We were on a cross country trip from Boston and had initially intended Springfield, Missouri as our third night destination. Nothing against Springfield (we hardly knew ya as we passed by on I-40) but Tulsa offered a more varied selection of accomodations and set us up better for a next day stop in Albuquerque (as versus Amarillo, our original fourth day location).
After reviewing the options in my AAA guide book we reset our GPS for McBirney Mansion. We have stayed at historical hotels and B&Bs over the years and enjoyed the idiosyncrasies most of these unique properties offered. But rather than book a reservation over the phone as we drove we decided to take a look at the property first and then see if there was a vacancy.
I think we were a little awestruck by the pedigree of the property when we arrived. Between the "private drive" signs at the entrance and the absence of any cars around the property we were pretty sure the property was no longer being used as an inn. We persevered, however, and marched up to the front door where we were greeted by a pleasant innkeeper, Jenna.
Given that it was mid-week, Jenna explained, there was only one other guest booked for the evening and they had not yet arrived. So we had our pick of the remaining rooms, most being queen sized beds going for $225.00/night. Or, for an additional $50.00, she informed us we could have "A Room with a View" (mentioned by another Tripadvisor reviewer). Finally, if we really wanted to splurge for $375.00 a night there was a two room suite. After three days of traveling 500+ miles a day, the attraction to "A Room with a View" was the large, Jacuzzi tub. We took that room.
Things have clearly changed over the time that the previous five reviews were written. During our stay there was no attempt to provide afternoon appetizers & wine rather we were able to purchase wine by the glass (or a bottle if you chose) which could be accompanied by various nuts that were placed around the home. We chose to take a glass of wine out to the porch to enjoy the autumn sunset and the people biking, skating or running along the Arkansas River.
When we asked for a dinner recommendation Jenna pinpointed a number of local restaurants that might fit our tastes. She then made a reservation for us at Palace Cafe on 15th street, perhaps two miles from the inn. It was a fabulous dinner at a reasonable price (see pictures).
We returned to the inn ready for a good nights sleep. With lonesome train horns calling from across the river (which might bother some folks but which we felt added romance) we fell blissfully asleep. The Jacuzzi tub did not get used until the following morning.
Breakfast was, as previous reviewers have described, wonderful in every way. There being only four guests in the hotel we were pleased to be offered a simple fresh fruit & cream starter, perfectly brewed coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice followed by an egg fritta with perfectly grilled bacon and wheat toast. The cook, Janna told us, have been working at the inn for eleven years, ever since it was converted to a B&B. While ownership had changed three times (most recently 2 years ago we were told) the cook, Maria, had remained a constant.
We could not have been more pleased with the experience. Our only regret was not having enough time to savor every corner of this unique property. Alas the road called us so we were forced to leave before we could completely luxuriate in this fine historical property. I hope others find it as pleasant an experience as we did.
