The Inn at Elijah McLeans

The walls are paper-thin. The first night, with no neighbor, felt comfortable. The next night I could hear my neighbors’ conversations and then some, so I felt I had to keep my own voice down. There’s occasional train noise, too. The room itself was clean, the water was hot, the bed was fine, and the towels were clean. Overall, it’s a nice place to stay.

The staff were wonderful, and the bar was beautifully decorated, like the rest of the Inn. Drinks were stiff, though, and a bit overpriced: $20.19 for a rail Tom Collins and a Bloody Mary. We went to the bar during our stay. The building is gorgeous, beautifully restored, breathtaking, and overlooks the water. It’s lit beautifully at night and within walking distance of almost everything. The rooms are spacious and well maintained, with a refrigerator, microwave, and TV with lots of channels, though there are no instructions for which remote to use or how to access them. We found that frustrating. There are no phones in the rooms, and after-hours emergency contact information should be provided. We had to leave after our first night of a two-night booking because there was no way to reach the office in an emergency. My mother, who is 90, didn’t have a mobile phone, and I’d dropped and broken mine earlier that day. On our first night, a man tried to enter our room twice, and I had to hold the door shut. I think he was probably an intoxicated guest who had the wrong room, but it was frightening for my mother. The scariest part was not being able to contact the office. I do think it was a freak accident and that the place is safe. I’d return when I come to Augusta again. The nightly rate seemed reasonable, though a little higher than other places, and once you see the Inn, you understand why. There’s ample parking and only a few stairs. Check-in without keys was something I liked: they emailed me a passcode, and it was easy to find and use to enter the room.

The ground-level room let in so much light at night that sleeping was impossible. The door’s window had only slat blinds, and the window above it just had frosted contact-paper type covering, though the regular window had adequate curtains. We also couldn’t get cable on the TV, which had separate Roku and cable remotes and no clear instructions for using them. The location is great, and there’s plenty of good parking. That’s about where the positives end. We went next door to Elijah’s Limited for cocktails and a light dinner, but several menu items were unavailable or no longer served. We ordered a build-your-own charcuterie board and had to assemble everything ourselves. I opened and cut the cheese and summer sausage with an inadequate forked utensil. If you’re changing food suppliers, don’t wait until you’ve run out of so many things. The couple next door walked into the Limited and straight back out; we wish we had done the same. Two drinks, meat, cheese, and crackers cost over $70. We won’t be back.

The inn is small, with just 9 rooms, and has a lot of history. It overlooks the Missouri River, and it’s a short walk to great restaurants, bars, and shops. The place is quaint, and there’s a private club bar next door that guests can access. Great place.