The Audubon Inn

We gave the service three stars because when we reported that the heating wasn’t working, staff came to try to fix it and then offered us another room. The bed was king-size, the bathwater was hot, and the Wi-Fi worked. But we were disappointed that we’d trusted the glowing reviews. Everyone has their own idea of what’s standard or wonderful, of course. The room had no curtains, and the blinds let in the orange streetlight. The bed was placed so only one side could have a bedside table. There was just one conveniently placed outlet, though our extension lead helped. There was no wardrobe, only a coat rack with hangers, and no drawers or shelves for clothes. One wall-mounted bedside light had its switch behind the headboard on the other side of the bed, so we had to ask about it. The desk was about 18 inches deep, and the TV wasn’t well positioned for the bed or chairs. We had no meals during our stay. Subjectively, the place felt more like a hostel than a hotel, with basic, checkbox-style furniture. I don’t know where the Google four-star rating comes from. We felt cozier and better cared for at the Hilton Hampton the night before, where breakfast was included for less money.

That upstairs floor is squeaky. Our neighbor walked around from 5am until about 8, and we couldn’t sleep during that stretch. It wasn’t the hotel’s fault, just something to know. Otherwise, it was very quiet. The place is beautiful and charming, very clean, and the staff were super friendly. I absolutely loved the whirlpool tub, and the bar on the main floor is gorgeous. Bill the bartender makes the best brandy old fashions.

I had trouble with a third-party booking, but the front desk ladies stayed late to make sure I had a room. The hotel has tons of character and covered my basic needs. It’s a neat historic place in a cool little town. There are free EV chargers behind the building, no app needed, just plug in. I used the non-Tesla charger and it worked great. Cardinal Lanes next door had great food and awesome service. I’ll stay again next year.

We loved our two-night stay. The building is beautiful and old, with lovely staff and clean rooms. They’ve made great modern improvements, and we really enjoyed the whirlpool tub. It’s dog friendly if you let them know ahead of time, and we paid one reasonable fee for our dog. There’s a Kwik Trip a short walk away for drinks and food in a pinch. Our room was more spacious than we expected, with room for our dog to move around. We weren’t in town much, but it was quiet and felt safe. A friend who tried a nearby restaurant for breakfast said it was good, and there’s a nice park close by for walking the dog. A few things to know: the front desk isn’t staffed around the clock, so check in on time or make arrangements. There’s an after-hours phone number you can call. The rooms could use curtains because a lot of morning light comes in. The bathroom counter is small, though our sink had a shelf underneath for things we weren’t using right away. We didn’t use the armoire because its deodorizer was very strong. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it.