Monmouth Historic Inn & Gardens — Attraction in Natchez

My husband and I booked a quick weekend get-away to Natchez (Feb 5-7, 2021). We enjoy staying at historic homes in Charleston and New Orleans, so after reading reviews, we decided on the Monmouth Inn. While the price seemed a little steep ($320/night for a Deluxe Suite King Room), we were hoping that the promise of luxurious accommodations would make up for the cost. Having a restaurant on site was going to make it convenient since we would not arrive until dinner time on Friday.

When we arrived at the Monmouth Inn Friday at 7 p.m., we were told there was a gas leak in the main house, and that the restaurant would be temporarily moved to the Garden Room. Then we were given the key to our room. Rhinebeck Suite, 39.

We walked into the room, and while it was clean, the entire space was exceptionally outdated. The entry way boasted a small table with an ice bucket, 2 bottled waters and some hard candy. The ice was placed in the ice bucket in a ziplock bag. In one room, there was a king poster bed that dipped in the middle in one room and old stained carpet. The next room, the "living" room also had stained carpet and included stained and very worn sofa, a TV in an armoire and a writing desk missing a caster so it leaned. There was a fireplace with a convenient switch to turn it on and off, but to enjoy it, you would have to sit on the disgusting sofa. The bathroom had an old jacuzzi tub, an unlevel sink and a shower that was about the size of a tub standing up on its end. I am 5'8", and there was no chance of getting my hair wet inside the shower without squatting down. The wallpaper was peeling in this room.

We left our items and went to the Garden Room for dinner. Given the circumstances, the staff did their best, and the food was good. We returned to our room to sleep, but the bed was very uncomfortable and lumpy. We did appreciate the blackout shades in the room. The next morning we enjoyed breakfast in the Garden Room, and the grounds were nice to walk around (even though it was quite muddy outside). We left around 9 a.m. to explore downtown Natchez. We returned at noon to find housekeeping had just arrived at our room. As we couldn’t be in our room while housekeeping was there, we returned to the front desk to inquire about the 2 p.m. tour of the house. We were told that the tour had been canceled due to the gas leak. We were also told the hors d'oeuvres scheduled for the evening in the main house would be moved to the Garden Room.

Disappointed, we returned to our room, to find that housekeeping has just left, in a literal cloud of smoke. The cigarette smoke penetrated the entire room. The staff had left our door wide open while they took their smoke break on the front porch. Every room smelled like a dirty ashtray. It was the last nail in the coffin for us.

My husband and I packed our items immediately and told the front desk about the issue. They seemed to be appalled, and then as if on cue, the housekeeping staff walked by cigarettes in hand. We were told that this was not ok and that it would be “taken care of.” It was now 1 p.m. Monmouth Inn decided to charge us for the second night. We called them on 2/11, and we were told they would look into it. On 2/14 we called again and were informed that because we checked out "after the official checkout time" we would not receive a refund.

In summary - for $740, we had a very disappointing 17 hours at Monmouth. For the price we were expecting the Ritz Carlton of Natchez, and instead were greatly disappointed to see a sad, tired room in desperate need of an update that was later filled with cigarette smoke.

I would NOT recommend a stay at Monmouth to anyone - other than a stop by for dinner and to see the garden. Monmouth seriously missed the mark, and their inability to make amends for a poor situation show that they are not in league with the other types of fine establishments the area surely has to offer. Save your money and...

Note: I sent this review to the owners a few months ago and did not receive a response. Therefore, I'm posting it here.||I recently stayed at the Monmouth Historic Inn and Gardens and am writing to express my disappointment with the experience. Having read numerous reviews of your property subsequent to my visit, I have noted that you expressed annoyance at posters who did not address their dissatisfaction directly to you. Therefore, I am extending to you the courtesy of writing to you personally. Please note that my reservation was made under another name.||Our meal at 1818 was the best part of our stay. Portions of my dish (blackened redfish) were excellent, although it was overly salted. The biscuits were phenomenal. The service was somewhat amateurish.||Breakfast was mediocre, mainly because our food was lukewarm when served. Again, the biscuit, although not as good as the one at dinner, was quite tasty. The service was friendly and okay for the casual environment.||I understand from your online comments that you are putting a lot of money and effort into the hotel's upkeep. Unfortunately, it's not enough to justify the rates you charge nor your description of “luxury lodging.” Our room was grossly overpriced and misrepresented. Here are a list of reasons:||1)Neither the door to the room nor the door to the bathroom would close unless locked.|2)The floor lamp in the room was malfunctioning. Since there were only two other sources of light in the room, other than the bathroom lighting, the room was too dark.|3)Water in the bathroom would not get hot and was only lukewarm when turned all of the way up.|4)The bathroom was almost too small to turn around in.|5)Although we left the “Clean Room” door tag on the knob, our room was not cleaned. We were given a plastic bag with bath towels and a roll of toilet paper. Note that it did not include hand towels, replacements for any of the used cups or bathroom amenities. It also did not include a replacement for the colored wash cloth which was supposed to be used for makeup removal. These things alone indicate that this is not a 4-star property.|6)Upholstery on the chairs was threadbare and dirty.|7)Floor rugs next to the bed were industrial, not at all in keeping with the historical décor.|8)I only noticed one concession to the ADA. I did not see any handicap parking, ramps, and many of the steps did not have any railings.||I also found these things disappointing:||1)It was surprising that the room did not have a ceiling fan. However, the AC was quite efficient.|2)The gift shop had a mediocre selection.||My husband and I stayed at your property a few years ago and thought it was excellent then. That is why we went back with another couple. However, I was embarrassed by the decline and apologized to them for...

A romantic getaway for 2 was only saved by the breakfast with Mary & Michelle the two mornings we were there other wise, I would have given this place a 0 star. ||We stayed in a Deluxe Suite Rm 35 for 2 nights. We were greeted at our room with the smell of mold that we discovered was indeed mold on the walls, the ceiling, the doorways, the floor. The room looked nothing like the website photos and far from luxury as advertised. Only luxury in our room was the jetted tub that worked but the floors would collect water from the leaky shower. The floors felt very weak in areas and I thought for sure one wrong step we were going thru the floor. Curtains were barely hanging when we arrived and lots of cobwebs to keep you company while you sit in a room with basic cable on a tv stand that was close to falling apart. ||The Restaurant 1818 - our waiter George was amazing, attentive and sweet. The broccoli soup was delicious (thankfully) cause everything after that appetizer was far from edible. We both ordered Filet Mignon medium served with 3 sticks of asparagus and a small scoop of mashed potatoes for $54 each. The filet was the toughest cut of meat I’ve ever tried to cut and once cut it didn’t taste anything close to beef. It had a distinct “cheap” cut of meat flavor. George was so kind and tried to make the situation better but it wasn’t his fault and we left hungry. ||All of the steps, bricks, and walkways are VERY slippery when wet and no slip prevention measures are placed anywhere on steps or ramps to enter buildings. Thankful no one got hurt. ||The bar we so wanted to experience- every time we went no one was available to serve drinks. It appeared that during the evening hours the bar tender also assists with Restaurant as we never saw him but drinks were coming to the dinning area. ||The room and hotel advertised online is not what you receive if you are expecting luxury with history mixed or a 5 star dinner as advertised. 5 star Restaurant was advertised but no dress code enforced, cold premade biscuits like at Red Lobster…could go on and on - only the staff is 5 star. ||I am thankful for a husband that makes every day special and found a way to laugh at the experience and did enjoy the history lesson from the tour...