We received instructions that check-in was between 3-5 pm. When we showed up around 4, it was raining and the door to Emma's was locked. There was a sign to go to the accounting office across the parking lot. We ran over and that door was locked as well. I yelled "Really?" (as I mentioned it was raining & my hair frizzes up instantly) which I think the owner heard as he seemed annoyed at me when he finally made his way to the door. He kept us there in what felt like a "vetting" session that lasted a good 5 minutes before walking us over to our room. After showing us around, he proceeded to talk to us for at least another 15-20 minutes, mostly about his granddaughters of which he is very proud. When giving us the key, he said not to use the front door, only the back door but didn't indicate why when I asked.
The room itself had a large number of dressed up dolls & soooo many antiques, although no real theme. Mixed in with the antiques were photos of his Granddaughter, Sydney and her family that would stare back at you as you lay in bed, and some books & clothes that I suspect belonged to the owner who also lives in the house and must do some room hopping. I would suggest he commit to living in the Sydney room and not renting it out at all. The place definitely needs a woman's touch - There were those cheap, dry your skin out, individually wrapped bar soaps but no soap dish. Bath salts but no bathtub. The robes provided were nice and soft but stained. There was a "portal type" shower stall that had the door broken off. Instead of fixing it, some electrical wire was used as a bar and a curtain was put up. Atrociously weak water pressure. There was shampoo, a working hair dryer, & iron/ironing board which were appreciated.
Every time we would leave our room or arrive back to the B&B, Ron could be found sitting right outside the entrance (between the back door and our room) forcing us to engage in small talk with him. This may be fine for some but we aren't small talk people and thought it was odd that as old as he is Ron hasn't learned basic boundaries or how to read people. What's worse, we didn't feel comfortable speaking openly while in our room as he was always right outside the door watching the TV he has setup there. It honestly felt more like a prison at times than a relaxing Bed & Breakfast.
Ron seems very lonely, which is sad but he needs hobbies rather than depending on his guests for stimulation. The larger/more expensive room is not worth the extra money at all as the extra space is just a large room that housed a TV, a terribly uncomfortable couch, and a kitchen table with rickety ass chairs. If you wanted to watch TV, you can't see it from the bed and watching from the couch was not comfortable for any amount of time.
Breakfast was fine but we were under the impression that there was an actual chef. George is a nice, older man but a chef he is not. Breakfasts consisted mostly of pre-packaged foods warmed up. There was a frozen vegetable potato mash that was good but I would have preferred not knowing that the secret ingredient was Ranch dressing. I admit to being a bit of a food snob and prefer to avoid MSG/overly processed foods. The omelets were eggs folded over ground sausage, made with an omelet maker rather than the "chef" just learning how to make a freaking omelet. Waffles tasted like ego's and the syrup was definitely derived from HFCS instead of the maple syrup you would expect at a Bed & Breakfast. Pecan tarts and rolls tasted good but were definitely store bought. I will say that the tap water in Springfield is amazing so the Folgers brand coffee they provide actually tasted decent.
Overall, the stay was one we will definitely never forget. But not for the reasons you would expect when spending nearly $200/night. I hesitated to write this review as I felt bad for Ron after hearing his back story but at the same time, I feel people need to know what kind of stay they are signing up for when spending their money at this establishment. The land that the property sits on is gorgeous but the experience itself is not as advertised. read more