Apart from the gloom of the pitch black unlighted gravel driveway at night and the lack of adequate signage there was plenty else to find fault with including the guest room’s 1950’s (1960’s?) ambiance which has not been updated since then except for the installation of what appeared to be a 24” flat screen in one corner of the room. Maybe it had features deserving of architectural awards when it was built, but today it is just dated and old timey without the charm we imagine of those times.
Sure, there was a river view. But that view was through filthy glass embedded with leaf scraps and bug smears.
Midday, trying to locate the primary reason for my visit to this property, the Middleton Plantation House, was a frustrating object lesson concerning the need for adequate signage. An arrow here and there at ankle level was definitely not helpful. The arrows prompted the question, “to where?” each time they appeared. They could have been guiding me to the restaurant, the chapel, the mill, or the equestrian center as well as to the house. It was just by good fortune that I finally walked past an employee near the house who indicated the correct direction of travel.
Toward evening I plugged in two computers only to find neither could connect to the Internet. Several hours earlier I had been working at the same computers in a hotel nearby and they connected without any issues. Despite some assistance from a maintenance person, who unplugged and plugged in the router, neither computer would connect and I was assured that it had to be a result of firewalls on my computers- firewalls that I do not have!
Switching focus to an evening of TV was an option, but watching the tiny screen from the bed a number of feet away was pretty difficult.
If I were not afraid to bring my luggage down a long, steep, outside staircase into the unlighted parking area I would have left then.
Instead, I decided to force myself to stay and try to sleep despite the smoky odor permeating the floors, walls, ceilings, and curtains from the wood logs burned in the fireplace that had apparently been enjoyed by many previous guests. I can understand that some people find a wood burning fireplace unique and impressive. Having experienced wood burning fireplaces I know how they can permanently contaminate every surface of a room making it impossible to breathe clean air. What makes this even more puzzling is that the Inn is a non-smoking property and charges a fee of $250 to patrons who leave a “distinctive smell of smoking” in the room!
This place is not Shangri la even though it is surrounded by nature. There are so many improvements that should be made in order to make this better than camping in a tent, which being a lot cheaper probably would be preferred by many. I felt like I was in a rustic hunting lodge rather than an Inn.
There were not many guests as far as I could tell by the number of parked cars in front of other buildings. There were no guests apart from myself in my two story building. It seemed to have about 6-8 separate apartments-which made my assignment to the room furthest from the registration area and up a steep flight of 16 steps all the more strange. I had reserved a river view king. Were there no first floor river view king’s? Or, maybe one a little closer to the parking area?
In any case, by 4 AM I felt I could stand no more of the smoky ambience and I packed my bags. I carefully made my way down the steep concrete steps 4 times holding a bag and a flashlight in one hand while grasping the rail with the other. There were some path lights, but no overhead lights. Without my own lighting providing a safe walkway ahead I would have had to remain in the room until dawn. My car was basically invisible without my own auxiliary light.
The photos looked a lot better online than reality proved to be.
