Trip Review - Eureka Springs & The Crescent Hotel

Eureka Springs was our first destination on a week-long trip in late September.

For those unfamiliar, Eureka Springs is a tiny resort town built on both sides of a valley. I cannot imagine how they ever surveyed that town or built some of the buildings. You%26#39;ll be hard pressed to find any two streets that intersect at right angles or that run straight for more than a few blocks. Everything curves. If not right or left, then up and down. It%26#39;s a fun place, but more so for adults than children. Lots of small shops to browse (we spent a day doing that) and little restaurants to enjoy. My only complaint, if we can call it that, is the lack of free parking. If you only drive downtown for a meal, you have to pay to park. At least there is lots of parking space available, but you could spend quite a bit for parking if you were to come and go several times a day. We walked down from the Crescent Hotel to enjoy seeing some of the quaint old homes and buildings along the way. Walking downhill in Eureka Springs is one thing. Walking back up takes much longer. Still, it didn%26#39;t kill us and I%26#39;d do it again. We both liked Eureka Springs and look forward to going back again.

Someone had asked about how Eureka Springs, AR, Branson, MO and Gatlinburg, TN compare. The closest comparison I can come up with is that of Eureka Springs to Gatlinburg although Eureka Springs is much smaller and there%26#39;s more to do in Gatlinburg. But they%26#39;re two very different places, each with their own appeal. Branson is more like Pidgeon Forge, TN on steroids than either Eureka Springs or Gatlinburg.

We didn%26#39;t do everything you can do in Eureka Springs, but here are some of our observations:

The Crescent Hotel

We spent three nights at the Crescent and enjoyed our stay. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. The hotel is an old limestone building with uneven floors and exposed cables and conduits high on the walls in the hallways. It doesn%26#39;t look like it%26#39;s unsafe, just unattractive. Then, it%26#39;s probably the best you can do with such an old structure. Our room (319) was a king parlor with a shared veranda. The room was clean, but the decor was dark green with gold stenciling on the walls, and carpet that wasn%26#39;t installed yesterday. I was struck by the need for renovation in some areas, particularly on the veranda. For all the articles posted in the lobby about how the new owners spent several million dollars renovating the building, it still looks like it could use some work. We were there in late September and it took an awful long time for the window air conditioner to cool the room to a comfortable level. I%26#39;d hate to think of being there in July. Heat is provided by radiators which we didn%26#39;t need to rely on. Although it may sound like like we didn%26#39;t enjoy ourselves, we really did. My wife had the best assessment: If you don%26#39;t appreciate the character of a 119-year-old hotel, you%26#39;ll probably hate it. We did enjoy the character and would definitely stay there again.

We chose not to eat in the Crystal Dining Room because we had other plans. I had occasion to be in the room twice and neither time was it even approaching half full. That could have to do with our timing. Late September isn%26#39;t exactly the height of tourist season, I%26#39;m sure.

We did opt to have dinner at Dr. Baker%26#39;s Lounge one evening because we thought it sounded like a fun thing to do and we didn%26#39;t have a lot of time. The lounge has an outdoor seating area that overlooks the garden and downtown Eureka Springs. The menu promised some special concoction served in a beaker, all keeping with the theme of Dr. Baker and the hospital he ran in the building in the late 1930%26#39;s. The lounge may be fine for cocktails, but we were unimpressed. The promised concoction tasted like grape kool aid without the sugar and the beakers were no longer available. Instead, my wife was served the drink in a plastic fair-type container (one of those half yard of ale glasses). The menu is very limited: A few appetizers, a hamburger, a croissant club sandwich and a couple of pasta dishes. All in all, we wouldn%26#39;t recommend it.

We did take the ghost tour at the Crescent. It was fun but I thought a little silly. We did learn that our room was the supposed scene of an apparition some years ago, but we didn%26#39;t see anything unusual (much to my wife%26#39;s disappointment). If you believe in ghosts, take the tour. If not, well you can decide if it%26#39;s worth $35 (for two) to hear ghost stories for an hour.

Something interesting about booking your room there: Their web site is a little confusing with price ranges instead of exact prices for what you can book. I called the hotel about a month before our trip to see what we could get. The front desk clerk could only quote a $123 rate for a king room. Lower rates, even those shown on their web site, were not available, she said. They also have a name-your-own-price option on their web site, so I tried that. Three nights, king room, balcony, overlooking the garden. I offered $250 and they took it! As it turned out, the hotel was anything but overbooked but the desk clerk is evidently not authorized to deviate much from the standard rates (whatever they are). I highly recommend making an offer like we did.

The Crescent was featured on the SciFi show Ghost Hunters last week. It was fun being able recognize some of the places they showed but I%26#39;m thinking the price of a room probably just went up after that show aired.

Cafe Santa Fe

In two words: Don%26#39;t bother. We ate there the first night we were in town. After checking into the hotel, it was late and we decided to drive through downtown to see what was available for dinner. Not much after 8:00 on a Sunday evening. I recalled a Tex-Mex place on Main street (aka Mud Street) from my previous stay several years earlier. It%26#39;s still there, but what I recall as Jose%26#39;s is now Cafe Santa Fe. The food was mediocre. We%26#39;ve had much better at Chevy%26#39;s or any of a number of other similar places at home.

Mud Street Cafe

Thanks to the recommendations of Beckers and others on this forum, we tried this cozy little cafe for lunch. It was very good. Had we not wanted to try several restaurants on our trip, we would have gone back for dinner or breakfast. My wife had quiche and tomato bisque soup, I had a prime rib sandwich. Both were excellent and the bill was under $20.00! We had trouble finding the place because we kept looking for Mud Street on the map. Only after we were directed there, did we learn how Main Street came to be called Mud Street due to muddy run off in teh city%26#39;s earlier days.

Ermilio%26#39;s

Beckers recommended this place and she didn%26#39;t steer us wrong. It%26#39;s a home converted to an italian restaurant within (level) walking distance of the Crescent Hotel. They open at 5:00 p.m. We got there a few minutes early and there were already a dozen people waiting. Dinner and service was good. My wife had outstanding filet mignon and I had slightly over done but still very good tuna steak. The pasta side dish wasn%26#39;t as good as I%26#39;ve had elsewhere but we live in St. Louis with lots of authentic Italian restaurants. We spent $100 for dinner including a bottle of house cianti and tiramisu. Overall, it was a very good meal and one of the best we had in Eureka Springs.

Thorn Crown Chapel

This chapel just north of Eureka Springs is worth the short drive. It%26#39;s a beautiful building but there isn%26#39;t much to do there except see it and that doesn%26#39;t take much time. It%26#39;s free, although there is a voluntary collection box on the wall as you might expect for a chapel or church.

Blue Springs Heritage Center

If you like gardens, you%26#39;ll like this place. It%26#39;s also just north of Eureka Springs. The garden includes a lagoon stocked with trout (no fishing), a large spring fed pool and lots of paths, some gravel, some raised wood decks. The trail is about a mile long but we found it a very enjoyable stroll. We paid a reasonable $15 for the two of us to get access to the garden and paths.

Quigley%26#39;s Castle

Okay, it%26#39;s not a castle, but more of a quirky touristy thing to do. Quigley%26#39;s Castle is south of Eureka Springs on Highway 23. It%26#39;s an odd home built by what were probably an equally odd couple. The gardens contain LOTS of rock and concrete ';scupltures'; and bottle trees. You can read about it, but for $5.50 a person, just go see it. It%26#39;s better than the largest wind chime erection which you%26#39;ll happen to pass on your way to Quigley%26#39;s Castle anyway.

Next stop: Branson and Silver Dollar City

Trip Review - Eureka Springs %26amp; The Crescent Hotel

Nice report, thanks. Years ago we stayed at the Crescent and thought it was pretty awesome. There just arent many hotels like that around anymore. We poked our heads into the Crystal Dining Room about noon one day and found a lavish cold-cut buffet. This is not for everyone, but I sure chowed down and lip smacked!

Trip Review - Eureka Springs %26amp; The Crescent Hotel

I have stayed at the Crescent many times. This is an accurate and truthful review. However, $250 for one of their rooms is the most I have ever heard of them charging! You could have stayed in the Governers Suite for $229! It is a huge two room suite with 2 king size beds. The decor is as the rest of the hotel. I recommend staying at the New Orleans Downtown for the best location.

The $250 was for all three nights total - not one night. That%26#39;s a good deal for the Crescent.

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, all three nights! then that was a good deal! party on!

FLAG DOWN A TROLLEY.........You can flag a trolley anyplace in Eureka that you see one. Just make it plain the you want them to pull over by motioning to them. Wave largely. One can get off most places by telling the driver before. You can purchase a day%26#39;s ticket to four different trollies on different routes for one price. It is cheap and keeps the car traffic low for the true inhabitants of the town. Some of them also ride the trolley as there is not much parking. Remember Eureka is a working town and we go into their ';living rooms'; so to speak. It is not new all over and the first people that renewed Eureka were people in the 70%26#39;s that did not want to be in a place like Branson or a Disney type situation. Eureka is a real antique town with real inhabitents that live and work there. Very few of them live out of Eureka while working there. Enjoy what it is which is not new, shiny and with every aminity that we may see other places. That is why it is appreciated, for it%26#39;s oldness and charm.

QUIGLEY%26#39;S CASTLE....Long ago in the late 60%26#39;s I met the then old woman who came up with the idea of the house. Firstly her husband built a new chicken house and barn which to his idea housed the animals which made them money. The family had to make do. The old woman did not accept this and moved her family into the new barns and the animals into their then as she thought not so nice house. She put her family to work cutting the trees on the property, took them to the local saw mill and had them cut into boards. They built the house two stories high with the beams of the second floor very large and the second floor not meeting the walls but stopping short by about two feet. This construction made available from the wood burning stove on the first floor the heat to rise along the walls upward. The front had very large openings for the dream of later putting glass into them. They did not have that available on the farm so had to purchase it later. In the mean time the first winter they put up gunny sacks to cover it. Gunny sacks are made of hemp string woven. As the winter got colder they soaked the sacks in motor oil to seal them and put more to cover the open areas. The cold got colder and they put more sacks on. As you would know that was one of the coldest winters in a long time just shows that the weather can be contrary. They finally got windows. In the mean time they cut more trees and the old Lady Quigley had a cabinet maker build her a round dining table and chairs. It was the round top and one large round column fashion. It was nicely carved and very well done. On the outside you can see little rocks and big all put on by the family. There are fossils of turtles and other interesting rocks which the Lady Quigley proudly pointed out and told of finding them. There were plants growing downstairs close by the large windows which climbed up into the second story. Lady Quigley was told by someone that she should patent the house as it was so unusual. This was in the I think 30%26#39;s and she did send off to Washington proudly to patent her dream house. It cost something to file a patent and she was told by the patent office not to worry because they had never every seen anything like it. Now , Frank Lloyd Wright move over. I hope you; go and see this because just like the little old lady that was so humble and at once proud to show it great things are in little packages. You will not be disappointed if you go with this story in mind. The things the Ozark people have done with not much money but with a whole world of immagination and commen sence is endless. Even our government%26#39;s patent office thought so. At the time she had the letter from them.

We spent one night there last week, and for the first time in my life, I was seriously considering getting out of bed and sleeping in our car. Our room was filthy and disgusting -- at $179 plus tax and svc . charge -- a total of $207. We cancelled the rest of our stay early the next morning.

It isn%26#39;t that we don%26#39;t appreciate historic hotels; far from it. We%26#39;ve stayed in them in the US and in Europe; and when we lived in London for four years, we leased a flat in a historic building from the same period. The Crescent was shabby and dirty; its only charm was in the lobby. The photos the hotel published must be the owners%26#39; suite; we saw nothing like that, and we were able to glance into several rooms that were open while they were being serviced.

Our room was dark and furnished with ';early garage sale'; items from every period imaginable, the carpet was grimy and filthy, and the decor was more ';Star Wars'; than Victorian.

The porch overlooking the gardens (which were lovely) was equally unappealing, with stained red carpet, ashtrays full of stale cigarettes, and rocking chairs of raw, unfinished wood, some missing arms and/or slats.

The window in our room was grimy and the bedspreads and duvets were dirty (and the stains on those duvets weren%26#39;t rust stains, either!) The hair dryer had melted, and the ring-type hand towel rack was loose and about to fall off the wall. The heavy dark-green shower curtain had white toothpaste-like stains on both sides and a burn mark on the side hem.

We were furnished with one flimsy plastic glass, half a roll of toilet tissue, and one *damp* hand towel for the two of us, which I left it to dry on the shower rod while we were downstairs. To be fair, there were two bath towels and washcloths, and we later found an open supply closet where we could grab a roll of toilet tissue for our bathroom and, a box of tissues for our friends%26#39; room.

Our worst fear was being burned alive in our sleep. The place looked like a fire trap to us, and I didn%26#39;t see a chance that we%26#39;d be able to escape all the way to the first floor. There was some sort of smoke or heat detector on the ceiling, but no sprinkler systems. Our fourth-floor room was located near the stairwell by the kitchen, and that stairwell ended at Level 2; it resumed in some other area on that floor -- I%26#39;d had difficulty finding it that afternoon, so I knew I%26#39;d never find it in a panic situation.

The staff was courteous and helpful, though I still wonder why the bellman told us and our friends, who were equally dissatisfied, that we were given two of the nicer, renovated rooms, since the ones assigned to us hadn%26#39;t been ready. Surely we don%26#39;t look that stupid and naive!

You said you cancelled your stay at the Crescent. Did you find another, better place to stay? My husband and I are going to Eurkea in July and want to find the best place to stay. Of course we don%26#39;t want to spend a fortune but we%26#39;d rather spend more for a nicer place. I have seen a lot about Cliff Cottages, Beaver Lake Cottages. We will have a car. I don%26#39;t know if it would be best to stay in town or out a bit with a view? I don%26#39;t think we will be spending a ton of time in our room however we%26#39;d like a nice bed and bathroom and spacious enough.

marlommm check out the Benton Place Inn%26#39;s Benton Suite-it is lovely,romantic,roomy-I could go on %26amp; on-the pics dont do it justice on the website,especially if you want to be right downtown ES. Not that there is anything wrong with the lodgings you listed-just thought I would give you a few more to look at...

Some other nice choices/options

Treehouse Cottages are awesome!

http://www.treehousecottages.com/

Evening Shade Inn-a very nice property

www.eveningshade.com

A Garden of Dreams

http://www.eurekavacation.com/gardenofdreams/

And if you REALLY want to splurge

http://www.estc.net/featured/winterwood/

pets