I stayed at the property for a wedding event for two night.  It's not a place I would stay if I were simply going for skiing.  But if you stay here for a wedding event for a couple of nights, that it's basic.  The breakfast in the morning is the star.  If you are looking for a great wedding venue with excellent food and event space, then you'll be happy.  It is a bit out of the way, which may/may not impact your selection.

5 star s a wedding venue, 2 star for the rooms.  

We were at inn for wedding. First night a problem occurred and management solved problem quickly and all was happy.
Breakfast was great and chef was eager to help with any special request with a smile.
Wedding was suppose to be outside( which looks fantastic but had heavy rain so at last minute moved to their new barn whichcould handle 150  plus people for dinner, wedding function and dancing.function was great food was best all local cheeses, vegetables, chicken or steak. Best steak in years.
management is friendly and ver helpful

Great inn and restaurant

Nice little hotel with friendly staff. Perfect for families. Great breakfast in the morning.

I did not have a pleasant stay at the Mad River Barn.  

I was given a different room downstairs, as we had booked a room that was by the bar upstairs, so they were being nice to us, supposedly.  It was myself (middle aged cool mom) and my daughter (studious little 17yr old girl doing a couple of college tours in the area.  I had booked a queen bed with 4 twin bed suite.  
Thought maybe the owner was right, of course, trusting their statement of moving us as there was less noise by our room.

The room seemed more plain, than what I expected, and we had 1 queen plus twin in one room, and I had booked the suite with 2 rooms, so my daughter could have time to herself (she was tired of my nonstop talking in the car for hours!). We took turns using the bathroom to change, wash up, as there was no privacy obviously in the room.  It was at that point that I thought I really should have said something to the front desk about being given an inferior room, but we were both in our nightwear, so just figured I'd deal with it, and a bed is a bed.

First thing I noticed is, a couple of people were walking over a small wooden bridge to the bar/restaurant area, and yes, we were underneath & to the side of that bridge, so had them looking down at us.  Very quickly those curtains were closed.
Soon after that I was laying in bed, and daughter sitting on her bed reading, then we have a thump thump, thump thump, coming from the room above us.  Yep, we listened to people banging that bed down & very loud about it.  My daughter got upset, put her book down, and turned over to sleep, while I lay there trying to do the same thing.
But then I can hear lots of loud voices, just 2 doors down, where the front desk was, good conversation, laughing, people going up & down the wooden steps loudly.  Still trying to ignore it all I am then getting a lady throwing up, sounded by the doorway, again 2 doors down.  I eventually fell asleep.
I did get to chat with a lovely family from England, during breakfast.  We were talking about bacon as it was burnt.  We all acknowledged it was burnt, I was not a fan, but both our kids loved it still.  Scrambled eggs were okay, they were scrambled eggs, then there were some potatoes that looked decent but I didn't eat (just not a fan of potatoes), and toast.  Nothing made to order, all buffet style.

I talked to the man at the front desk, before we checked out.  I asked him where the room was, that had a queen & 4 twins, and he told me they were on the 2nd floor (where the bar was), but at the end of the corridor, so away from the bar.  After I then did complain about the noises I heard a lot of the night, he said he was sorry and not sure why we were put in the current room.

I did contact Mad River Barn, and heard back from Jess the Inn Manager who quoted the "Guarantee" that states that "While we make every effort to accommodate guest room preferences, please understand that changes are sometimes required."  The problem with that was that the changes were NOT required, Jess the Inn Manager just took it upon herself to move us to a 'better' room.

It was not a better room, it was a lesser room.

So for future travelers, if you do decide to stay there, we had B3 downstairs in the barn.  If you need an ADA room then that one is compliant I believe, but be warned it is noisy, and decor is plain, it also has no fridge or microwave (which is stated on the website).  Also be aware that the Inn Manager can lie, by telling you they are giving you a better room, when in fact it is a lesser room (not a suite, and is noisier).

See photos in this review.

Wrong room, very noisy, not as described

Stayed here on night only in the middle of a college tour trip. Checked in about 8pm...noone at the desk, key was left on desk with receipt and room number. Definitely "contact less" which I did not mind at all!!! Our room was in Barn-B3 specially. Room was plenty big even with a Queen and Twin bed. Bathroom was large with a lovely walk-in shower. All the basics supplied....beautifully manicured grounds/gardens. Comfy beds, clean linens. Breakfast included was made to order...delish. Would stay again but would request a room upstairs if available as whomever was staying above us had kids that sounded like they were going to come through the ceiling at any time right up to almost midnight.

Mad River One Night Stay

Staff is very friendly and the beds were very comfortable. The property itself is beautifully landscaped

We booked our wedding with the Mad River Barn in 2019 and after finally celebrating 3 years later, we can say without a doubt that this was our best planning decision. The fact that the Mad River Barn can cover so many aspects of the wedding weekend made planning from across the country such an easy experience. The big positives are that your family and friends can stay on site (summer camp vibes!), the MRB can coordinate and host your rehearsal/welcome dinner, reception, and Sunday brunch, and the food and bar services are all in house. The whole property is spectacular with gorgeous landscaping and the pavilion is beautiful as is, so you don't need much in terms of decor to make the space shine. Since the MRB only hosts one wedding each weekend, you really receive incredible, personalized service the entire time.

Most importantly, the MRB team is outstanding. Adrienne is the best coordinator we could have imagined, with frequent communication leading up to our wedding weekend and then flawless execution throughout our time there. She was available for questions, to provide help for our rehearsal, to execute our ceremony, and then as things popped up the rest of the weekend. Adrienne seems to be calm, cool, and collected at all times--the exact person you want to be working with. The Chef, Sam, is phenomenal. To be honest, we didn't have any expectations for the quality of our wedding food based on the other weddings we've attended. We were BLOWN AWAY by how good every single meal was--the breakfasts were outstanding, the appetizers and entrees for our reception were perfect, and even the late night snacks in the pub were outrageous, especially the arancini! He describes his style as "rustic elegance" (I hope I got that right, Sam!) and absolutely nails it (his prior experience in the food world throughout Vermont will blow your mind too). We had a handful of friends with specific dietary restrictions who endlessly complimented their "chef's choice" meals too! Then of course the owners, Andrew and Dave, are the sweetest human beings who will stop to help in any way, shape, or form. Andrew was working throughout our entire reception and even took care of all of the cards and gifts at the pavilion so that we didn't have to worry about those. We really enjoyed every team member's company: Robin, Rachel, Jess, Jenny, Caleb and everyone I'm forgetting to name were kind, attentive, and just generally fun to be around.

Lastly, all of our vendors had the kindest things to say about working with the MRB. Those who had worked on site before said it's one of their favorite venues to work at, and the ones who were new to the MRB were floored by its beauty, the ease of working with the staff, and how smoothly every event flowed. 

The Mad River Barn provided us with the most perfect wedding weekend we could have imagined. If you can manage to snag a date, we can't recommend it enough.

Epic Wedding Weekend at the Mad River Barn

Mad River Barn has been nicely updated, while keeping its quaint inn feelings. Convenient to Sugarbush Resort. Good food. Clean. Reasonably priced.

The staff and owners are terrific.  The restaurant food and breakfasts are delicious.  Overall the atmosphere is friendly and fun and welcoming.

Mad River Barn

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