Victorian Rose — Hotel in Mount Joy

After reading some of the terrible reviews on this site, my boyfriend and I were prepared for the worst at the Victorian Rose (the only place with availability in Mount Joy the weekend we traveled there). However, perhaps because we expected less than perfection, we were pleasantly surprised by our stay. It's really all about how you approach this place, and if you have a sense of humor and take it in stride without expecting the most romantic B&B experience of your life, it'll be just fine... here's what you need to expect: ||||1) The owner talks... sometimes a lot. She is the equivalent of your kooky great aunt that hasn't had company in two years. You'll hear about her aches and pains, her busy kids, and her dying siblings... but she's not mean or unfriendly. Just a little rambling, and she does tend to chime in a lot at breakfast, making it slightly difficult to talk to other guests. However, she eventually gave up and went to another room to read the paper. ||||2) The house is permanently decorated for Christmas (and a little for Easter) and every square inch is covered in dolls, stuffed animals, lace, and ruffles. We took lots of pictures b/c we were so flabbergasted by the amount of "stuff" in the house... in an amused way. ||||3) Two of the four rooms have bathrooms in the hall rather than in the private rooms. The bathrooms are private (not shared), but you do have to walk a few steps down the hall. We expected this and did not think it was a big deal at all. It felt like staying at a friend's or relative's house, and no one ever saw us in the hall going to the bathroom. I don't know why other reviewers here commented that they had to get up to open/unlock doors in the middle of the night. Jeesh people, just leave your door unlocked when you go to the bathroom! This is not a place to worry about someone coming in your room! ||||4) The bed in the Amanda Room (where we stayed) is a double. We're pretty small people, and it was just fine for us. Yes, the bed is a little hard, but it felt like staying at my grandma's old house. I found it rather quaint (no, not very romantic -- but cozy in an old person's house sort of way).||||5) The location is great. We could walk just 4 blocks to Bube's Brewery, where we had drinks and dinner in the biergarten (HIGHLY recommend!). We also walked around town, and the house is diagonal from a beautiful park where you could have a picnic. In addition, the owner gave us lots of info on local fireworks shows for the night we were there. So we drove just 3 miles down the road to Marietta and watched a wonderful display from a hillside (we'd never have know about this without her input).||||6) The place is spotlessly clean. Our bathroom was gleaming. Our bedroom was crisp, neat, and totally clean. This is an incredibly important factor in selecting a place. I give top points to this establishment for cleanliness.||||7) The breakfast is large and filling with lots of coffee, fruit, eggs, potatoes, bacon, and apple cobbler. ||||In sum, for less than $100, you can't go wrong here. Yes, the owner can be chatty, but she's manageable. The place is clean, centrally located, and if you have a lighthearted sense of fun and quirky humor, you too can find amusement in the ruffled decor and perma-Christmas theme. So don't take it seriously, pretend you're at your old aunt's...

I was a guest at the Victorian Rose for three nights. I have to say that I felt compelled to write this after reading some of the reviews here. My stay was just fine. I was looking for a location central to Hershey, Harrisburg, Lancaster and this was just right. I saw from the pictures that the house is over the top decorated. If you want plain walls and white surroundings, don't visit this house. If you want a spotless room, tasty food, and a "I'm visiting Aunt Edna" feel- this is your place. ||Here are a few details;|Rooms: this is a small B&B. There are four rooms. Each has its own bath but only one room has its bath accessible privately. For the others, the bath is a separate access door. So, if you're in one of those rooms, you will either walk a step across the hall or a few steps down the hall to reach your private bathroom. this was the first comment that the innkeeper made to me when I was making my reservation. She was very forthright and was actually the one who brought it up as I was selecting my room. My room, the Elizabeth, is exactly as it appears in the photo. The bed was firm, which I prefer and sheets, etc were clean and comfortable. The innkeeper's thoughtfulness is evident in the details- a dim lamp off to one side was a welcome nightlight. Note that there is plenty of light otherwise so I recognized this as what it was intended to be- an extra touch. The TV was on a table that was too low to see while laying on the bed. That's my preference so All I needed to do was ask if it could be placed atop the dresser. The bathroom was spotless and appointed with a variety of soaps etc. towels were clean and abundant. |Food- you will be full and you will love it |Innkeeper- the hostess and owner's name is Doris. She lives here and her personality matches her home. Full of content! The previous review that describes her as your Aunt that might be a little quirky but heartful is spot on. She made me smile! I saw the comments that she is chatty. I saw the notes that said she would insert herself inappropriately. She did not do that during my stay so I ask those guests- if you felt she was not allowing you to visit with other guests and she "finally got the hint", why didn't you just politely say that you would like to have a private conversation? I only make that statement because so often I see people "tolerate" things but yet never actually "resolve" anything at the time and then feel justified to complain. Anyway, I was properly welcomed and yes, Doris mentioned key things about the house and the area. I didn't mind the 5 minutes of our conversation. One morning when I was rushed all I had to say was that I had five minutes, was running behind and our interaction was in line with that. If you do not want any interaction at all with an innkeeper, this might not be your place. ||The decor is best described as Christmas, flowers and full. Bordering over the top. I found it interesting to see appointments that I would otherwise not be exposed to because the flower/Victorian is not my personal taste for my home. I loved the warmth that comes from knowing someone took time to decorate with warmth in mind. ||I hope a reader gets out of this review what they need. You can't beat the value and I...

This landlady may once have been good at the B&B business, but perhaps she ought to reconsider it now since it is so very distasteful to her. She is no longer welcoming, kind, diplomatic, or even nice to be around. Despite saying on the telephone that one could enter either through the front door or the back, the very first words out of her mouth when I came in were to scold me for choosing the more convenient kitchen door. When she wasn't scolding, she droned on with pointless stories and comments. As others have mentioned, if you have to walk down a public hall to get to it, don't call it a private bathroom. We were in too much of a hurry, I guess, so did not happen to read the review that plainly stated this negative. Anyway, it was an unpleasant surprise, especially without our bathrobes. There were two locks on our room's door, and we locked both and went to bed, then one of us had to wake the other up in the middle of the night to be able to get out to go down the hall to the bathroom, because of one lock being strangely designed and difficult to open. The towels were clean but pretty old; some were threadbare. Strange draperies in front of the shower curtain hang so low that both of us had to duck under them instead of just stepping into the shower. Victorian decor shouldn't necessarily mean that every available surface is covered with dollar store junk, little of it serving any useful purpose. Nor should it mean that Christmas trees are put in guest rooms, and get left up all year round. Bedside table lights were mismatched, and dim, and placed inconveniently among a bunch of fake Victorian trinkets. The landlady was so outrageous that we just decided to treat it like we were in a bad tv show, and wait to see what else she would do. We overheard her rudely telling another couple that they should not have assumed that since she participates in a B&B website, that their gift certificate would be usable. We don't know the details, but it was not remotely surprising that she was rude instead of consoling and conciliatory. In retrospect I wonder if perhaps she is suffering some ailment that prevents her from seeing or knowing how ill suited her behavior is to her profession. The bathroom and our room were both spotless, and clean. We were safe, had a roof over our heads, and were cool enough with the noisy air conditioner in our room. It was just a singularly disappointing experience, and it didn't need to be. I hope the landlady finds an occupation she enjoys more...