RavenStone Castle — Hotel in Harvard

I'm a local so I was not sure what to do when my tub had to be reglazed and I was not in the mood to hang around for the smell of the new fresh paint that I had not realized would be stronger than I anticipated. I called Rose, the innkeeper, to see if she had a room available that night and she did. Not only that, I was thankful that she was willing to accommodate me that same day. Needless to say, my two school age children, were also thoroughly excited to stay the night. Inside the castle is just magical with beautifully painted scenes and medieval related pictures. We stayed in the King Arthur room which had inside of it a shower, toilet and sink in it that were also done really well. I was thankful she had towels, body wash and washcloths in it. They had enough room for a sitting area in the room as well. There was a dresser you could put clothes in. There was a nice desk you could do homework on. In the early afternoon, we did some homework before going out in the evening for a Scouts activity my children were involved in. When we came back, we had a nice shower and the water was warm. The linens were comfortable, as well as the beds. In the morning, we got up early as our school system is on an earlier time schedule than most others, but Rose was up, bright and perky at 6:30. She had our favorites - yogurt, fruits and some delicious dessert rolls ready for us to eat, as well as orange juice and coffee kindly placed in a to-go cup because she figured I would still want to enjoy some coffee on the go which was a very nice touch on her part. As always with a constructive review, there probably are some things I could mention that might make it better, but I have no complaints. First thing I would suggest is that we saw movies in the upstairs sun area that had we had time, we would have enjoyed viewing, but were not sure WHERE to see them, as we saw no DVD, nor any screen monitor. So, bring your laptop should this be important to you. Second thing I would suggest is for them to put in a small fridge in the room because if we have left overs from eating somewhere out for dinner, than that would make storage of said left overs convenient. Lastly, there was no shampoo. I didn't need that on this night, but for other people that might be important so bring your shampoo and other essentials, as there are no toothbrushes or toothpaste. Thankfully, I brought those. That about sums it up and I would for sure stay there again. Rose was wonderful. I definitely would recommend to a friend. If this review has been helpful, please hit the helpful icon below. Thank you for reading and we hope you have a good time as...

Once you get past the cat smell that greets you when you walk in, you the have to deal with the sewer smell emanating from your bathroom. Although the room was very nice, the rest of the facility is a trash heap. Several cat crates, scratching posts/condos greet you when you first enter. The small balcony attached to the room is a hazard. The floor is rotting plywood and the rail bases are attached with only one of the 4 required lag screws. Another railing is secured with ropes anchored to the roof. The patio in the "back" of the house is overgrown with grass and weeds. Rusted furniture abounds, as do remnants of last years potted plants. A nice gazebo is adjacent to the patio but occupied by a wild cat shelter, built of straw bales. The front of the house isn't any better. A rusted arch trellis leans precariously over the walkway. A dilapidated water fountain is adjacent to another rundown, overgrown patio area. The common area consists of a 20" flat screen TV with antennae. The result? 2 channels to choose from. Also cramped in the tiny space is a microwave and small dorm sized refrigerator (shared with the other guests) a couch, and three chairs. And my biggest complaint? There is NO way to secure your room when you leave. If you plan on leaving early the next morning, you will do so on an empty stomach. Breakfast starts at 8:30 A.M. We have stayed in multiple BnBs over the years, and this is the worse by far. Except for the room (excluding the...

Husband and I went to tour the castle as they had announced they would have this service available on this day. Tour took about a half an hour and our guide was very friendly.

It is a striking thing to come upon a castle in the middle of an Illinois field. The building is a labor of love within a family, and each guest bedroom has a theme. So much of the wood in the home has been hand-crafted. Beautiful doorways, flooring, light fixtures, art, and tapestries run through the entire place. There are so many things to look at that I feel I could stay a whole week and not notice everything.

We were told by our guide that they are happy to accommodate small group functions like very intimate weddings or bridal showers. The tour group ahead of us was a boisterous group of young people celebrating a Harry Potter themed birthday.

Please be advised for those of us with allergies or scent sensitivities that there are cats and there is a noticeable smell in the gift shop/entrance area, though I will never fault people for rescuing animals. I'd love to think I would do the same if I had this much space. The rest of the home did not seem to have that feline presence and it seems they do keep the kitties out of the...