The Grand Magnolia Ballroom & Suites

The bedroom had loads of character, and the bed was soft and luxurious. There’s a helpful notebook with local suggestions, too. The house worked well for one night as a fun stop on our trip, though I’d choose somewhere else for a longer stay. Getting in took almost an hour. There was no one there to check us in, and we had to call and then text before the instructions arrived around 3:50. We’d reached the house around 3, ahead of the scheduled 3:30 time, since we were traveling and couldn’t time it perfectly. Waiting gave us a chance to enjoy the landscaping and settle in, but it was still a long delay. The shared main area had sitting rooms, a dining room, and a kitchen. Other rooms were locked, as they should be. We could use the kitchen except for the stove, and there were water bottles, two breakfast bars, and some hard candy. It was a kind thought, but the bars looked as if they’d been crumpled in someone’s bag, which felt a little tacky. The AC wouldn’t turn on, and we couldn’t open any windows. We asked what to do around 4:30, but didn’t get a reply until 8:30. By then we had three fans running and the temperature had become acceptable. The bathroom was huge, with a pretty walk-in shower, but needed work. A loose top tile on the shower’s “table” nearly fell on my foot. The grout had mildew and needed cleaning, and the joints needed recaulking because water was getting through. The showerheads could have been great, but needed descaling. The second one attaches magnetically and, with the water pressure, would only point at the wall.