The Danford’s Inn is the best selection for lodging in Port Jefferson, notwithstanding the fact that they are a quasi total waterfront property. Multiple low buildings make up this elegant microcosm of Victoriana; we have stayed in almost all of the different locations except the main house. It is charming though, as the first thing you see as you enter, after two sets of doors, is a richly wooded parlor, with fireplace, sofas and cozy armchairs, the reception and registration desk, which is small and is reminiscent of a ticket booth in a casino. You have to be there to appreciate this. Because the Inn, and Port Jefferson itself, are both on the far end of the harbor, it takes forever to reach it. When you do exit on the LIE, you’re not there yet. You’ll drive about another 7 to 8 miles until you begin to see signs of real life on Main Street. At the very tip of the street is the Danford Inn with more side entrances than any place I’ve ever been to.
We have always managed to get a king size suite, and the last one had a balcony facing the Long Island Sound and had a fireplace. Sometimes the beds will have canopies, and sometimes they won’t. There is a definite element of spaciousness in the rooms, uncommon in most New York hotels. Room service is available on certain days and for certain meals. It’s a bit of mystery to me still how they work this. A very large couch is always part of the décor, sometimes facing a TV set, sometimes not. A writing desk with details about the hotel and its services is in all the rooms, together with a menu. Phone, data port, A/C, color cable TV (very limited service) and VCR available on request. They provide a coffee pot with hideous white powder, which I will never understand. Chuck always makes the trip to the kitchen to bring back Earl Grey, natural sugar and bona fide cow juice.
They have an excellent restaurant in the main house, American Bistro , where we’ve been for breakfast and dinner. The Loft Club , the inn’s night venue, offers live music and dancing on Friday nights. Additionally, adjacent to the main house, they offer rejuvenating services at their own Salon and Spa, but we’ve never availed ourselves of the services. A fitness center is also available with the usual machines of torture. There is daily maid service, and the majority of them do not speak English; this is where Spanish comes in very handy for me. I recall having one of the maid staff in total shock as I told her to make up the room while we were in bed, as we were so exhausted, we couldn’t even get up. She got braver as more time elapsed. A drinking glass exploded in the middle of the night from the heat of a candle. Never a dull moment.