The Magnolia Inn

Villagio is our favorite place to eat, the best Italian restaurant in town. Charming setting, great ambiance, and a quiet spot for an amazing dinner.

The Magnolia room keys won’t open the resort fitness center, so you can’t use that amenity until they fix it. That was my only complaint. Otherwise, the renovated rooms are comfortable, quiet, and well appointed, with a Nespresso machine and a welcome basket of local goods. Breakfast in the Carolina Dining Room and dinner downstairs at Villaggio were both wonderful ways to start and finish the day.

I’ve always loved the Magnolia Inn, and my boyfriend and I go there for date night whenever we can. This last visit was probably the worst restaurant experience I’ve had. The hostess seated us outside, and our server was kind when she took our order. We asked for medium steaks, with a hot pink center, but they came out medium well to well done with hardly any pink. Mine was dry too. I’ve never complained before, but I was so unhappy with it that I asked the server to take mine back. She asked how I wanted it cooked, and I said medium rare. When it came back, it was still medium well. It tasted like an old steak pulled from the back of the fridge and microwaved. I didn’t want to try a third time, so we asked for the check. The manager came over, squatted next to me, and said the steaks were medium. She said she wasn’t sure what I was used to, but maybe next time I should order rare. I was surprised by how unprofessional she was. I told her we’d eaten there before and the steak was usually red, but this time there wasn’t any. She said maybe it was the lighting outside, but that the steaks looked medium to her and I should order rare next time. Then she walked away. I don’t support businesses that don’t care about guests or their experience, and I don’t want to return to Magnolia Inn.

I liked the location and our room, but the temperature was a problem. I woke up in the middle of the night and it was no more than 60 degrees in the room. The bathroom was so cold that we skipped showers. The only thermostat was in the hall, set at 68. Maybe I missed something, and I’d love to come back if there’s a way to control the temperature and take a bath comfortably. There was no staff around overnight or when we checked out.