A weekend getaway for my husband and I. Covid regulations were finally relaxing as businesses were…read moreopening back up and we were excited for our mini vacation. We booked a 2-night stay at Mountain Magnolia bed & breakfast for June 11-13th. This was our second stay here as our first time was three years prior. We even booked the same upstairs corner room with a huge deck and balcony. The weather during our stay was humid and rainy.
Upon checking in on an early Friday evening, the room appeared clean and welcoming. We immediately took showers to wash off the sweat and rain from our afternoon clay shooting. There is a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, however we didn't use it because of the stains on the tub floor. Even though it was most likely clean and sanitary, it wasn't screaming "come soak in me" the least bit. After a terrible dinner in town, we visited the hot springs hot tubs before coming back to our room for the night. It's unfortunate that the Inn did away with the restaurant they use to have down stairs. I loved that restaurant; it was incredibly convenient and they offered an amazing menu. Really bummed because the restaurant was half the appeal.
Day 2, we woke up later than usual, but the keeper had our breakfast waiting for us on a tray downstairs. Yogurt and granola, blueberry bran muffin, mixed fruit bowl, coffee, and a hard boiled egg. Yummy. I had booked a massage with a gal that came to the inn around 11 am, and she did an amazing job. Then we traveled down the road to the rafting place and rafted the river. By the time we returned to the Inn, the keeper was gone for the night. Which was fine, except we were in desperate need of fresh towels. The bath towels they provided us with the room were soaking wet and dirty. We searched the entire Inn looking for a linen closet with no luck. So we finally made the decision to "borrow" the towels from the downstairs room that was clean and had no residents. At least, we think it had no residents. Ugh. I really hope we didn't take some poor couple's towels who had a super late arrival. Whoever thought that 2 towels for 2 adults for 2 nights was enough, was so wrong. I need 2 towels just for myself for 1 night. Lol. Anyway, after stealing towels from another room (don't worry, we left a note), we showered and headed to bed. Breakfast was available to us the second morning, but we were only interested in the coffee before hitting the road home.
Here's a list of the positives: Parking is easy.
The rooms are big, clean and welcoming. They provide WiFi. Checking in and out is easy, smooth and hassle-free. The balconies provide a beautiful view. The corner balcony is huge. The bed is super comfortable. There's air conditioning, a ceiling fan and extra fan in the wardrobe. There's a fireplace and extra blankets (also in the wardrobe). There's hangers in the wardrobe, in case you forgot to bring some. They also put the hair dryer in the wardrobe. They gave you a built-in treasure hunt game called "where is everything?" You have access to power outlets to charge your electronic devices. Breakfast is awesome. The inn keeper is nice and welcoming. They provide you with shampoo, conditioner and body wash in a wall dispenser. And the bathrooms have a jacuzzi tub.
Here's a list of the negatives: Cell service is inconsistent (which isn't really their fault, it's just a spotty location). They only allow smoking in one area on the premises, and that area doesn't include your private balcony. You can only use the fireplace in the winter. They only provide you with 2 towels, which isn't enough for an extended stay. You could probably get more towels by asking the inn keeper, but make sure you do it in the morning when she's around and not evening when she's gone. The tubs could be cleaner. There is no tv in the rooms. The wardrobe in the room has no handles, making the opening of the doors quite a hassle. The drawers in the bottom of the wardrobe are broken, making them unusable. You can't turn the ceiling fan on high without it shaking uncontrollably, giving you the feeling of being in a deadly earth quake. The bathroom is small with no counter, leaving little room to place your makeup or toiletries. And the balcony is very unpleasant in the rain (they need to provide a table umbrella, or small gazebo of sorts).
Normally, one would look at the negatives and think "well that's not so bad." However, when you see the price tag for a night's stay? That little stuff becomes a much bigger deal. We paid a little over $250 per night. The price tag was WAY too high for what they offer, in my personal opinion. With all that being said, I still heavily recommend this inn. We were told that the place is getting new owners soon, so hopefully they address the issues and maybe lower the price. We will definitely be back.
