Hines Mansion

The location was great, with shops, places to eat, entertainment, and historic buildings all within walking distance. We stayed in the Kitty Hines room, which was bright and clean, with lovely stained glass, a comfortable bed, and high-quality pillows. The garden was also beautiful, with flowers, bushes, a neat lawn, and a fun gargoyle on the roof. Inside, things were clean and smelled nice, though parts of the 130-year-old house are worn, including peeling wallpaper. There were lots of thoughtful extras. The front parlor and kitchen are open to everyone, with lounge chairs and a small breakfast table. Guests can use the coffee and hot chocolate station, pretty teacups, ice machine, and popcorn by the microwave. Fresh cookies are offered at check-in. Breakfast is self-serve and cold, with mini doughnuts and muffins, yogurt, cereal, fruit, oatmeal, and more. It's basic, but better than nothing. The front desk woman was friendly and helpful. We missed having a mini fridge in our room, but using the main fridge downstairs for leftovers worked fine. The TV was a bigger letdown. There weren't any free cable channels, so we tried Netflix or Disney+, but the apps required signing in through a Samsung account. I didn't want to create a new account with my email and set up the TV, so we picked a DVD from the downstairs collection instead. The player, mounted on a high shelf above the TV, only displayed “DVD PLAYER” even on the right HDMI input. I had to stand on a chair to put the disc in, which felt unsafe, and the player didn't work anyway. It was disappointing not to be able to watch anything.

We had the Library Room, and while the house itself is interesting and most of the room seemed clean, the tub put us off. We ran the jets and hair and other particles came out. With a jetted tub, cleaning should involve filling it and running it so that stuff gets flushed out. We didn't use it after that. The bed was comfortable enough, but it's very high and bouncy, and it isn't level. If getting into a tall bed is an issue, this room won't suit you. When I got up for water in the night, I nearly bounced my husband onto the floor. It was strange and kind of eerie to feel like we had the whole place to ourselves. Nobody greeted us or seemed to be working there. We just found a key at the front desk with a little tag bearing our name. It felt like the start of a horror movie. This was a spur-of-the-moment anniversary staycation from our home in Orem. We're not demanding, so the imperfections were okay, but I wouldn't stay again or recommend it. It didn't have the hospitality feel of a bed and breakfast, more like an Airbnb you might share with strangers.

My husband surprised me with a birthday and Valentine's Day weekend at Hines Mansion, and we had a fabulous time. I loved the historic architecture, furnishings, and atmosphere. Our room also had a wonderful jacuzzi tub.

Our anniversary stay went downhill quickly. The Library stairs are so steep and narrow that they felt unsafe, and I fell down them. That shouldn't happen at a property like this. We were also kept awake much of the night by a guest with a baby, even though the property clearly says children under 12 aren't allowed. When my wife tried to bathe, dirt particles and biofilm came out with the water, which made us seriously question the cleanliness and upkeep. We sent detailed feedback through the website, but nobody acknowledged it or followed up. We won't be back.