Barksdale House Inn

We stayed three nights over MUSC graduation in May and loved Barksdale House Inn. The old-fashioned atmosphere, location, cozy and comfortable bed, and very pleasant service were all lovely. The fountain garden was charming too. I’d recommend it to people who enjoy B&Bs.

The beds were comfortable, the AC worked, and breakfast was good, but I wouldn't stay here again. The Carriage House is old and in disrepair: the main door didn't lock, the carpet was filthy, and my sink drained poorly because its stopper was broken. Staff never fixed either problem while I was there. I also found cockroaches in the morning. I'd choose the main house instead, and avoid the Carriage House.

The bathroom work next door interrupted our second morning. We were woken around 9:50 by a knock and told the water would be off in ten minutes for about an hour. We couldn't both shower in that time, though we still had plenty of time before our 1-3 tour. The renovation was loud, and it was strange not to hear about scheduled work at check-in. After 90 minutes without water or an update, we called the GM. She checked with the contractor, who'd run into a problem and needed another 10-15 minutes. The water came back after two hours, so we had to rush to the tour. That wasn't how we expected to spend a vacation morning. On arrival day, we reached the Inn around 10am, too early to check in since checkout was at 11. The staff were friendly and accommodating. They pre-checked us in, stored our bags, took my number, and called around 2pm when the room was ready. It seemed like a long time to clean, but we thought perhaps they'd taken extra care. The main room was okay, the bed comfortable, though the wardrobe looked dusty and an old smoke detector bracket was still on the wall without a detector. The bathroom was in much worse shape. One attic cover had water spots, another was open on every side, and wallpaper was peeling. My wife thought rodents might come through the opening and found the room unsafe and unsightly. Cleanliness matters a lot to her, and she couldn't accept that bathroom. When she showed it to an employee, the response was that bathrooms were being maintained one at a time, without much surprise. We felt that room should have been closed to guests. The innkeepers moved us to another room that was clearly better, though still not great.

Brenda is fabulous, and the staff were so accommodating throughout our lovely stay at the Barksdale House Inn. If you're visiting Charleston and like a quaint B&B with Southern hospitality and that familiar southern charm, I'd recommend this hidden gem.