Strange place. It's somehow owned by a public university system, but forget about separation of…read morechurch and state. "Jesus Loves Me," propped up on the piano. 'Manna in the Desert,' or some such volume in the room. Caretaker had an appointment in the morning, so the breakfast bit of 'bed and breakfast' was lacking. A crazy resident, who we weren't quite sure was real, haunted the halls. Caretaker cooked smelly dinner after hours. Exterminator knocked on the back door next day when caretaker was gone. I begged him to wait till we had left the house for good.

When I needed to find a place for an extended stay in this comparatively rural area, I was…read moreinitially discouraged by my choices -- my only options initially appeared to be the so-so (and comparatively expensive) motels in the area. However, someone at one of the chain motels clued me to the Trotter House which turned out to be ideal. It's an elegant, beautifully maintained old-style two-story mansion owned and operated by the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Even though it's wonderfully decorated in an old, southern style, it's a very relaxed place -- nothing uptight about it at all and the guests have plenty of leeway to come and go as they please and to use the kitchen. Each room is nice and spacious with its own bathroom (bathtub, shower/tub combo, or jacuzzi), a thermostat for heat and A/C, and cable TV. The rooms are all upstairs, open into the hallway, and are nice and quiet. They each have either direct or hallway access to the balcony porches that look out onto the pleasant tree-covered grounds. There are several very nice rooms to relax in downstairs (one with a TV) and a spacious dining room, too, next to the kitchen. The free wi-fi is good and there's a Keurig coffee maker 24/7. There's a really nice wrap-around porch on the first floor -- a great place to have coffee and look out at the yard or the neighborhood. The neighborhood is a nice place to take a walk, too, since there are lots of fantastic old houses along the same street as well as a nice new library with a screened in reading area at the far end of the street. The house is also only a two-minute walk from the town square with its shops and a restaurant with a bar (convenient since -- heads up -- it's a dry county except for a couple of places). The house is very well run and the people are very friendly and unobtrusive. The manager, Lisa Kelley, is very friendly and professional and makes all the guests feel right at home - a perfect host! Since I was doing an extended stay, I usually made my own breakfast, but I did have the served breakfast a few times and also saw what other guests had. The food is excellent and varied -- Southern, but with some nice gourmet touches and the staff was flexible about guests' food preferences as well as the serving time. They really worked to make it a pleasant stay. Downsides? I can't really think of any, unless walking up the stairs happens to be an issue. (Hint: Ask Lisa about a possible option even for that situation.) The Trotter House became more like a home away from home for me since I was there for an extended period, but it would be great for a weekend getaway, too. I can't recommend it highly enough. Its rates compare quite favorably with the regular motels in the area. During my stay, I also saw how nice it was for hosting weddings and other events, both inside and outside. A great find!

Our room on the courtyard was spacious and comfortable. Laura in the office is terrific…read more Coming to El Dorado, especially at Christmastime, this place is where to stay.

Unique stay, affordable, in the heart of the city near food and shopping. Would highly recommend!read more

We came to the BarJ to celebrate my 11year olds birthday. She had asked for a ranch "experience"…read more What we found was indeed a ranch experience, she spent days on horseback, with border collies who herd cows (and kids) and with the nicest crew of any organization we have ever visited. We were catered to from the first phone call. They even made a birthday dinner/cake and joined the celebration. Will took extra care to make sure everyone in our party was engaged, the interns and Will made sure the horse experience was appropriate, fun and informative for our kids including our 6 year old with a prosthetic leg. The kithen and ranch staff are friendly and efficient and more concerned with our comfort than the staff at 5 star resorts! Lodging is rustic, food is simple, so if you want a taste of country life....this is Green Acres!

If you just want to relax and do nothing or want to zip line and horse back ride this is the place…read moreto go! The owners and ranch hands are awesome people and they have a ministry here that is unique and much needed. The cabins are very cute and clean and you can't beat the price! If you are here Wed. or Sunday you can even attend church at the other end of the chow hall. At them moment I'm sitting by the fire listening to one of the interns play piano and sing. Need I say more?

The room had dirty sheets on my bed. The room is usually clean when I go there…read more The staff were very friendly. The property did not have breakfast at all when I was leaving that was very disappointing.

Traveling through late at night. Was able to get a room quickly for a reasonable price. Room was…read moreclean. Bed was very comfortable. Bathroom was also very clean and upgraded recently. WiFi didn't seem to work, but otherwise was a great stay.

Chain hotels are not run and managed by corporate employees. They are run by contractor management…read morecompanies. This hotel is run by Krishna Management, LLC. We now nickname them the gang that can't manage straight. We have stayed at this hotel four times in the last 12 months since our last review and quality of furnishings continue to degrade. Our recent stay over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and six weeks prior to that revealed a broken elevator. It seems Krishna management can't find anyone to fix the elevator. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem for the short term part time traveler. But for those unexpected travel with more things to haul, this can become a big problem especially if you're elderly or handicapped do you think someone at HG would take a look at Krista management once in a while to make sure they're doing your job right but it's pretty clear there's a little oversight. The staff continues to be friendly and cordial but quality overall is lacking. During our previous stay, six weeks earlier, we couldn't get anyone to clean the room, and when they did, the work was incomplete and sloppy We no longer recommend this hotel. There's a Hampton Inn across the street in the same town. Is the only other alternative for a major chain or brand name Hotel.

ZERO STARS!!!!!!!!Booked through Hotels.com. Two rooms. I had a death in my immediate family and…read morehad to cancel. REFUSED a refund through them. The "manager" was unavailable to take care of this. I only hope they do not have the same situation. Hotels.com & Holiday Express Monticello/Goshen are nothing but money hungry, unfeeling, & cold hearted. DO NOT GO TO THIS HOTEL!! Go with another more reputable hotel chain. I had two rooms booked, I could have used that refund to help pay for the funeral! I will NEVER go to any hotel in this pathetic company.