Mimslyn Inn — Hotel in Luray

Absolutely stunning historic hotel! This hotel has that old world class and elegance with true southern hospitality. Driving up the inn's long driveway, you immediately know that you're in for a treat. The front porch is filled with tables and rocking chairs which I'm sure would be wonderful to sit at in the warmer weather soaking up the scenery. Walking through the outer doors, you're greeted by a very polite young man who opens the inner doors for you. Just inside those doors, you'll find 1930's architecture complete with a grand staircase, welcoming couches and fire, lobby bar, the main restaurant, a sundries corner and the front desk. Just behind the lobby bar is a cabinet with complimentary coffee and hot water carafes available to all.

The front desk staff and the lobby bartender were warm, inviting and knowledgeable. The front desk staff explained everything in detail and made sure you understood all that was available to you. When you check in, be sure to opt-in for the coffee tray! It's a wonderful $10 amenity that includes 2 coffees, 2 OJs, 2 waters and 2 freshly made cinnamon buns delivered to your door in the morning. We found it was just enough to tie us over until brunch.

The hotel only has 1 elevator but even on a busy weekend, we didn't have to wait long. The elevator goes from the lower level where the Speakeasy bar/restaurant and spa reside up to the inn's 3rd floor where the sunroom and more rooms are. We were on the 2nd level and our room overlooked the inn's pool and hot tub area. The room itself was very nicely appointed with 2 double beds, electric fireplace, Xfinity TV, bath robes and a jetted tub. A Mimslyn Inn wine by DuCard winery and accessory bundle on the fireplace is offered for a $45 charge. Keep in mind, there is no coffeemaker, complimentary water bottles or makeup mirror in the room. As it was a cooler weekend, we opted to just use the jetted tub instead of venturing out to the still-open outdoor hot tub.

There are 2 restaurants onsite: Circa '31 in the lobby and the Speakeasy on the lower level. Both serve the identical dinner menu which we found a bit odd that they didn't offer at least some restaurant-specific appetizers or entrees. The bartenders and servers in both restaurants were helpful, responsive and very personable. Circa '31 offers dinner and Sunday brunch (make reservations!) plus they serve a complimentary breakfast during the weekdays (coffee, tea, juices, cereals, muffins, fruit and 2 kinds of quiche). The Speakeasy offers dinner either at the tables or at the bar. Reservations are not accepted at the Speakeasy and both restaurants close at 9pm. Food was really good and quite reasonably priced. I had the duck breast and my wife had the cordon bleu both of which were done perfectly and were very moist. We tried the S'mores cheesecake but it was way too sweet for us.

We didn't have enough time to try the spa, but looking at the poster in the lobby, they have a lot of services offered with typical prices for each. As I said, it was a cooler weekend so we didn't go out into the pool area, but from our room it looked quite nice. Parking is free and plentiful, though out front there aren't many spaces. Tips are appreciated but not expected. We didn't have cash on hand and there is no ATM in the lobby. However, you can add a tip for housekeeping upon checkout that will be added to your bill. By the way, there is no hands-free checkout, you have to do it the old fashioned way. Even with a wedding party staying at the hotel the same weekend we were there, the hotel noise level overall was pretty quiet and serene. It was so relaxing that we opted not to venture out the first day and instead enjoyed drinks by the fire in the lobby listening to the soft instrumental music playing in the background.

We have visited many better quality inns and hotels in our travels and The Mimslyn is by far the best! It's a must-do for the weekend visitor to the Shenandoah valley because of its charm and its location. This was our first stay here but it certainly won't...

I've been wanting to attend the murder mystery weekends at Mimslyn for probably two years and finally pulled the trigger (pun intended) on attending. This will serve as a general review and also provide information which I had a hard time coming upon before our first visit.||Overall, the hotel is quite nice, very historic. The rooms are quaint and the town has a variety of local shops you can walk to. It's not too far from some rustic wineries, distilleries, breweries and of course the Luray Caverns. In short, you won't find yourself bored during free time.||The murder mystery was a ton of fun! It was extremely well run, had a thoroughly engaging storyline and excellent actors that really drove the action forward. I can see why people have been back multiple times. I highly recommend this weekend-long engaging murder mystery experience.||OK, now to some practical information as to how the weekend works and other things to know (no spoilers, I promise).||Dress Code: Guests wore a range of clothing from casual (sweatshirts, t-shirts, jeans, etc.) to more formal (jackets, suits, dresses, etc.). We attended in the fall so no one wore shorts, but I'd suspect this would be acceptable during the warmer months - especially for daytime activities.||The Schedule: The mystery kicks off with a Friday evening cocktail hour which started for us at 5:30 and ran about 90 minutes. Saturday activities revolved around Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner with free time to explore the local area between the meals/show. Sunday morning was a final breakfast and the big reveal of the mystery which began at 9:30. We were on the road by 11 - plenty of time to get home before football.||The Food: Other than Friday night, all meals are included in your stay. So you get breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast Sunday. There were some light snacks served Friday and a drink ticket for a cocktail from the bar. The food was typical buffet fare - except for Saturday dinner which was plated delivery and was higher quality than the other meals.||The Social Game: Interacting with other guests is a big part of the experience. I'm not the most social of people so this hampered our sleuthing a bit but everyone was so engaged and into it and you had meals with other guests that it made gathering intel a bit easier. Everyone is really into the event and happy to engage and discuss - but TRUST NO ONE!||Overall, this was an excellent experience. Even if you don't solve the mystery you'll have a good time noodling on it all weekend and coming up with wacky theory after wacky theory. For anyone interested in a weekend away with a bit of murder intrigue, I highly...

See attached letter. Forwarded letter 3 times-and actually for manager on phone : he was busy.

Hello,

I felt it necessary to write an email regarding my disappointment in my recent stay. I stayed at your facility in August 2020. We stayed in one of the newer cottages and the experience was exceptional. We also dined at the restaurant and enjoyed it tremendously. So we decided we would celebrate our anniversary at the Mimslyn Inn again. I was able to make reservations for two nights in a "historic cottage" and we appreciated the contactless check in. That was it for what was good. The historic cottage should be described as dated,rustic,old and not in any way appointed as the newer cabins are, or with any of the ambiance. I'm certain that the rooms themselves in the Inn are historic, but remodeled in a tasteful way. We checked in on Wednesday the 14th of April for two nights. Upon entering we were a bit shocked. Yet we gave it a shot. The mattress needs to be replaced, We ended up in the center of the bed in a hole. The chairs in front of the bed are so worn that when the cushion sinks you need help getting up. No info on AC controls,what the various settings are, just push all the buttons. Could not figure out how to operate the fireplace. Again no instructions.The too small a TV with the fuzzy picture was placed on a high dresser and the only way to try to watch it was from the very uncomfortable bed. We opened the mini fridge and found a serving platter with what appeared to be 2 pieces of quiche, two muffins, one upside down and green grapes that had seen better times. We didn't know if a previous guest had left them or if they were complimentary. No info regarding anything complimentary left in the cottage and no mention on the reservation confirmation or the email with room key code and wifi password. The only comfort we found were the chairs out front of the cottage, yet that was unpleasant as new mulch had been laid down and the smell was overpowering as were the flies. We woke up Thursday and departed not staying the second night. My biggest issue is that there is a very big gap between your accomodations and in no way was it disclosed during the reservation process. I have told countless people about this gem in Luray. I'm not so sure what to say at this point. I am certain that if I am ever asked that I would definitely not be able to make that recommendation again at this point. I don't care for online reviews as they are all subjective. In fact this complaint is subjective. Thank you for your time reading this.

I would like to add that the staff has always been very...