Awards & Testimonials

Relais & Chateaux since 2006
Wine Spectator Award of Excellence
DiRoNA (Distinguished Restaurants of North America) Award
AAA Four Diamond Award
Exxon Mobil Four Star Award

"The food at the Clifton Inn in Charlottesville is fantastic. The service, however, is positively awesome. (Look, when you're from Miami, getting a waiter who actually cares about your dining experience will take your breath away.) The Clifton Inn features a tasting menu. You can order as few or as many dishes as you want. Trust me, you'll want a lot of them. The kitchen staff sent out plate after plate of expertly prepared foods, not fussy, but quietly sophisticated in terms of flavor combinations and presentation. The wait staff is attentive to diners, can answer any questions about how the food is prepared--and knows when to go away and let you enjoy your meal. They even swing by the table and refold your napkin when you've excused yourself from the table to peek in the kitchen. Impressive!
Nancy Ancrum

"The food is good enough that I'd be happy to sleep on a cot or in a broom closet"... lovely little oasis... 10 min from C-ville... well-appointed rooms.. 'superb service'... taste of history and a real Randolph/Jefferson connection... anyone for croquet?"
Zagat Survey 2007

"Staying at the Clifton Inn is like having your own country estate complete with staff."
Washingtonian September 2005

"Later, sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to raid the cookie jar (a Clifton tradition), there's no need to worry about having to make chitchat with your host. At Clifton, you feel like a guest at the weekend place of some rich guy, without the rich guy."
The Washington Post

"In Charlottesville, Clifton reigns supreme."
Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report

"Clifton is a gracious, hospitable inn which dishes up unusually creative fare."

Wine Enthusiast Magazine

"There are tens of thousands of hotels in the world. But there are just a few that are themselves the reason to make the trip. Among these, Clifton ranks in the top three or four. The meals are a sort Jefferson himself would have appreciated. The food, the service and the atmosphere were all beyond reproach."
International Living

"The Clifton Inn was the perfect setting for our Commerce student etiquette dinner which was generously sponsored by Hecht's. The Inn is the epitome of elegant dining and the staff at Clifton made our evening one to remember."
Sarah E. Isham
Assistant Director, Commerce Career Services
University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce

"My wife and I had the pleasure of hosting our daughter's wedding reception and brunch at the Clifton Inn this past weekend. Over the years business and pleasure have taken us to many of the world's best hotels. As a result of this weekend the Clifton Inn rates at or near the top as relates to attentive service, friendliness and professionalism of staff and the cuisine. I expected perfection and perfection is what we got. Thanks to everyone at Clifton for fulfilling my daughter's dream of a storybook wedding!!
Sincerely,
Charles and Joan Longley