Billy and his staff were absolutely amazing! Last year we stayed at another local B&B which was great, but slightly further away from DoG Street than we wanted to be this year. We were delighted to find the Fife & Drum and how close it was to everything in Colonial Williamsburg.
A few items of note for potential first timers: The staff is great about giving you information ahead of time, but some of these things we didn't know to ask about. Nothing bad at all, just items to be aware of.
1) If you've never been to F&D before, it can be a bit difficult to find, if you don't know where to look. It is actually upstairs over several cute shops and places to stop and have a bite, but GPS can get very confused when you type in the address. So be on the lookout for the sign overhead of the front door.
2) Parking - In your confirmation email they let you know that parking is limited, as it the loading and unloading area for luggage. Pay special attention to this! There are only 6 parking spaces, and they are across the street from the Inn. If you have quite a bit of baggage, just know that there is a chance you will need to bring it all across the street, as well as upstairs to your room. The staff is amazing however, and always offer to help you carry things!
3) Shops downstairs - we stayed in the Yorktown room, which is over the kitchen area of Retros Diner downstairs. After the first night(*) it was fine, but be aware that if you have small children, or want to go to bed prior to 9pm, there will be a bit of noise as they close down for the night.
4) Room amenities - LOVED IT! We have stayed in several historical B&B's and this one by far had some of the best amenities in the room! Most of all what I liked was the ability to control the temperature in our room! We have stayed in other locations where everything was controlled from the front desk. Even during chilly Virginia winters, I like it cold, and the ability to turn off the heater was a plus. Also, the bathroom was GORGEOUS! I wanted to take that glass and tile shower home with me!
5) Breakfast - YUMMMMMMMM. Every day was something different and all of it was amazingly delicious! There were also cookies, chips and drinks laid out in the afternoon for those who may want a snack.
Now for the downside:
* The first night we were at F&D was Colonial Williamsburg's Grand Illumination. As such, many of the local businesses were open later than usual to accommodate and account for the influx of people (seriously, if you've never done G.I. at CW, GOOOOOOO). Having said that, because our room was over the kitchen (as previously mentioned), there was *quite* a bit of banging and noise being made as the kitchen staff was going about their business,washing dishes and turning over everything to accommodate the crowds. However, when we mentioned it to the owners the next day (who also, coincidentally, have a hand in the diner downstairs), we didn't hear another sound the remaining nights. We chalked it up to Grand Illumination, as I mentioned, but I really thought it spoke to the level of service, as the Owner of F&D seemed quite upset that we did not call him in the middle of the night to report the problem. We told him it was no problem, and as I say, it didn't happen again. That is the only downside to our entire stay there, and the only thing that kept me from giving a full 5-stars. Everything else was superb! We would definitely stay here again. read more