Samantha M.
Yelp
We stayed here in July while attending a wedding, and there were some great (and some not-so-great) things about our stay. Let's start with the great: the upstairs room we stayed in was spacious. The bed was super comfy and there were so many pillows! I can never have enough pillows, so this was awesome. The breakfast was cooked well and was tasty. The location was perfect for the wedding we were attending and was close to everything we wanted to walk to!
Ok, then there was the not-so-great stuff. First off, no one is there to help you check in should you arrive past 7pm, and their website has NO number that anyone will answer should you arrive after the receptionist/employees leave. We arrived later than intended, around 9, and the problem with this is that the only number listed on their website or in my confirmation email was the one for the B&B's main line. We spent nearly an hour trying to get someone to answer. After 45 minutes of calling and knocking, we almost gave up and drove back to Jacksonville. It was late, it was hot, we were tired, and NO ONE ANSWERED THE PHONE!! Out of pure desperation, I went to the second level to bang on random doors to get an emergency number and happened to find our assigned room, with the door unlocked. Once inside, I found the emergency number and managed to find out from the bewildered man who answered that our keys were in the mailbox beside the front door. I explained that no one had called us and we had absolutely no way of knowing how to check in. He said he would tell "her" (whoever "her" was) to make sure to do that in the future. I cannot tell you how frustrated we were at that point! That number (see photo) would be useful to put in EVERYONE'S confirmation email, regardless of their anticipated arrival time.
So, the second thing that bothered me was that no one ever spoke to us about being there during our stay. I thought that was weird. I mean, who are those people who slept in that unlocked room? Was it really the intended guests? I found it a little strange. Brunch was good, but it would have been nice to have gotten a "Hey, how are ya?" Or some sort of friendly chit chat with the employees. I mean, it's a B&B, aren't they supposed to be known for that? The hot water upstairs didn't really work until my shower was pretty much over. Probably just an "old house" thing, but it could definitely use a tweak. Additionally, the downstairs visitors smoked quite a few cigarettes near their patio in the courtyard-this may or may not bother you, but I'm not super into walking through clouds of cigarette smoke. And yes, like others have mentioned, parking is nearly four blocks away. When we checked out, someone left their car in the one eeeennnnsssyy spot used for unloading/reloading. It was there for at least 45 minutes. I know this because I brought down our bags and then waited while my fiancé walked to Timbuktu to get our vehicle.
I've been to other B&Bs in the area, and I've never had an experience quite like this one. For the $$$, I did expect something a little different-like an email, perhaps, with a contact number that is actually useful? I can tell you I will NEVER make a reservation again for a B&B without getting those digits and details should I, you know, be so into the food and socializing at a wedding rehearsal that I decide to check into my room at some ungodly hour (aka 9pm).
I think if you have those details down, and you're cool with the parking, you'd be okay to choose this establishment for a night or two. It's really a great location and it is very convenient. Just be sure to check into your room before the sun goes down.
