Boar's Head Resort

Reviews

• WC

  Wayne Clark

  Feb 15, 2026
  5.0
  I didn't stay at Boar's Head Inn on this visit; I only dined. I'll be staying there next month with my wife and her relatives from L.A. so please check back. I expect the experience to be absolutely stellar just as it was in the 1980s & 1990s when our family stayed there often.
• MP

  Michael Parker

  Jan 19, 2026
  1.0
  My wife and I spent the last two nights at the resort. The staff were delightful, our room was perfectly fine, and the services at the spa were outstanding. Unfortunately, the experience at The Mill Room was so bad that it overshadowed everything else. We ate there twice yesterday because we assumed the main restaurant at a property in this price range would be excellent. The website even advertises “the best brunch in Charlottesville,” so we started with brunch. I can promise you that most of what we were served was barely better than the complimentary breakfasts you get at average hotels. The food simply was not good. I could list specific items, but honestly, it would be pointless. Since it was our first visit and the restaurant is temporarily located in a ballroom due to renovations, we gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed the quality issues were related to that. We kept our dinner reservation hoping for a better experience. Dinner was even worse. The Caesar salad arrived with large amounts of visibly brown lettuce—not just a leaf or two, but enough to be obvious the moment the plate hit the table. The fried oyster appetizer tasted like nothing but old fryer grease. I was encouraged to try the Sunday night prime rib special, while my wife ordered the rockfish with broccolini and cheese grits. The prime rib was cooked incorrectly, completely flavorless, and somehow the au jus was even worse. Prime rib is my absolute favorite—I order it every chance I get—and I honestly didn’t know it was possible to ruin that cut of meat so thoroughly. My wife’s rockfish tasted noticeably fishy, which should never happen in a quality restaurant. And the cheese grits were simply a bad idea executed poorly—an attempt at Parmesan grits that completely missed the mark. Hoping to salvage the meal, we ordered dessert. My wife chose the apple galette, and I ordered the basque cheesecake. The galette was no better than something you’d pick up at a convenience store. And what they are calling “basque cheesecake” is nothing of the sort. Toasting the outside of a regular cheesecake does not make it basque cheesecake—the texture is entirely different. This was just mislabeled and disappointing. All told, we spent over $400 in that restaurant yesterday between brunch, dinner, and gratuities. I’m still stunned. It was so bad that we honestly wondered if we were on some kind of hidden-camera prank show. We chose to pay the bill, leave politely, sleep on it, and provide feedback in the morning. This morning, I went to the front desk to share our experience. I was told no manager would be available until noon. The front desk staff were extremely kind and professional and initially told me they would not check us out until a manager had the opportunity to review the situation and possibly adjust the bill. Despite that, we were ultimately checked out with no follow-up, no adjustment, and no contact from management. My wife and I travel frequently and have eaten at restaurants across Virginia, across the country, and around the world. We’ve had wonderful meals and we’ve had mediocre ones. I’m not someone who rushes to leave negative reviews online. But this experience was on a completely different level. Please think carefully before eating at this restaurant. Regardless of the price point, the food is genuinely terrible. The chef, the manager, and/or the kitchen staff clearly have no idea what level of quality should be served at a property like this. And to be clear—this is not about money. Just before dinner we spent over $400 for an hour at the spa, and it was fantastic. In fact, we would have happily paid double. We even discussed booking future appointments because the spa experience was that good. I highly recommend it. What I cannot understand is how a resort that gets so many things right allows its restaurant to ruin an otherwise terrific stay. If you decide to visit this property, do yourself a favor and plan to eat in Charlottesville instead.
• KM

  Kim M

  Jan 12, 2026
  5.0
  Lovely getaway close to Charlottesville. The lake view room was spacious and the view was great. The bathroom is on the small side with little counter space. The beds were comfortable but worn as one had a noticable dip in the middle. The lake view would be more limited when the trees have leaves. The winter view was very nice. We would definitely stay again. The location in proximity to UVA was fantastic.
• RM

  Rob McAnnally

  Jan 11, 2026
  5.0
  Dinner at the Mill was elegant—outstanding food! The resort is lovely and the service was impeccable. Great location for an event as well!
• JC

  Joy Chanelle

  Jan 11, 2026
  3.0
  For the price point, this resort was unfortunately very mediocre and overall disappointing. We are from Florida, where the word “resort” really means something (think year-round access to pools, water parks, gardens, activities, and amenities that are included and enhance the guest experience). Because of that, expectations were understandably higher. The hotel itself is extremely outdated. Furniture in the room was visibly worn and stained (see photo), which immediately took away from any sense of comfort or upscale-feel. For what is marketed (and priced) as a resort, the accommodations felt more like an overpriced two-star hotel. The biggest frustration was the mandatory resort fee. In the summer or spring, I better understand it's justification (due to the ability to golf, use the outdoor pool, enjoy the beauty of the gardens and grounds, etc). But in the winter, it’s genuinely unclear what this fee is supposed to cover. Most so-called resort amenities aren’t usable in cold weather (unless you’re willing to swim outdoors in 40-degree temperatures). If a property operates in a region with cold winters, it seems reasonable to offer winter-appropriate amenities that maintain a resort feel: an indoor pool, seasonal activities, ice skating, or at the very least complimentary access to the Christmas lights event for overnight guests. Unfortunately, none of that was offered. Even the holiday lights event (which was beautiful by the way) required an additional ticket, despite the resort fee. After paying it, we were left wondering what benefits we actually received. To be fair, the amenities we paid extra for were very nice. The on-site restaurant was delicious, and the spa experience was relaxing and well done (though a bit overpriced). Those experiences were the highlights of our visit. Ultimately, I would not recommend staying here. A much better option would be to stay at a more affordable hotel nearby and simply visit Boar’s Head for the spa and Christmas lights event, since you have to pay separately for everything anyway. There were no real perks to being a guest at the resort itself. And having access to an indoor gym in the winter doesn't make it a resort (many 2-star "non-resort" hotels offer indoor gyms, indoor pools and free breakfast). Overall, this property does not justify its price, and the “resort” designation feels misleading...especially during the winter season.

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