The Ballastone is a wonderful historic property and is simply exquisite. We started each day with a nourishing breakfast (including gourmet, locally made pastries, a delicious granola blend--that I am craving right now, oatmeal, grits, yogurts, juice, coffees, teas, and many other "continental" choices), in a gorgeous setting on a marble topped table surrounded by antiques and glimmering chandeliers. Every staff member was a joy, always chatting with us as if we were longtime friends. Our luxury room was like time travel to a lovelier, nostalgic era full of beauty and comfort (and Jackie made certain our room was always in perfect order, I think she has magical powers). This was our very first visit to Savannah and The Ballastone is a big part of why we hope to return to this fair city SOON! Honestly, look no further...the Ballastone is a quintessential historic Savannah experience. Just be ready to be a little "homesick" for the inn and its wonderful staff after you depart. (We are already planning our next sentimental journey to Savannah and the Ballastone!)…
Lovely home now inn. We stayed in the Gazebo suite. Unique views of the front - over the garden patio and back - alley. On the 4th floor so nice views. Room was very large and included a sitting area. Bathroom was a bit small but workable. AC was very loud with multiple air intake vents in the room hallway. Didn’t impact sleeping or even visiting. Just annoying is you were in the bathroom and trying communicate with someone in the room. Grown son was in the connecting room Oglethorpe State room. It was beautiful as well. His view overlooked the front garden patio. Both rooms were private, quiet and no one could see in from the street o other rooms. Close to the elevator (handy!) and stairs - both front and back. Daily breakfast was great. Just enough to get us started. Very foodie town!! Collins for brunch is right around the corner. Ballastone is right next to Juliette Gordon Low home place. Location was very convenient. Easy to get to Forsyth Park or the River area. We felt rooms good value.…
I agree - the Ballastone is living off its reputation. The stay for us was terribly disappointing. Our room was not "historic" - it was in need of repair and a good cleaning. The elevator had an expired inspection sticker (6/21). So, of course, we were nervous about using it. There was some brown staining on the blanket which we were able to get changed when we brought it to the attention of housekeeping. The bathroom had broken tiles, the TV screen was dirty, there is no telephone in the room to reach hotel staff, there is no one there overnight in case of an emergency, the TV worked intermittently, the large table top was loose, the carpet was filthy (we would not walk on it barefooted), the shower head needed replacing, there was no one available to get us ice in the early evening. Breakfast was a complete joke; not your typical B&B breakfast, nothing made to order. The orange juice was rancid, twice!! even though we spoke to the manager the first time. Stay anywhere but here if you plan to visit Savannah. The city is so charming, but this B&B definitely put a damper on our stay. We wanted to speak with the owner/manager before checking out but were told we could not have the owners name. The manager on duty had a poor attitude.…
We had stayed here on our first trip to Savannah and loved the Inn, the hospitality, and the location. The Inn is still lovely and well-maintained and so was our room. The room was spacious, clean, with comfortable bed and seating, and the bathroom appeared to be recently re-done. It is my understanding, from a booking in early 2020 that the Inn cancelled due to Covid, and also from something I read online, that the Inn was re-doing a lot of the rooms during Covid and then it was sold. Do not know if this is true, but while the Inn was still physically lovely, some details were not as advertised and did not match our prior experience. I had emailed the Inn plenty of time before our arrival asking about restaurant referrals. Did not hear anything back and had to ask again a few weeks later, and the referrals were good ones, but ( had to ask a second time. Website says guests can enjoy a drink at the bar after dinner and that bar snacks are available at 5 pm. We never saw snacks and it was even hard to find a person at 5 pm, they were presumably getting ready to go home, and the bar closed well before dinner hour. Website also said we could purchase trolley tour tickets at the inn, but when I asked we were told “the woman who does that is not working today”. But most shocking, no one ever asked if we wanted help with our bags. Hubby and I are a combined 155 years old, two young and presumably able-bodied folks were at the front desk and/or the ‘office/computer room just adjacent to the front desk. Both knew we were checking in as we conversed with both, Our car was parked at the “Checking in” spot in front of the inn. While there is an elevator, thank goodness, and it was a short stay so we did not have very large luggage, there are steps to even get into the front door which hubby navigated with luggage by himself. Also, the breakfast offerings are limited, and in the post-Covid era that’s not unusual. I think also possibly because the parlor space where the breakfast is set up is small, but they also put out very small plates, maybe 8” diameter, and the perhaps unintentional message that sends is “don’t take too much!” I understand that the hospitality industry has staffing issues. But in March we stayed at a longtime favorite inn in Charleston, and in May stayed at a favorite small hotel in NYC and there was no shortfall in the hospitality and only minimal change in offerings at either of those. Despite they also having been closed for well over a year.…
My sister Sue, and I stayed four nights at this charming inn. This was her second visit and she wanted to share with me the experience staying at this beautiful, quaint historic B&B. Shelby greeted us and we were pleasantly surprised when she allowed us to check in early. The room Sue had chosen for us in advance was unavailable due to an unexpected torrential downpour the evening before we arrived. The carpet in the hallway beside that bedroom was flooded. It was not a problem though because they gave us the option of another room. That room, Hannah, was delightful with lovely accommodations. The staff was extremely helpful throughout our visit. The housekeepers were thorough and very friendly. We can’t express how much we valued Christine and her special stories of the city and its people. She entertained us each morning with her insights. Her advice for places to visit and dine were spot on. Each day her French flair was so evident in her appearance. What a joy! The manager Jim, could not have been more helpful He was an excellent bartender and very attentive. He also troubleshot and fixed our tv. Different breakfast options were available daily and 24/7 coffee and tea. This was my first time to visit this historical city and the inn’s location was perfect for walking everywhere. The city trolley stopped one block from there if we chose to use it. The people we met were fascinating and also expressed the same compliments of this southern hospitality. We definitely will be visiting Ballestone Inn again.…
Have mixed feelings about this inn. It does not rank as one of our favorites but it does have some positives. For the prices charged, we expected more. We appreciated the courtesy of one of the parking places but $30 is quite a price to pay for the convenience. Lots of stairs here so if that is a problem, do not choose this inn. Yes, there is a small elevator, but even to reach that, there are several steps. The inn is decorated with a lot of interesting "antique" pieces, photos/paintings etc. There is a comfortable sitting room on the main floor. Room was spacious with good storage, comfortable bed (albeit very high requiring step stool), nice refurbished bath and bath amenities. TV was reasonable size with good channel selection. Inn is conveniently located in the historical district. However, it is on a busy thoroughfare with a fire/rescue station two blocks away. Sirens are very audible in the hotel many times throughout day and night which can be disturbing and traffic noise begins early. Not something inn management can do anything about but something to consider when deciding if you want to stay here. Breakfast is adequate only. It is advertised as "continental" and it is that but below that of many chain hotels. Same items every day; you get to make your own coffee and then carry your selections yourself to either your room, a table in the bar area o,r if you are adventurous, down a long flight of stairs to the patio. Certain of the items included in the on-line description did not match reality. ... "fresh fruit is available all day" We saw the same bruised oranges in the same bowl for 4 days. No other type fruit ever appeared. ... "room overlooks the courtyard" Operative word "OVER". Would have to hang out the window to see courtyard. View was through a tree to the neighboring building. ... "bar is open in the evening" Three of four nights, bar was not open at all after 5PM nor did we ever see any snacks. ... "concierge" is listed as available. Such service was non existent for us. Most times no one was even seated at the reception desk and to get service we had to look around to find a staff person. Three of four nights, no one was around after 5PM. When we asked simple questions such as "where is the best place to get the Savannah trolley tour" and "what is the schedule for the free dot bus", young woman said "I don't know" and instead of saying I will find out for you, she told us to go to the respective internet site without even giving us the site itself. Apparently she does not know what concierge service means. We did not even bother asking her to make any type dining or entertainment reservations. This type of service is far less expected for an inn with these prices. Either " concierge " service should be provided or do not advertise that it is available. Three items for consideration to make stays more comfortable: 1. In today's technologically centered environment, people carry multiple devices that need charging. Outlets in rooms are limited; most already have items plugged into them. Providing a multiple charging port would make it a lot easier for guests to charge devices. It could be separate placed near television or one that is part of the alarm clock. 2. Toilet seats need to fit the toilet properly. Loose ones like ours are uncomfortable and even hazardous. 3. Replace the peeling coasters! These are quite inexpensive and easily replaced. This may seem minor but who wants paper peels all over one's hands whenever one picks up the glass. We have tried to be fair in this evaluations citing both positive and negatives of our experience and constructive suggestions. We are well traveled in the USA and abroad so have a good basis for comparison and ratings.…
Great location in a historic home. It is beautifully furnished and I wished we had been able to stay more than 2 nights. The room was large and we left the AC fan set to on and didn't hear any noise from other rooms or the street. We were on the fourth floor and I walked up/down and enjoyed the seeing each floor with old funiture, rugs, and interesting items. The TV was small but we were not in the room much. The breakfast is adequate. I had yogurt and a nice granola to add in. My husband said pastries were ok. There was a different selection our two mornings. There is a nice outside area but it happened to be cool since we were getting an early start. We were able to get one of the 4 parking places in the back. The front steps are daunting with luggage. Go check in and ask to come in the back since there is only a small flight of stairs before the elevator. Wish we had known. Hotel personnel were friendly. I highly enjoyed my stay.…
An outstanding property in a perfect location . The hotel has huge rooms with a huge bed. Excellent facilities all round including the lounge room for guests Wonderful staff and a fantastic breakfast. Couldn’t ask for more in Savannah. Great advice too re eating. On-site parking
Don't book the Lower Country room. The "garden view" room is in the basement. Its small windows are facing the street and the only view is the street sidewalk. I would seriously doubt that it is even legal to rent out such a room, there is no egress window; such a room would not be rentable in DC! Moreover, the room was under the breakfast area and the responsible for breakfast personnel (actually also the morning receptionist) marched around on her high heel booths for about an hour, starting at 6:30am, apparently oblivious to the fact that people were sleeping in the "garden view“ room underneath… Staff and management were inconsiderate and totally unfriendly. They refused to move us to a different room the following morning (we had booked two nights). Given the misrepresentation on their website, they should have upgraded us to a master suite for free! At least we managed to get our money back for the second night, and moved to another B&B nearby, what an experience!…
Just called the Hotel . Inquiring about a one night stay on April 2 . The girl that answered the phone was one of the rudest people I have ever talked to ! No help what do ever !! Wouldn’t want to stay there ! We stayed there about 10 years ago and wasn’t too impressed but on line it said you could stay for one night it did not indicate two night stay . I understand if it is not their policy but should change it on website . Also hire people that are at least polite on the phone . Think I just dodged a bullet
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