Policies & FAQs

Reservations are confirmed upon receipt of a $50 deposit plus taxes. 7 days prior to arrival, the full amount due is collected via the credit card on file. If you wish to use a different payment method, please notify us prior to the 7 days. Any bookings made within 7 days of the reservation date will have the full amount collected at the time of booking.

A 7-day cancellation notice is required for a full refund of your deposit (less a $5 cancellation fee). Within 7 days, you will be charged for the full amount of your booked stay. Only nights that get rebooked will be refunded for that night only (less a $20 processing fee.) We highly advise travel insurance. Why do we charge a cancellation fee? The credit card companies charge us at the time of booking and again when we refund money. The cancellation fee is to offset the money that we would not recover. We are a small hospitality business and appreciate your understanding of how cancellations affect us, especially last-minute ones. Because we know plans can change at the last minute, we encourage you to look at purchasing the travel insurance offered at the end of the booking process.

Cancellations due to weather will only be refunded if the road leading up to our driveway (Hwy 56) or our driveway itself is not passable. We highly advise any guests to look into that would cover weather-related cancellations. We are a small business that can’t afford to cancel if your weather is bad but not ours. We appreciate your understanding of that.

Check-in is 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Please let us know if you need to arrive later than 7pm. An early check-in may be subject to additional fees. We often run errands before the 4pm check-in time, so please don’t worry if you arrive here before 4pm and we are not here to check you in. That is why we ask that you please make every effort to not arrive before 4pm (unless you have added the early check-in option on your reservation.) Early check-in is 2pm and must be pre-booked. We want to make your first impression a good one and often are not ready for early arrivals.

Our check-out time is 11:00am. We can not accommodate a late check out time, therefore, if you are late with checking out, you may be charged an additional fee.

Early check-outs are considered cancellations, and you will be responsible for, and billed for, the remainder of your reservation. We will only issue a refund if we are able to get the room rebooked.

We are pleased to offer free Wi-Fi on our property, however, it is only available in the Main Lodge. The WiFi signal does not reach to the other buildings. We very much want you to disconnect to reconnect with your favorite person, therefore, you will not find TVs in the rooms. That's why you are interested in us right?!

Sugar Tree Inn is most appropriate for adults and children 10 yrs of age and older; therefore, children under the age of 10 are not allowed. Please note that if you arrive with a child under the age of 10, you will be denied accommodations and forfeit your right to any refund.

A full breakfast for two is included with the room rates (up to four for Shenandoah Suite).

We offer dinner service on Friday and Saturday evenings (you will be contacted a couple of days prior to your stay with the dinner options during your stay.)

We do offer Sunday-Thursday evening options as well. They include Bowls of Soup, Meatball Sub, Chicken Tender Meal, Hot Dog Meal, Chicken Caesar Salad, Charcuterie Board, or a Country Basket. Please note the Sunday-Thursday evening options are not available for ordering after 6:30pm. The Country Basket and the Charcuterie Board can be pre-ordered and ready upon your arrival.

Advance reservations are required for our Friday and Saturday night dinner service.

Each room has a stone surround wood-burning fireplace (with the exception of St. Mary’s Cabin. That room has a propane-burning fireplace). Fireplaces are open during our colder months (typically late September-early May) and close during the warmer months. We do provide enough wood for you to have a romantic fire. They are not intended to be the primary source of heat, therefore, we ask that you be kind with your usage of the wood. Do not overload the firebox as that will cause damage.

Please refrain from using the fireplace on the morning of your departure. We often have another guest coming into that room the same day and us trying to clean out a fireplace with an active fire makes it extremely difficult to have the room ready for the next guest. We appreciate your understanding.

As of June 8th, 2026, we will no longer be accepting pets. We are aware this is a major disappointment to many of our guests that have enjoyed traveling with their furry family member, but due to recent occurrences, we have decided to pause allowing them. If you made a reservation before June 8th, 2026 and selected one of our pet friendly rooms (Shenandoah Suite, Cyrus McCormick, or Rockbridge), you and your dog will still be welcomed.

We do occasionally experience power outages here up in the mountains, so if you do have something that requires power (i.e. CPAP machine), we encourage you to bring a back-up battery just in case. We do not give refunds if we experience a power outage as that is something that is out of our control. Other options would be discussed only if the power outage lasts for an extended period of time (more than 36 continuous hours.) Don’t worry! It has only happened once since we have been here.

All of our buildings and rooms are smoke-free. You may smoke outside, and we have provided ashtrays for your use. A $250 recovery fee will be added to your bill should we find or smell evidence of smoking in your room.

Any damages, intentional or otherwise, will be billed to your credit card. This includes misuse of towels or washcloths.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Debit Cards, Venmo, and of course cash. Just a reminder that we do take full payment 7 days prior to arrival. If you want to pay with a different form of payment than what you made the reservation with, please contact us so we can make those arrangements.

Yes! We are less than one mile west of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile Post 27. At the end of the ramp, you would turn right on to Hwy 56 (Tye River Turnpike) towards Steeles Tavern. We are 3/4 mile down on your left side.

Sugar Tree Inn is exactly 19 miles from either city. We are centrally located to reach either city in 30 minutes or less.

Yes! We serve a 2 course Chefs Choice breakfast each morning. It will be important to let us know of any dietary restrictions you have as that helps us determine what we will be serving that morning.

Absolutely! We are a perfect property small for reunions, gatherings, and retreats. We can work with your group on food options during your stay.

We have so many nearby they are hard to list them all! We have a hiking trail on property that is approximately a 1 mile loop. In the guest information book, we have a list of guest favorite trails as well. If you are curious to know some of our guest favorites, check out our blog Take A Hike Buddy! Our Favorite Hiking Trails Near Sugar Tree Inn.