Davie School Inn — Hotel in Anna

I collect weird hotels. That is to say, I love to stay in buildings that were built as something else. This one used to be an elementary school. And instead of gutting the interior, they just made each room a suite.||This means that the rooms are huge. I know people who live in smaller rooms. My own apartment isn't much bigger. I mean huge. I mean huge...and that's not the two family rooms either. Most of the competition in this area is cabins, and it's clear that's where Davie is taking aim.||With that out of the way, I would 100% stay here again and have already recommended it to my friends.||So, let's start with some specific details:|1. Breakfast, which was excellent, is served in your room. It can be served no contact if you are COVID cautious or introverted...they'll leave it outside, knock on the door, and then leave.|2. They don't service your room. At all. They don't come into your room. At all. When our soap dispenser stopped working, they put more soap outside our door. Again, this is great if you're COVID cautious, or just don't like having staff in your room. If you feel pampered by daily sheet changes, though...|3. Each room has a Keurig. They provide a variety of coffee in the room, but tea and hot chocolate are out in the hall. If you, like us, don't drink coffee, consider asking for tea and hot chocolate in the room.|4. Our room had a kitchenette with a sink and a microwave. I wouldn't have tried to cook, but it would be fine for warming up leftovers.|5. The innkeeper, Lyle, is absolutely brilliant at what he does. He's the face...we barely saw Tammy...but he is so, so good. We changed our entire plans after talking to him. He told us about things you can't find on Google. And as we headed upstairs, he launched into a completely different spiel for the cyclists who checked in behind us. He knows the area like the back of his hand and is clearly an extrovert. Listen to him.|6. They sell snacks, ice cream, and local wine. They also have a large selection of DVDs (most of which appeared to have been surplused from the local library), microwavable popcorn, board games, and all kinds of stuff for if it's chucking it down outside and you don't feel like going anywhere.||I'd recommend this place to anyone (they have two ground floor suites with step free access). Side note, they also have a room that is for two people with two beds, great for people traveling with somebody who isn't an intimate partner...or for people traveling with somebody they don't want anyone to know IS an intimate partner. Ahem.||It's fantastic. I don't give out many five stars, and I know that for some people the lack of service would be a...

When I first started teaching, a student saw me in Target and remarked her surprise that I was buying toilet paper... I told her gently that I didn't actually live at the school. She laughed, but remember that pre-social media world when it seemed like the teachers and the principal did actually live at the school? That was the moment I kept coming back to when my husband and I stayed at the Davie School Inn at the tail end of our spring break. We're both teachers, and we both attended an elementary school in the '80s that looked roughly like the Davie School Inn, so it was a delight on all fronts. ||Each room has a different subject theme, and I chose the English-themed room. We only met one half of the proprietors, Lyle, but he said his wife had decorated each one, and she did an outstanding job - all of the rooms have such cool little details, including a chalkboard you can write on, books, maps in the social studies room, things like that. Lyle also gave us a tour when we first arrived, which I highly recommend - we loved learning the history of the school and the town, and finding out what was original and what had been adapted. Our favorite was the old gym - it reminded my husband of his childhood school basketball games and me of our school fun fair - truly a step back in time. ||Everything in the room was super comfortable - I like to find hotels with lots of places to sit, and we had a couch, a full table (I actually sat and did some grading at it in the morning, which felt appropriate!), and other chairs. The bathroom was quaint but modern, and I know how hard it is to keep hardwood floors clean too and everything was very clean. ||The breakfast was both hearty and delicious, and served right in our room at the big table. ||We had just planned this as an interesting last night of spring break, but this hotel is so cool that we talked about it to everyone as one of the highlights of our trip. We highly recommend a stop in Anna, Illinois, to stay here, and will...

We just returned from having a delightful weekend and 2nd honeymoon at the Davie School Inn. This B&B is fully of charm and perfect for couples or families. They have thought of everything and furnished each room with tchotchkes from all their travels and moves in their earlier careers. The charm of this old school house is something you have to experience, and with the extra fun that is built in you won't be sorry you chose to stay here (DVD's, snacks, games, puzzles, cards you name it for entertainment). They built a huge deck out behind the old gym with lights, and tables and chairs and it overlooks a baseball field and grandstand. In addition, they have picnic tables and a fire pit for evenings under the stars. In the room, everything was in working order, and we loved all the little touches not to mention the delicious breakfast each morning delivered right to our door. We were upgraded to the gold suite which was just lovely. It had a refrigerator, microwave, sink, full set of dishes and glasses along with a little patio out back where we had drinks on our first night and breakfast the next morning. Of course we made sure we used the fireplace, huge Jacuzzi bath tub and was pleasantly surprised to find Gilchrist & Soames lotions, soaps and shampoos. This was already my favorite brand of bath gel and lotions and how nice to find a place with all the comforts of home. Each room is furnished with all the same amenities you would find in a hotel (iron, hair dryer, and...