We stayed Friday night through Sunday morning, with a full wedding party/family, for a wedding held at McCloone's (Yelp to follow). We took 10 of the 14 rooms, I believe.
Housing: As Neil noted, it's immaculate. It's an old building, therefore has an old feel, which we liked. Not 'Old' in a run-down sense, at all, but rather nearly historical. The hardwood floors, fixtures, decorations. etc, all speak to a different age. The rooms were spacious, clean, had their own bathrooms, etc. It really made for a nice stay. The shower in our master suite was a tub with the ringed curtain, and the shower head sort of jutted out of the wall, so it wasn't a five-star hotel shower by any means, but we took it as part of the allure/ambiance. It certainly did the job. As an older house, it can get loud with people going up/down the steps, et al, but again, perhaps that's part of the experience. As we had so many of our own people there, it was sort of like being home with the whole family during the holidays. The front porch is a huge selling point. Despite the fact that it rained (and maybe even because it rained) the front port was a gorgeous setting to have breakfast, looking out at the incredibly groomed grounds.
Location: Great location. Just a few blocks from the beach. I wouldn't call it 'walking distance', but its close enough to not be a bother. Just make sure you enter the zip into your navigation, so that you don't wind up on Cedar Ave in Long BEACH, as my cousin did (from DC, so he gets a pass), if you're not familiar w/ the area.
Staff/Customer Service: This is why they don't get 5 stars. Look, Esther is a business woman, not a "grandmotherly" BnB hostess. She lets you know, up-front, that you are a guest in her house. In fact, she greets everybody with "Hello, I'm Esther, this is my house that you'll be staying in". Nearly everybody jokingly said, within a half-hour of meeting her, "Did I do something wrong?". Its just a strange interaction. Having said that, it is what it is, and her social awkwardness (the best way I can put it) is just part of the game. She was virtually non-existent the rest of the time, and lets you have the run of the house. On Saturday morning, she sat with me for a few minutes as I sat alone on the porch after breakfast, and I found her to be intelligent and business-minded.
One interaction to be noted, after the wedding, we came back and a few of us were sitting in the front room talking for a few hours. Needless to say, two of our friends fell asleep sitting up on the couch (at 4 or 5am - we didn't sleep much that weekend), so we just left them there and headed up to bed. At 8am, Esther opened the sliding doors and, upon seeing them, very abruptly tossed them out. Clearly, they shouldn't have been there, and we apologized for that, but she could have had a bit more tact with the situation. We were not aware that there was a bedroom in the back of that front living room (even though there is clearly a door, and clearly a room number on it... we just didn't notice it), so yes, it would have been weird had somebody not associated with our party come out and saw our friends there. I have a feeling most people wouldn't throw a fit about it, knowing an entire wedding party was taking up the house, but yes, they shouldn't have been there. Again, just an interaction that didn't leave everybody feeling warm and fuzzy.
Value: Awesome value. Its less expensive than most hotels in the area (that you'd actually want to stay in), and the breakfast is out of this world. Let me say it again, the breakfast is out of this world. I had "Eggs on a cloud", both mornings. Its made-to-order, individually made and served, anywhere within a two-hour window. The setting is beautiful, and we really liked the "hominess" of the the BnB as opposed to the antiseptic stage of a hotel.
The big question is, would we do it again? Yes, absolutely. But just know, going in, that you won't get away with anything (ie extra people in your room, so don't try having parents and your 3 kids under 8yrs all in the same room), and its not touchy-feely service... but it is very good, professional service. As long as you're not surprised by that, it'll be a good time. read more