Individually decorated, individually furnished, iron/ironing board, WiFi

Reviews of The Charles Inn at Vacationland Inns

2.5 out of 5
The Charles Inn at Vacationland Inns
20 Broad St, West Market Square, Bangor, ME

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 114 out of 355 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 120 out of 355 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 55 out of 355 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 40 out of 355 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 26 out of 355 reviews" "

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.2/10

Amenities

7.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Christine, Presque Isle

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
The people were very nice with good communication but the room was very hot with no way to cool it off, no cool air and the shower curtain was rank smelling. No breakfast included, very icy outside with no close parking.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022
Response from Sandy D. on 5 Feb,2022
Hi Christine, It was great having you! We are under new ownership and the property is being closed down for a full rehab! It's very exciting! When it is complete our heating issue will no longer be an issue. I do apologize for the problems that you had. It was very icy the evening you arrived and having to park at the garage (which is a half a block from the hotel) made it very hard for you to walk back here with your arms full of books. I do apologize about that. Anything we can do to help or make someone stay more pleasant just let us know. It was great having you even for the short time you were here though.

10/10 Excellent

William

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

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

10/10 Excellent

Anja

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021

4/10 Poor

Michelle

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was in a nice location. Close to a lot of restaurants. The themes were a nice idea but there was nothing comfortable about this place. The amenities were the roll of toilet paper and a plastic cup.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 20 Nov,2021
Hi Michelle, I'm so sorry you didn't find the Inn comfortable. We are always improving things so anytime we get a chance to get feedback from our guest we really appreciate it.

10/10 Excellent

Natasha

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Door didn't latch well without locking and the area rug was covered in hair. Otherwise was good, breakfast in particular was excellent.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 20 Nov,2021
Hi Natasha, Thank you for staying with us! We appreciate your feedback, always. I'm glad you enjoyed your breakfast. Hopefully we will get to see you again in the future.

2/10 Terrible

Cory

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My husband and I had a terrible stay here. We were on the top floor of the hotel and all night, about every ten minutes, an extremely loud fan/grinding noise went off (I think something on the roof?). We didn't sleep at all. Around 1am we tried calling two different phone lines, one on the hotel website, one that was posted down by the lobby, to see if we could switch rooms and no one ever called us back. The bed was really uncomfortable and the bottom mattress was dirty. Hardly any water came out of the sink either. I know it's an old hotel, I typically enjoy staying in them, but there's a difference between "old charm" and things just not working or being gross.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 20 Nov,2021
Hi Cory, Thank you for coming and staying with us. I'm sorry you found things to be so unpleasant. The comfortability of our guests means everything as that's what we are here for, So this was no good to see. We appreciate you giving us the feedback and we look over all of our reviews and do everything we can to try to correct any issues there may be, So we thank you for taking the time to reach out.

10/10 Excellent

Corrin, Canon City

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved the staff! They were extremely helpful! My only complaint is there wasn't ice and there wasn't a small refrigerator in the room (I'm a diabetic and I needed a way to keep my meds cold).
Stayed 8 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 20 Nov,2021
Hi corrin, I'm sorry about that! We do have mini fridges on site for this very reason. We don't have enough to put in ever room but if a guest needs one please don't hesitate to let us know, and we will get one in your room asap. I'm so happy your found us to helpful, This means a lot. If/when you come back just mention your fridge needs and we will get one right in there for you.

10/10 Excellent

Anja

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A cute little hotel right in the middle of Bangor! The roome are gorgeous, with antique furniture pieces. The staff is excellent, very helpful and professional. Thank you!
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 20 Nov,2021
Hi Anja, It was great to have you come and stay! I will forever have a friend. I appreciated all of your views and thoughts on the Inn. I know i'll get to see you again and i'm looking forward to it :) until that time, be safe and merry

8/10 Good

Margaret

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The unique historic aspect was really amazing!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 20 Nov,2021
Hi Margaret, Thank you for coming and staying with us! We are pleased you enjoyed what we have to offer here at the Inn. We always look forward to hearing what our guest have to say. Maybe we will get to have you again.

10/10 Excellent

Mary

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Two Thumbs Up
Loved The Charles and downtown Bangor in general. Cuteness all around.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Sandy D on 20 Nov,2021
Thank you Mary! It always makes for a happy day when we see one of our guest enjoyed their stay :) I hope we will get to see you again.

10/10 Excellent

Jason k

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Neat old war era hotel
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin on 31 Oct,2021
Jason, I'm glad to see that you enjoyed your stay at The Charles Inn. Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review!

8/10 Good

Julie Lynn

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Genna

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very unique style and friendly service!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin on 31 Oct,2021
Genna, thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. I'm so glad to read that you enjoyed your time with us and that you found our staff to be friendly!

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin on 31 Oct,2021
Robert, I'm glad to see that you enjoyed your time with us. Thanks for leaving a review!

8/10 Good

Phillip

Liked: Room comfort
It was quaint and what we needed for our trip. Ran out of toilet paper and there was not more in room and staff did not bring more when we called.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin J on 20 Oct,2021
Phillip, I am so sorry that your request was not fulfilled when asked. That does not reflect the standards of our staff. I am glad that overall it looks like you enjoyed your stay well enough though, and again my apologies for not meeting your request for a restock of supplies for your room.

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I really liked the theme room. I don't believe all the rooms are like that. Perhaps half.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin J on 20 Oct,2021
I am so glad that you enjoyed your room! We have not finished our renovations and haven't themed all of our rooms at this moment, but I am glad you enjoyed yours.

10/10 Excellent

Grant

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Bob

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel is one of the more historic buildings in the area and has been nicely renovated. We liked the location and the room with the exception of having the sink in the room and not in the bathroom. Parking can be an issue as well.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin on 31 Oct,2021
Bob, thanks for taking the time to write a review. As wonderful as being centrally located is, parking can pose a problem. Street parking is always available and free overnights and on weekends and there is a nearby parking garage that offers covered and secured parking for $6/day. I'm glad to see that overall you did enjoy your stay with us though!

10/10 Excellent

Todd

Travelled with pets, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cool old hotel.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin J on 20 Oct,2021
Thanks Todd! I'm glad to read that you enjoyed your stay with us!

4/10 Poor

Matthew

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very loud, no shampoo, 1/3 of a roll of TP and nothing else. people coming and going all night and morning we maybe got a few hours of sleep. Lots of homeless people around the hotel. Very thin doors and walls. Stay at a chain over this place.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin on 31 Oct,2021
Matthew, I am so sorry to read that you did not enjoy your stay with us. We strive to provide the best experience for our guests and your feedback helps us improve. Thank you for taking the time to write a review of your time.

8/10 Good

Elizabeth

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Elizabeth

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location! Parking is a bit tricky, but is a small inconvenience for the location. We enjoyed the the coffee shop next door and Portland Pie (pizza) which was in walking distance. The room is quaint and charming. This is not a chain hotel which is what we liked so much about it. The staff are friendly, warm and welcoming.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Kristin J on 5 Oct,2021
Elizabeth, I'm so glad to read that you enjoyed your stay! We are lucky to be right in the heart of downtown within walking distance to many things. I hope to see you back in the future and if you do be sure to check out some of the other wonderful restaurants downtown Bangor has to offer!

10/10 Excellent

William

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Kristin on 5 Oct,2021
William, I'm glad to see that you enjoyed your stay! Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review and we hope to see you again!

10/10 Excellent

Jeffrey

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent customer service and allowed to check in early after flying all night from Seattle. Very convenient hotel next to restaurants and river walk. Large rooms with historical furniture and photos.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from Kristin J on 28 Sept,2021
Jeffrey, I'm so glad to read that you enjoyed your stay with us! Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review.

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful quirky hotel in the center of the city. Very pleasant staff. Great location. Themed rooms.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Guest services on 28 Sept,2021
Hi Richard! Thanks so much for your review. I'm so glad to read that you enjoyed your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

2/10 Terrible

Elena

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from Guest services on 25 Sept,2021
We are sorry Elena. If there's anything we can do to better someones stay please don't hesitate to let us know.

4/10 Poor

Sandra

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
This property was nothing I thought it would be. It’s a very old and nothing to write home about. It was decorated with antiques which was nice but the building itself was not good. Our two windows overlooked an ally with dumpsters and the smell of the old deep fryers oil from the restaurant next door. The window air conditioner had a crack of about 1/2” between it and the window. The one thing good was it was very close to restaurants. Parking was only on the street and a parking garage a block and half away. Parking was free on the street but was only two hour parking from 8:00 to 5:00.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from Guest services on 28 Sept,2021
Sandra, I am so sorry to read you did not have a good experience with us. We read each review to help us try to improve ourselves, so we greatly appreciate your feedback.

8/10 Good

Briana

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

6/10 Okay

Ashley

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness
The Charles Inn was beautifully set up and staged from the lobby to the room. It is an old town with old buildings. With this comes extremely squeaky floors which does not induce a quiet environment. The room was beautiful with wonderful decorations (shelves of books, antique pieces, etc). Even the bed was an old wooden four-poster (very squeaky) but oh so comfortable! A few things that would have made the experience better is if the windows would have been cleaned. I had a view overlooking the town, but I couldn't take photos because of the grim on the windows. The cleanliness of the room could have been better as well. There were empty water bottles underneath the book shelve and the beside table and dust ( but adds to the antique look). However, I felt safe in the hotel as a solo female traveler and it was close to everything I wanted to see in the city. The staff were absolutely amazing and helpful. The city was cute and very fun. Overall I would recommend this hotel (especially for us Stephen King fans) to others for a short stay in the area.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Guest services on 23 Sept,2021
Tank you Ashley :) We love the type of guest we get here at the Inn. We couldn't ask for better people. We are always working on being better so every one of these reviews helps us on our journey. Thank you again for coming and staying with us, and for taking a moment to let us know how your stay went.

10/10 Excellent

Greg L.

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Vanity sink clogged, bathtub floor felt like you could fall through it and you had to be a rocket scientist to turn on the TV. Bed was large but very noisy. Great location though and close to good restaurants
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from Guest services on 23 Sept,2021
Hi Greg, Thank you for coming in and staying with us! It was great to have you, and you were such great guests. I hope you'll come and stay with us again if course :)

8/10 Good

Jennifer

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Olga

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jason Richard

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very chill boutique hotel… clean room, comfy bed, charming atmosphere… service and staff were super friendly and accommodating. Recommended for solo travelers or couples who don’t need a lot of bells and whistles, just a clean, safe, friendly, cool place to stay within walking distance of everything.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Guest services on 10 Sept,2021
Hi Jason, Thank you so much for such a kind review! You were such a great guest and hope we will get to have you again in the future. I'm happy that you embraced what we have to offer as far as being an historic Inn. We are very different than the chain hotels. I'm so happy you found staff to be friendly and accommodating! Thank you again Jason

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Downtown layover in Bangor
The location of the Charles Inn cannot be beaten for nearby coffeeshops, eateries, and the riverside brewery! The front desk staff were very cheerful and helpful. Our room was not as clean as it could have been (stained bedding), and a bit dated (we had the "Veterans of Valor" room with a bit of local Mainer history, which may not be to everyone's taste...sounds like other themes may have been more interesting personally), but it was very comfortable nevertheless which made for a good night's sleep.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021
Response from Guest services on 10 Sept,2021
Hi Jonathan, Thank you for staying with us and for taking a moment to let us know how your time with us went. We are glad you found your room to be pleasant even with the issues you had with it you still were very nice and such a great guest. We are waiting on all new bedding and thank you for bringing that to our attention! We hope we will get to have you come and stay again in the future, and see the other rooms we have to offer.

10/10 Excellent

Vicki

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Guest services on 16 Sept,2021
Hi Vicki, Thank you thank you for leaving such a high score! I hope we will get to have you come and stay with us again!

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Where i went to Bangor. This location was within walking Distance. Made it a very enjoyable time Training.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 8 Sept,2021
Thank you Michael, I hope we will get to have you again in the future :) We are always doing renovations and growing to be the best version of us. If there's ever anything we can do to make your stay more pleasant don't hesitate to let us know.

8/10 Good

Jennifer

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cool place
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Guest services on 1 Sept,2021
thank you Jen :) I hope we will get to see again!

10/10 Excellent

Kathleen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
I was pleasantly surprised when I checked in they had upgraded my room from an inside room to the Parlor on the 4th floor with a view of the street below.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 8 Sept,2021
Hi Kathleen, We are very happy you enjoyed your room. We have many themed rooms and only a handful that are just standard rooms. Any chance we get to provide one of our guests with a free upgrade, We do. We are known for our themed rooms so we try very hard to make sure our guests get to experience what we are known for. We also are always making changes and doing renovations so if you were to come again we would try our hardest to make sure you got to experience another one of our themes. Thank you for staying with us, and for taking a moment to let us know how your time with us went.

2/10 Terrible

Brandi

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The hotel room was disgusting and I am very dissatisfied with my stay. The bed sheets and covers were covered with small black hairs, the sheets were stained as well as the carpet. The shower also had small black hairs everywhere. For the amount of money that I paid, the state of the room was unacceptable. 2706684378 is my telephone number and I would appreciate a call to discuss a refund. Sleeping was very difficult and uncomfortable due to the unsanitary conditions of the room.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Guest services on 8 Sept,2021
Hi Brandi, We are very sorry you found your stay to be so unpleasant. Management will be reaching out to you to discuss your stay with us.

10/10 Excellent

Gail

Travelled with pets, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
In the very heart of Bangor. Lot's of attention paid to adding historical artifacts to the room. They were quite lovely about accommodating our dog.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Guest services on 1 Sept,2021
Hi Gail, That is one thing I can say about us here at The Charles. We love the fur babies :) Thank you for leaving a review about your time here. We are so happy you noticed the small things. People that love historic buildings always notice the small things :) I hope we will get to have you come and stay again.

8/10 Good

Christopher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Jolleen

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Cycling Friends
Hotel is a quirky fun place to stay in downtown. Very clean. We had no hot water in AM and our room 103 had a window air conditioner above a smoker for the restaurant below which wasn’t the best.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Guest services on 1 Sept,2021
Hi Jolleen, I'm so sorry about the smoker from the business next door. It has been an ongoing issue we are having. I know exactly how that smell comes through the side of our building on the days they use it. So i do apologize for that. I really hope we will get to have come and stay with us again. I'll also leave a note under your name so if you stay again we will know to place you in a room away from that side of the Inn. I'm so pleased you found the Inn fun. We never know if people are going to enjoy it being a historic Inn and all. We are very different from the regular chain hotel/motels,. People either love it or it's just not for them. Thank you again for coming and for taking a moment to let us know how your time with us went. I'll have another discussion with the business next door and see if there are other options for their smoker.

10/10 Excellent

Joan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Guest services on 16 Sept,2021
Hi Joan, Thank you for staying and for grading us :) We hope we will get to have you come and stay again.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Quaint, old, convenient to restaurants in town. Easy check-in and polite front desk staff when you could reach them. Two night stay, one without hot water. No extra toilet paper roll in room, no tissues (kleenex) in room. Very worn bed sheets showing excessive pilling, fuzzballs. No details for check out procedure. Won't be staying again.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 18 Aug,2021
hi, I'm sorry for the issues you found while staying with us. We do want to thank you for taking the time for letting us know though. We know what to focus on and what to upgrade. We ask that our guests always let us know things that they find that could be changed, so your input is appreciated more than you know. We are working on getting new things for the Inn and continuing with renovations. We are sorry we won't be seeing you again but thank you very much for coming and staying with us.

10/10 Excellent

Rick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Echo, Tango, Charlie….
It exceeded our expectations in every way. Glad we fought past some of the negative reviews. Kristin helped make our stay a really positive and memorable one.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 19 Aug,2021
Hi Rick, Thank you very much for coming and staying with us! For also letting us know how your stay went for you. It makes us so happy that you found everything to be pleasant, I will let Kristin know how helpful you found her. It really makes our days good when we get to log in and see such great reviews from such great guests :) Thank you again and we hope we will get to see you again

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Don't pay attention to the old reviews. Sparkling clean, bright, interesting and quirky hotel. They communicated wonderfully with us before our stay to arrange an easy and convenient late check in using a lock box, and even texted me information about parking. The room was themed and interesting with a ton of old books, and was completely clean. The coffee shop in the lobby was absolutely delightful. The only criticisms we can think of are that the floor in our particular room was quite sloped (it's a very old building), so one of the two beds was sort of on an angle. We would stay at the Charles again anytime.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 11 Aug,2021
Hello, Oh my god I can't even begin to tell you how good this review made me feel! It makes us so happy to see when someone enjoys the Inn and everything it has to offer. I must say we do get nervous sometimes about doing the lock boxes and the fact that it may be confusing for our guests. But, people seem to really enjoy it and appreciate the fact that we give the option. So i'm am pleased as punch that you found it to be helpful! This is such a great way to end the day! Thank you so so much! If there's ever anything we can do to make your stay even more pleasant please don't hesitate to let us know!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Property was a cute, quaint older hotel. It has a nice coffee shop downstairs.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 7 Aug,2021
Thank you for staying with us! We are always upgrading the Inn and making exciting new changes. We hope you'll come and stay again in the near future and you'll be able to see the changes for yourself. If there's ever anything we can do to make our guests stay more pleasant, please don't hesitate to let us know :)

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We enjoyed the nearby restaurants. The area was clean and safe even though there were a few homeless folks hanging around nearby. The parking was a block away but nice. Our only complaint was the mattress on the bed; it was very noisy .
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021
Response from Sandy D. on 6 Aug,2021
Hello, Thank you so much for staying with us, For also taking the time to let us know how your time with us went. We are always improving and working toward being better, so every bit of feed back we get from our guest is very appreciated. Anything we can do to make someone's stay even more pleasant just let us know. Thank you. We hope we will get to have you come back in the future.