EclectEcon

When we were planning our trip to The Maritimes this spring, The Interpreter said she wanted to visit PEI, so we looked into various places to stay there. It turned out that all the places we contacted along the north shore of the island were not going to be open until June. And then we discovered that all the hotels in Charlottetown were booked up for a hockey tournament.

Ex post, all we can say is, "Thank goodness!"


We ended up booking rooms at the Georgetown Historic Inn in Georgetown, which is on the eastern end of the island. We stayed in two spectacular suites that shared a deck off the back of the establishment. I call them suites because they had wonderful large beds and spacious sitting areas, along with en-suite bathrooms. They were clean and well-appointed with spacious closets as well.

Joel, the proprietor, has only recently taken over the Inn. He is a certified chef who sold everything in Alberta and moved to PEI for a calmer way of life. He was gracious and very hospitable, providing us with off-menu dinners both evenings we were there, in addition to wonderful breakfasts both mornings.


During one of our walks around the town, we met the Mayor, an affable and intriguing person who gave up a senior corporate job to retire to Georgetown and do rock and shell sculptures. He's talented, interesting, and a lot of fun. Later that evening, the first day of the legit lobster season there, we had fresh lobster at the Inn, and the Mayor, who happened to be dining there as well, gave us lessons in how to eat lobster. We had a ball.


Joel was concerned when we booked the rooms that we might not have anything to do while we were there, but we drove around a bit in the morning and then hiked along a beautiful boardwalk in the afternoon. There are no fast food places in the town, but the general store is reputed to make excellent burgers. We ate all our evening and morning meals at the Inn.

Also, Buddy Wasisname And The Other Fellers (see this and this) stayed there just a few weeks before we were there -- what better recommendation can there be than that?

The Georgetown Inn was Ms. Eclectic's favourite of all the places we visited during our trip, but it might not be for everyone. The rooms are splendid, with nice Victorian or quasi-Victorian decor, and the food is delicious; but the floors slant a bit in places (as one might expect in buildings that are over a century and a half old) and Joel still has some organizing to do as he points his business in a slightly different direction; also, Joel's tastes in cooking might not appeal to everyone (though we certainly liked what he did for us — e.g. a shrimp and brie omelet our second morning).

If you think you might want to visit the Inn, we recommend it highly, especially if you like older but spacious rooms with excellent service. And if you go, be sure to visit the Mayor (Peter) and his craft shop.