As I pulled up next to the Mt. Vernon Inn, arriving late in the evening, I was a bit concerned that I had actually arrived at someone's home. This is much closer to a bed and breakfast than it is to a big box hotel.
From the street in the dark, it's easy to miss the parking lot. If you do, you park at the front of the "house". Once I walked in, I met the receptionist and I was comforted that I was in the correct place. From there, it was one delightful surprise after another.
I walked through the enclosed courtyard to my room. The rooms are hard to describe, but they are similar to a townhouse condo. I opened the door, with an actual key, and found a large room with a comfortable bed, a large LCD TV with ample channels, a complementary robe, and a small bathroom. Although the bathroom is small, it had a large selection of toiletries that are often neglected at big box places: Q-Tips, face soap, makeup removal wipes, cotton swabs, and of course the necessities you find in all hotel rooms.
The room also has a small refrigerator, coffee pot, glass and paper travel coffee cups, spoons, an ice bucket, and a microwave.
I slept wonderfully on the bed, but managed to turn up by 8am for the complementary breakfast. A decent selection of cereals, yogurt, bagels, muffins, and oatmeal were available. In addition, there was fresh cut fruit and berries. I was happy with my cold selection when I sat down at a table. that's when I saw the hot meal options. Although there were a lot of options on the menu, I'm a sucker for poached eggs. Its the standard by which I compare all breakfast joints. So, I added two poached eggs and an English muffin. I got two eggs that appeared to be steam poached by some device, as they were perfectly shaped. Unfortunately, the eggs were overcooked. For that reason alone, I'm dropping the Inn to 4 stars instead of 5. If they want to be an Inn and/or bed and breakfast, they have to be able to properly poach eggs.
Nonetheless, I'll be using the Mt. Vernon Inn for all of my future trips to Mt. Vernon. read more