Briar Patch Bed & Breakfast Inn

Briar Patch is beautiful, very quiet, nice place for weddings, and the host was amazing and extremely helpful and kind. Also, Brownie, the four-legged assistant is adorable. Their pillows are the best.. This place is not too far from Washington DC.

We couldn’t have picked a better venue for our wedding! Briar patch itself is stunning, with gorgeous views and a beautiful main hall (Gold Fox room) and Patio. Our guests couldn’t stop raving about the atmosphere. The breakfast served by the hosts was good, and they were really accommodating when we had a last minute request of having only vegetarian food. We’ll forever cherish the memories made here!

We had a lovely suite with a private entrance. The quiet property offered easy access to Middleburg and several nearby wineries. The brunch in the morning was plentiful and very, very delicious. For an easy getaway from the DC area, this is a delightful property at which to spend time.

We loved our stay at the Briar Patch and are strongly considering another stay this fall. We stayed in the Cottage, and it was a perfect wine weekend getaway. The heat worked wonderfully in December, the kitchen was large and well equipped, and the bathtub was wonderful. It was a cozy but spacious place to curl up in the evenings with a bottle or two of wine after spending the day out and about. There are at least 3 wineries within a 5 minute drive and more than I could count within a 20 minute radius. We were personally able to walk to both 50 West and Chrysallis from Briar Patch, but that may not be for everyone. Middleburg is a short drive down the road. I only corresponded with the owners over phone and email, since Dan was recovering from surgery, but they were pleasant and helpful in those exchanges. Dan's brother stayed at the property to take care of us during our visit, and he could not have been nicer. We were very happy with the breakfasts he prepared during our stay.

I debated writing a review because the host was nice but I agree with another reviewer that this place has fallen on hard times. The smoke detector was still not repaired as mentioned by a reviewer in Oct 2021 and there were many other things in disrepair. Pro's: -location is great near wineries and the town -works well for a girl trip with being able to get two adjoining rooms -scenic and beautiful property overall (just not well kept) -breakfast was fine -beds were comfortable Con's: -not very clean -smoke detector not operational in one of our rooms and violet room was very cold -property not well kept -washcloths were leaking blue dye when wet (probably new and not washed before) -shower curtain liner dirty I would not stay a second time which is a shame because it really was a cute property and great location.

Key Points: This is a decent property that is poorly maintained. Facilities are warm and homey. The cleanliness is problematic: dirty window sills, dirty sheets on a pullout couch. The property is vastly understaffed: 1 person serving the entire property. The food looked like a day-old supermarket purchase. We won't be returning. The resulting vibe felt much more like couch surfing than a $300-a-night splurge. Facts: We waited an hour to find a staffer after arriving at 5pm. Couldn't unpack bags or do anything, while we walked around, waiting, and looked for this person. The Entry room was covered in bed sheets and pillow sheets, being dried. The pullout bed in our suits had somebody else's old bed sheet on it, hairs and everything. The breakfast was a day-old quiche. It was in a supermarket disposable tin pan, which HAD PRIOR SLICES cut out of it, which the staffer offered to heat up for us. So at least a day old. We were the first people to breakfast, promptly at 9am. Nobody else was eating quiche. Speculation: I can only suppose this is in an effort to expand their margins. I can't remember the last time I stayed in a place that didn't have professional cleaning and was provided old supermarket food. Our experience was nothing like the high-rating reviews. I suspect that for weddings, there are a large number of *professional* 3rd party hospitality vendors on hand. And this is the key -- that great staff make a great hospitality experience. And I have a feeling that the "regular rentals" will have the understaffed and disappointing experience that we did. Solutions: Other bed and breakfasts, hotels, and places that we stay tend to use - Professional cleaners - Food service professionals - A receptionist on duty, especially during normal check-in times on the weekend.