Eleven Gables Inn On the Lake

I have a reservation for Nov 20 & 21^st have been trying to cancel it since Monday — I hope you don’t charge my credit card — I left 4 voicemails & nobody returned my call to confirm I cancelled :-(

Having never been to a bed and breakfast, we wasn’t sure what to expect. We are used to hotels so we may be a little off base here. When we arrived, it was a little difficult to find the entrance and it we thought there was very limited parking on the somewhat busy street out front. We circled the block a couple of times before we found where we had to go and asked somebody as they were getting into their car if this was the correct place. Our luck, he was leaving, so we were able to park in front of the inn. We were also informed by this patron that we needed to ring the bell at the door to enter (there wasn’t a sign at the door that would tell us we needed to ring the bell.) It would’ve been nice to be informed about parking, as well as ringing the bell, before we arrived. Turns out there was plenty of parking in the back. We walked in and it was no doubt quite charming and very quaint. Just what one would expect for a bed-​and-​breakfast. We were then lead up to our room. We were taken aback by how small it was. We had to walk up stairs to get to our room. Had we been elderly or disabled we would not have been able to do this, and would have been out of luck, having already paid for our room with no refund policy and no place else to stay in Lake Geneva. As far as being elderly, there were a few dips in the flooring in our room and we both tripped several times, both in the dips and on the rug that kept bunching up, even though we tried to move it ourselves. The bathroom was very small. There was no place to hang any towels and minimal surface space. Not even a hook on the door. The tub/​shower was so small that I could not help touching the shower curtain throughout my shower which made me feel a little grossed out, not being sure how well it was cleaned. The bathroom had a second (locked from the inside) entrance that led directly into the hallway. This wouldn’t have been an issue except there was a big enough gap under the door, that we felt whatever noises were made inside that bathroom were easily heard outside in the hallway. The room itself, although very pretty, had very poor lighting, no drawers, or storage space of any kind except for an armoire that had one wire hanger inside. There was a lamp table, a wobbly bedside table and another small table in the room. We ended up literally living out of our suitcases for the weekend. We appreciate that the furniture was old and charming, but it was rickety and when we used one of the posts of the four poster bed for support the post actually came out in our hand. We were afraid to lean against the armoire for support because that also seemed wobbly. We walked out onto the balcony which has a beautiful view of the lake right across the street. The deck seemed to be in bad shape and the wood looked like it needed a lot of treatment. We weren’t quite sure how much weight this balcony could support. We were told ahead of time that no breakfast would be served, which is a shame, considering this is a bed-​and-​breakfast, but we knew to expect that. We were also told that there was Internet, but found it to be incredibly weak and at many times we could not get it. We weren’t sure whether they made up your room at a bed and breakfast and brought fresh towels in the morning, so we did not make up our bed. We came back into the room later and found the room was exactly as we had left it. All in all we thought that this was a bit expensive for the lack of amenities, but then again, having never been to a bed and breakfast, we didn’t know what to expect.

Very homey, private. We have dogs. Love the private entrance, first floor and location of property. Could trim a few bushes and power wash but its the charm of Lake Geneva. Grew up in this town. Have known it 45 years. Gr8 little hotel.

Reasonable, homey, private. We loved our getaway and loved to have our dog with us. It’s not the Ritz, but we stayed in the cottage and really enjoyed it. I don’t get some of the reviews about it being dirty– it certainly was not. Also, why do people expect breakfast? They have a website and you can look at it and adjust your expectations accordingly. It was perfect for our need to get some peace and quiet by the lake. Thank you Eleven Gables! I’d love to return, and hope we do soon.

Three of stayed at the Eleven Gables Ice House feb. 19 – 22. Great accommodations. Rustic, as it is older, but everything was very clean; especially kitchen and bathroom with plenty of nice new towels. Lots of space and the three bedrooms gave everyone private space. Being close to downtown allowed us to walk everywhere. It was below 0 a few days, but we were nice and warm inside. Could not have asked for a better spot. If you have 3 or more people, Eleven Gables is a great choice.

This place was abysmal. I was so ticked that we spent $ 400 to stay here 2 nights. The wallpaper is peeling off the walls. The curtains are twin bed comforters. The place looks like the guy who runs it, tries to do everything himself and he is in over his head. The master suite has a creepy mirrored door with a pad lock on it. The tub needs glazed and the shower curtain was moldy. The front porch smells like mold and must. The only good thing was the experience left us with something to make fun of and laugh about know that the nightmare is over. We were expecting Norman bates at some point. Very weird and creepy place. Could be an awesome place but needs $ 200k in rehab.

My husband and I stayed here for our 10^th wedding anniversary this past weekend. We chose Eleven Gables for it’s availability, walkable location and supposed comfy charm. The location, hands down, is awesome and the home itself is old and charming. We stayed in the Canopy Room/​Balcony Room was neither charming, comfortable. It was old and stale, and for the price we paid, totally not worth it.
Pitfalls:
* Ugly, outdated mauve carpet
* No shower head or exhaust fan in bathroom
* Bathroom door has hall access and offered little, if any, privacy
* Bed frame looked and felt like it was about to fall apart
* No screen for the sliding door (owner said «People don’t know how to work them.»)
* Comforters for curtains
* Air conditioner filter looked like the original (aka never been changed/​cleaned)
Fixes:
* Rip out the old carpet and either refinish the hardwood beneath or install durable berber carpet.
* Fit a shower head on the shower
* Wall off the bathroom so that the only entrance is through the guests’ room
* Replace the bed frame & mattress
* Install a screen door
* Replace the comforter curtains with actual curtains
* Replace the filter in the air conditioner, and fix the dial plate.
With a little TLC and a woman’s touch, this place could be fantastic. But as it stands right now, DO NOT rent the Canopy/​Balcony room!!! There’s a reason it’s the cheapest room in the inn!

No clue why anyone would give this place a bad review or say that the owner’s dog was not friendly?! My boyfriend and I had a great stay and took our 3 year old Aussie with us. We stayed in the Sunrise Peach room which was small but lovely and Gary, the owner, was super friendly and cool. His dog was incredibly sweet and friendly as well! The location is awesome and we took our dog for long walks on the lake path every morning. Also, if you’re looking to rent a boat we went to Marina Bay (also took the doggie:) across the street and had a great time! Def recommend Eleven Gables for anyone looking for a dog friendly B&B in Lake Geneva!!!

Unilocal removed my first review, so I cleaned it up a little.
I said «Fuck this place!» a hundred times in the 48 hours I spent here.
The toilet in our room was so unusually small that a man’s twig & berries lay across the front edge of the porcelain bowl during a poo like a wet noodle grips the side of a hot kettle. Following my first trip to this airplane lavatory, a floor tile stuck to my foot like a molasses shit on a hot summer day. I literally walked back into the room and heard the clickety-​clack of a 1-​inch ceramic square sucking my heal like a part-​time hooker looking for a better home.
The bed frame was made from an old brass rail out of a shitty bar in Milwaukee. A veritable musical instrument, it squeaked like bag of gerbils on tumble dry.
The owner was very friendly on the phone, but we never saw him after we checked in. I assume he was tending to the pen cameras. Or the obituaries. The walls of this joint are covered in framed obituaries from 2005 and 2006. Who knows what the fuck was going on back then.
Serious note — The owner seemed really friendly. He’s probably a pretty nice guy.
Okay, back to the review. Upon our arrival, the front door was locked and we thought the place had folded. After the owner finally answered the door, the first thing he showed us was the Mr. Coffee pot. He explained, «usually the first person to wake up brews a pot of coffee for everyone.» Kind of like the way the first passenger on an airplane passes out the soda and pretzels or the first patron to a restaurant fires up the grill. No, wait…
The sink basin in our bathroom was the diameter of a dessert plate and the faucet was so close to the side of the basin that the water just ran down the side. Banging your knuckles didn’t even work. We brushed our teeth with a cup of water. It was almost impossible to wash your hands — and believe me, that’s something you’ll want to do a lot of here. The showers are equipped with old squirt bottles of Dial hand soap. Weird. The bar of soap was smaller than a book of matches — so small in fact that it fucking fell down the shower drain.
There are no creature comforts. No ice. No iron or ironing board. No hair dryer. The doorknobs revert to the unlocked position every time they are opened. And the breakfast portion of this B&B was a cooler of yogurts and a bowl of bananas.
For $ 200 a night I’d rather pay someone to puke on my chest. And I’m not even into that kind of thing.

Think of all the wonderful reasons you opt to stay at Bed and Breakfast accommodations, because you won’t find any of them here!
1. Lack of cleanliness in the common rooms. We had to clean the glass top tables just to play bridge. Forget eating there
2. Be careful of the dirty loose runners on the stairs
3. The place needs a general clean up
4. You are expected to make your own bed, clean up your room. and save the towels cause you won’t get more, and bring your own bath stuff. You do get a bar of soap.
5. Get used to the barking of the owners dog ever time you walk down stairs or move.
6. Bring your own Bottled water, because there is none.
7. Enjoy the photo gallery of magazine Obituary stories.
8. Breakfast is a bag of granola, 2 yogurts and a banana the second morning that I didn’t touch and be careful if you turn on the coffee pot. I warned you!
9. Then what do you expect for $ 225 a night!
The saddest part is that the place could be great. It just needs an owner that «Gives a Sh. «
Allen
Chicago
JUly4 2014

Horrible, my room had thick cobwebs everywhere. The fridge was crawling with mold. No clocks anywhere. Everything was dingy. The final insult was breakfast — a bag of granola left on a table. Had to make the coffee myself.
On an interesting note, after I bailed, more than one innkeeper in the area told me they frequently took in guests disgusted with Eleven Gables. Apparently this place is not respected by their own peers. And that is bad.

Stayed in the dog friendly room of Eleven Gables this past weekend and it was a good experience. The room was nice and cozy, particularly for how old the building is. The owner was quite friendly and helpful and the Inn is located in a very convenient spot.
A couple things that didn’t bother me but may be an issue for some — the bed is very bouncy, not firm in the least, and the shower pressure is quite powerful.

Was considering booking a room, so when I had a chance to visit this B&B I went to the front door and asked if I could see the 2 rooms I was deciding between. Not sure if it was the owner who answered the door but he said no… the rooms were being made up and I couldn’t go inside. I didn’t think anything of it but when I came back and asked the same question at 5:30 in the afternoon he was very rude, told me he was a day trader and was going to bed… he closed the door on me! Not only did he loose my business but 2 other friends didn’t book as well… he shouldn’t be running a customer care business!

My fiancé and I made a trip to Lake Geneva and stayed at Eleven Gables. It was wonderful! The location is perfect– it took us five minutes to walk downtown, the lake is directly across the street from the Inn, and it’s off toward the end of a quiet street corner. We walked back and forth in between downtown and the Inn several times of the day. There’s also a private pier that you have access to as a guest.
The owner, Gary, is a very sweet man with an adorable red hound dog. Both are super friendly. My fiancé and I had a great little talk with Gary in the morning about dogs and rescue shelters. Gary seemed like a really nice guy– he gave us several recommendations for restaurants and told us about a beautiful path around the lake.
The room itself (The Rose Room) was cute, quaint, and totally reminded me of something out of 1940. I loved it! The Inn was great too– nothing modern or new about it. Because the Inn is so old (I think it was built in 1847?), the halls are creaky, the walls are thin, and you can hear people’s conversations in the hallway. However, that’s expected and part of the charm of staying at a B&B as opposed to a hotel chain down the street. The breakfast was very minimal (granola and yogurt with coffee) but there are several cute breakfast places down the street.
We’re definitely coming back soon and next time, bringing our dog!

Wow!!! Awesome inn. Didn’t really have my hopes high for this place but it was awesome. We stayed in the Wicker Courtyard. It was a nice room. The breakfast in the morning is awesome (homemade). Gary, the owner, is a really nice man. He is really nice to talk to. My dad talked to him for hours. The dog-​friendly part of the inn was the best. We will definitely come back here again for sure. P. S. The inn has it’s own private pier. And the view is really nice. All of this for a reasonable rate. Soooooo coming back here again.

I took my girlfriend to the inn for Valentines Day. We stayed in the Rose Room and were both very happy. Everything was clean. The place was decorated in beautiful antiques. Despite having a lake-​view room in the middle of winter, the enclosed gas fire place kept us plenty warm.
Gary, the owner, is a really nice man. He was very helpful in planning our trip. He adopted a hound from a shelter during our stay. The thing is a beast, but has a heart of gold and was very sweet and gentle to another guest’s small dog. On that subject, be aware that this is a very dog friendly establishment and it is likely that there will be a few there during your stay.
A complimentary breakfast is offered, but as Gary will tell you, it is very small. Generally it is coffee, juice and a small snack. One morning we had a short stack. Another we had a crescent roll with homemade jam. It was all very good, but not very much.
One last thing to be aware of is that I would not recommend staying in the Veranda Room. It’s right next to the front doors. The doors are impossible to close quietly. From the old building shifting the door gets stuck as its about to close. The necessary force required to shut the thing always results in a slam.