Basin Park Hotel and Spa

It was a great room, though one small issue was that the fancy toilet sat a little high for my short legs. Maybe that's as much my parents' fault as the hotel's. This is a great home base for exploring Eureka Springs, with an easy walk around town, shuttles for when you don’t feel like walking, a great staff, and wonderful amenities. I’ll definitely stay again.

The staff were friendly, and the bed was comfortable, but the rest of our double king parlor suite felt dirty and neglected. The furniture was heavily worn and stained, and the extra room’s seating area was uncomfortable with no side table for a drink. In the bathroom, there was a lot of mold in the shower caulk, the hottest setting barely made the water warm, and there was no hand towel rack. There were holes and anchors sticking out of the wall where something may have been mounted. The fan over the bed wobbled badly, so we didn’t use it while in bed. On our last evening, it sounded like furniture was being moved upstairs until 3 AM. Overall, the room seemed poorly maintained and short on the details I’d expect from a three-star hotel.

At around $1,000 for two nights, the Sun Room at Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs was a major disappointment for the price. The bed was comfortable and the sitting area had a cool, distinctive feel, but those positives couldn’t make up for the room’s condition. There were several maintenance and safety problems: visibly burned outlets, extension cords and power strips across the floor, stained furniture, incomplete door hardware with a missing knob or plate, and buckled flooring with gaps near the shower. The sink took about 15 minutes to drain. The air conditioning units looked extremely old and worn. There were no blackout shades, so outside lights kept the room bright all night, and I think guests should be told about that beforehand. If we’d paid $200 a night, I probably wouldn’t be writing this. At $1,000, it just isn’t acceptable. The room needs significant updates and much better maintenance before it’s offered at this rate.

The warm, professional staff and fantastic location made a good impression, and I felt cool just lounging in the lobby. But the place has lost much of what it must have had 80 years ago. It’s full of promise and potential, though now only a notch above shabby, with a super clean bed in a worn room. The parking garage is a dump. Water pressure was incredible, but the showerhead was mounted absurdly low. The encouraging part is that half the building is being renovated. I can’t wait to come back once it’s finished, but not before then.