my wife and I booked a special two day getaway, have been to High Hampton years ago and were excited about seeing the new edition of the resort. Dayton, the Belman greeted us with a welcoming smile and took care of our luggage to our room, later he delivered a bucket of ice with the same courteous smile. While the room was being cleaned , we decided to walk down to Halstead house to get a drink and check it out. The main dining area was absolutely full of members playing cards. So we took our drinks to a table in another room. Not long after that we were asked to move to another table so four people I assume members could use our table. I thought that was a bit rude and felt like A second class guest.
We had booked dinner reservations for that night, but after looking at the menu online with four appetizers and four entrées We decided to go in town, The manager said it was not a problem and we would not be charged for that.
Would’ve been nice to have had some type of orientation regarding all the amenities, Pool,kayaks, croquet( Couldn’t use it anyway, was jammed with members). etc. We found out the second day, only by walking around, that there was a very nice continental self serve breakfast with coffee, muffins, and fruit. Wish someone would’ve let us know at the beginning, At checkout we also found out there are cold drinks, and snacks available for guest by the front desk, Oh well, we were leaving.
The big disappointment was the way my bill was handled at checkout, there were two charges one for $250 and the other for $50 that were not mine. Courtney The checkout person, assured me they would be removed from the bill and not a problem. Upon receiving my American Express statement there they were. Called the front desk and spoke to Justin the next morning. He said he would check into it and get back with me.. Never heard a word that day from anyone, called the next day and talked to Nicolina Telling her how disappointed I was in their follow-through, made her promise to get with the manager and get back to me. Later that afternoon she did that and I appreciated it. Poor Customer Service and a real pain in the rear trying to get things done.
Nice place, well kept, rooms were clean, the old Field of the Lodge is still there, views are great But for $1300 a night in my opinion definitely not worth it. Definitely a members club and the guest seem to be secondary to that, would never return or recommend it. Management needs to work on a lot of things with the employees to make it five star, got a ways to go!!!
This is a beautiful place, but it is first and foremost a very elite country club. I didn’t get that from the website at all. When you stay as a hotel guest, you have access to the country club, but in the summer it is full of members and their guests, and there is no part that is for hotel guests only. We felt very out of place here.
We knew the Blackberry Farm name was associated with High Hampton so we thought we would have that kind of experience, but it’s nothing like that. BF is an actual 5-star hotel for guests only, and High Hampton is primarily a member’s club crowded with hundred of members everyday who use their club every summer.
During our stay we never received information about how to use the amenities. There is no spa, room service, minibar, or poolside service. There is nothing to eat or drink inside the room besides water and coffee. The pool, lake, canoes, kayaks, lounge areas, everything is crowded with members and their kids. If you want to play croquet, you have to wear all white. The price that you see when you book is misleading because there is a 20% charge on the entire bill. It is really nice to not ever have to tip, but $200/night service charge seemed excessive for the amount of service we actually received. It also costs $37 to valet your car each day, also subject to the 20% charge. We looked up the initiation fee to be a member at High Hampton, and found $200k. The most expensive country club where we live is $40k.
On our first night my husband didn’t have a jacket to comply with the dining room dress code so we were taken to the member’s-only restaurant where we were denied service. We went back to the hotel and they still didn’t make an exception and let us eat dinner, they instead referred us to a place 15 minutes away where we would be allowed to eat. We paid $5k for 3 nights and the staff were snobs to us. It was really humiliating, especially when the hotel manager suggested a second-hand store as a place for us to buy a jacket.
The decor throughout is beautiful but the pool chairs are from 1991. They’re old and uncomfortable and honestly they take away from the view of the lake and the mountains. Somehow they got overlooked during the update. I will add that our room in the Lake Cottage was gorgeous and so comfortable, but cleaning staff missed some hair in the shower, which happens, but because of our dinner experience we were hypersensitive to everything wrong with the place.
If you want to walk around the property like my husband and I did, you will be the only people who are not in a golf cart and the members in their golf carts just kind of stared at us. There was a real sense of not belonging, maybe it was my own insecurity, but I’ve never felt that way at hotel. It just wasn’t a good experience for us as guests. We would never go back.
THIS IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A COUNTRY CLUB. We didn’t do much research before we booked a room, but we wanted a luxury escape for a few days, and for the price and based on the photos, I thought this was a 5-star hotel. This is, in fact, a massive and crowded country club with an inn and cottages on the property. The property location is excellent, the design and decor is immaculate, the service was very good, the restaurant was fantastic, but as a guest on a property full of members, the vibe is so…off. This is nothing like the Blackberry Farm experience because this place has hundreds of members on property everyday who spend their entire summers here every year. I don’t think the website or the other reviews highlight the fact that this is 90% members-only country club and 10% hotel. There are no parts of the property that are exclusively for guests, so the entire place is for the members and guests, then I think some aspects are members-only. I’ve never been to a luxury hotel that was set up like this, and it just doesn’t provide an experience anything close to staying at a luxury resort. I never want to come back unless I buy a summer house here and become a member.
So our experience got off to a bad start, and we almost left but decided to stay. We arrived on a Thursday at 7pm, tired and hungry, checked in and got a dinner reservation for 8:30. Went to the room with an info sheet and saw the dress code for the dining room and my husband didn’t have the right clothes. I was dressed in a dress and nice shoes but my husband was in khaki shorts and sandals. We went to the lobby to see how strict they would be and they discouraged us from eating in the restaurant. They drove us on a golf cart to the Holstead House to “try to get a seat” and they said it would be more casual. It was packed, and it really seemed to be members-only. We told the hostess that we wanted a table in the bar and she said to go grab a drink and she would find us or we could eat at the bar. We sat at the bar, ordered drinks, and the bartender asked for member number, we said we were guests, and she never spoke to us again. People were eating at the bar, but we were not offered menus or a place setting. We were so uncomfortable, plus it was really loud and so crowded, so we walked back to valet to get our car and go find food. A staff member came outside to check on us, and we told her we weren’t offered dinner, so she recommended a place and called to get us a table. It was a nice gesture, but it wasn’t the hospitality we were hoping for. The next day we went shopping and had dinner in the dining room. There were a lot of people dressed nicely in sport coats, but there were also men in shorts and a guy in shorts and flip flops, so they really should have welcomed us to have dinner that first night instead of sending us away.
So don’t expect room service here. There is also nothing in the way of a minibar. There is an empty fridge in the room with a few coffee creamers, some water bottles, and a Keurig. I think I was under the impression that there were multiple dining options for guests, including something casual, but in our experience the only dining option was the dining room for very nice dinner ($250+).
The layout of the property is designed for golf carts because this is a country club. To get to the gardens or the pool you walk on the road for cars or the golf cart paths which are used by members on golf carts. We felt out of place walking around with our stuff for the pool because everyone else was in a golf cart. There were actual hiking trails but they’re lined with members’ houses and construction of more member homes. One evening after dinner we walked behind the inn where there was a patio and 3 fire pits with Adirondack chairs and a view of the lake and the mountains but it was crowded with large families and they were playing bingo, so we went back to our room.
The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Our room was very small. But beware! They have a 20% service charge on the room itself which for us was about $175 a night in addition to the cost of the room. This was never explained to us and when I questioned it at the end of our stay, they couldn’t tell me what the service charge went to. I asked them for more detail and they said well it’s tips, valet, other essentials. They were very vague as to what the service charge was for.
The amenities and activities were very limited. We will not be returning to this resort. For the price that we paid it is very overrated.
They are unfortunately a place that hires woman and treat them terrible. Men bully woman out of there tips. They treat there staff like children. The front end staff are children and they praise them but treat the adults that work up front terribly you don't think bullying woman will get you bad karma and no business your out of your mind. The front end managers feel entitled and think very highly of themselves and the poor work they put out. I paid a lady a tip to move
my vehicle later one of the children kept that tip and didn't share it. The managers promote that. I would never recommend staying here the people that run this place are just plane out of touch with reality. It's ashame it would be a great place to stay at if it wasn't for the kids and front mangers that work there It's also shame that they are turning this place into a sub division. The whole management team need more training such as sensitivity training and maybe do more work themselves. Morale of the story go to the keys. Stay far away from this resort.
My husband and I were married here in 2009 when it was still a lovely rustic high end resort that had seen multiple generations of families vacation there. Today we stopped there to show our son where we were married and were turned away at the gate. We were informed by a local that new ownership had changed a lot of the resort and that we would not recognize it. So sad to see traditional values so callously thrown away for greed.
Fantastic service!! We were recently there for an all inclusive weekend. I would highly recommend that option. The employees went above and beyond to make our stay a pleasure. I have been to many 5 star resorts, Waikiki, Palm Beach, New York, etc. The personal service at High Hampton was better than anything I have ever experienced. Their attention to detail was amazing. The cleanliness of the room as well as service was untouched. And the food and wines were superb. Highly recommend a stay here. The same personal and luxurious experience you have at a private club.
Great weekend getaway spot! Everything exceeded our expectations from the staff, to the food, to the facilities. Every staff member we interacted with was super friendly and personable; a hard find with such a large staff. Breakfast and dinner was delicious everytime and had a different menu each day. The trails were well marked and maintained and offered beautiful views at the summits. We were already talking about going back before we left. Outstanding ?
Our weekend stay at High Hampton was truly delightful. The customer service surpassed all expectations; from the front desk to the restaurant staff, their service was impeccable. The cozy cottages, adorned with holiday decor, added an extra touch of magic to our experience. We're already planning our return in the summer—I highly recommend it
I can't speak to the rooms because I was only there for a wedding, but the staff was incredible, especially the bartender who was solo and whipping up cocktails for 85 people all night at rapid speed. It's gorgeous there and the staff were so friendly and helpful. Maid my job as maid of honor so much easier
Updated and refined. Retained some of the previous charm and history. Golf course very busy. Clubs weren’t delivered for start and they don’t clean them at night. Love no TVs in rooms (what hotel needs that nowadays), slanted floors, original wood, cuisine. Love how accessible they make nature. Don’t love the phones (couldn’t we just use our own?) and smoke detectors in bedrooms and wonder if they could have opted for something more subtle there.
Lovely old resort renovated fairly well. Beautifully tended grounds. Very friendly but undertrained staff (lots of warm smiles but few answers to questions), good food, but way too many kinks to be worked out before it's worth the prices they are charging.
Unheated pool, insufficient water safety equipment, rules, and staff, and difficulties finding out when things are available for guests versus local club members. We booked a year in advance but couldn't get golf times other than 8:30a or 2:30p, thus clashing with included family meal times. The croquet course was monopolized by locals/ club members. As Inn guests, we felt like second class citizens to the club members. Donkey and llama viewing times were not posted or known by staff. Damp, dew soaked day beds. A Spa reservations was "lost" and then found after the scheduled time. Shower door installed backwards with the towel rod on the inside, toilet paper holder falling off, impossible to use toilet without squeezing past door and shutting it. On and on it went.
Suggestions for simple improvements.
1. A property tour offered at scheduled times daily would have helped.
2. A "Manager's wine and cheese/ bites" gathering would have been welcome to meet and learn about the property, it's offerings, and staff.
Despite being marketed as an inclusive multi generational destination, it is not set up for this at all. You need to bring most everything from off premises.
No room service for anything except ice.
Restaurant hours are not small child friendly at all. Breakfast doesn't begin until 7:30a. Only one outlet opens at 11:30a for lunch, the others open at 12p. Dinner begins at 5:30p. Our group was not offered the child menu until the FOURTH night.
Dinner is three courses but the "rules" are not explained. Everything except tap water and brewed coffee is an additional charge. When I couldn't decide between two appetizers the server suggested to get both but did not mention the additional change. I was charged $33 plus for the second ($25 plus 20% service fee, plus other fees and taxes). Three way overcooked tenderloins midweek when the head chef was off. A few very bland dishes. Short pours (2.5 to 3 ounce) of white wine everytime (for @ $20 and up). Defensive attitude when questioned.
Strangely the menu does not offer many (nor emphasize) local/ regional ingredients. Carolina trout, Springer poultry, and Anson grits were about it. In a region rich in tradition, we were surprised that there weren't more local, foraged, inspired, greens, grains, fungi, fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, game, fish, cheeses, etc.
A cheese course as a dessert option would have been a welcome break from the overly sweet offerings.
We anticipated Blackberry Farm quality and offerings to go with their name on the renovation and their prices. We were disappointed. We will not be recommending it after our experience.
Amazing and beautiful area. Food is amazing. I had some shrimp and grits. Omg so good and I just have to tell you the cookies were the best cookies I ever had.
Our son gave us 3 nights at High Hampton. We could not have received a better gift. The staff, made up mostly of students from Western Carolina hospitality majors, was wonderful.
The food was incredible. I am not sure what the resort is like at full capacity but it checked all our boxes!
While I have stayed at other resorts (Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain) owned by the Beall family, I was disappointed with High Hampton Inn. Evidently, they have been running without a GM for several months. I was booked in the Log Cabin which looked like a quiet private retreat. It was on a VERY busy road and right by the entrance so very noisy with traffic. The chef has lots of "rules" about limiting room service to something I liken to a kids menu at a low budget hotel. No room service. This resort is not up to the high quality levels of the other Balckberry properties and needs lots of work to improve the customer experience. Not worth the price.
The whole experience is fabulous. You will receive first class service and personal attention to your every need. The front desk staff is extremely friendly, helpful and willing to make sure you are taking care of. The grounds are beautiful. The food is top shelf. This resort is a retreat away from the daily grind of life. Once you have experienced the High Hampton Resort, you will look forward to returning.
Not sure how old HH can jump above and beyond into the future - yet here we are. All the old vibes w new amenities. Foods the bomb. Golf course is uncomfortably nice (putting on pool felt) I shot a 90. Views for days. Bartenders, waiters, and chef crushed it. Bless all y'all.
Stayed there 3 nights last Nov and will be staying 4 nights this Nov. The staff was very helpful and accommodating. Food and food service was wonderful. The golf was amazing. A fantastic getaway.
Wonderful relaxing stay. Loved decorating Christmas cookies with pastry chef April! One night at dinner we could not decide between three appetizers so they brought them all! Another evening chef Scott shared a third entre! Obviously we ate very well. Staff all called us by name. Gym is outstanding.
We stayed at High Hampton two weekends ago and had a fabulous time! The new renovations are beautiful and tastefully done, while maintaining the old charm we love at HH. A huge highlight of our stay was the time we spent with Joshua, our sommelier. It was a pleasure having him guide us through wine pairings at dinner as well as a private tasting one afternoon. The wine and food were delicious (we tried almost all of the dining options and enjoyed everything). The hiking was beautiful, strenuous and not too crowded, which lead perfectly into a refreshing swim in the lake. We loved it so much that we will be back in November!
- Our only complaint would be with housekeeping. There were dirty dishes left in our room even after having our room "cleaned" and mentioning the issue multiple times to Front Desk.
My wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary with High Hampton. All aspects of the experience were exceptional. The service and smiling faces, the food, the beverage service, accommodations and the facility FIVE STAR! We have been to a few of these around the world and it has exceeded all expectations expectations. Thanks TEAM HH! J McWaters
Before it's recent renovation High Hampton was a grand old mountain resort in the genre of 'Dirty Dancing'. Southern families including my own have spent summer holidays here as long as I remember. It was great mountain venue though a bit dingy and worn. The new facelift is truly remarkable and preserving a lot of the feel of this old inn. Many new amenities have been added and the golf course renovation is extraordinary. Time will tell if this grand old resort can now attract the crowds it once had at fares more than double what they used to be.
My family has had a property in Cashiers for longer than High Hampton has existed. While not a guest or member of High Hampton, we've always been friendly neighbors, and I grew up hiking the Rock Mountain Trail and swimming in the High Hampton Lake. Recently, High Hampton was sold out of family ownership and, under new management by remotely headquartered Daniel Communities, has begun an alarming development project. While some growth can be expected, the complete and callous destruction of their natural resources is shocking and short-sighted. The High Hampton I grew up with valued and respected the mountains, and proximity and access to natural beauty was part of the appeal to its community. The new management does not seem to share these values, and has departed from the a long tradition of land stewardship. Already they have replaced large portions of the Rock Mountain Trail with a massive road, even bulldozing through the one remaining portion of the historic Cherokee Trace, once a heritage site and landmark of national importance, now simply gravel. They propose to build more roads and sell private lots all the way up the ridge of Rock Mountain, cutting off hiking access by the historic Rock Mountain Trail, and permanently marring the view shed of the entire Cashiers community.
As long as High Hampton continues down this path, acting with greed and disregard to both their community and natural heritage, I will continue to speak out against them. I encourage their membership and guests to speak up, as well. Rock Mountain is a treasure, beloved and iconic, and should be conserved for future generations.
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