My wife and I have stayed at a lot of bed and
breakfasts; they all have had unique characteristics and they all have brought
out different emotions in us both. However the Mansion at
Elfindale brought out still new emotions in us; strange,
perverse, retroactive jealousy for our previous apartment lives. The rooms at
the Mansion at Elfindale would probably elicit the same emotion from anyone
because they were indeed epic. While some might imagine a large master suite
cobbled around a smattering of other smaller rooms that any other mansion would
call a suite, this was not the case at the Mansion at Elfindale. There were
fourteen huge rooms in the whole huge place. The Mansion at Elfindale has an
interesting history which brought it into the present day; it's this
interesting history which largely accounts for its present day status.
The rooms at the Mansion at Elfindale were a
number of things in the past; nunnery, a school, offices, and private
residences at one point or another in its lengthy history. Today the Mansion at
Elfindale finds its current incarnation as a bed and breakfast. The Mansion at
Elfindale also hosts weddings, business meetings, birthdays, showers, and other
special events.
On the day that my wife and I stayed there, we
were guests with one other couple (a couple which we, unsurprisingly, never
saw!) However when we were first given our pick of the litter in rooms (save
the already occupied tower room) we chose one on the end of this massive second
floor hallway. After selecting the room and heading out to dinner, we came back
only to realize that this room had no cable television. Rather than make a huge
deal out of it, my nimble wife and I just hopped across the hall to an
adjoining room that was unlocked and cable equipped (all the rooms are cable
equipped; it's just the room we stayed in appeared to be without a cable box
for some reason) The room we ended up staying in; the Alice O'Day Suite was
generous enough in size, was equipped with a queen sized bed, and had a pretty
impressive bathroom to boot.
It's really the whole of the experience that
you'll take away from a spot like the Mansion at Elfindale; it is truly
gargantuan; to really get the full appreciation for it, you should ask for the
tour. If the rooms are unoccupied (they all were when we got there) then you
might be lucky enough to get to see it all and really put your feelings into
perspective. The Mansion at Elfindale has a rich history and important links to
the community which make it not just a great place to stay or have your event,
but also something of a history lesson as well.
Breakfast at the Mansion at Elfindale happened
early; this was no bother for our cherry innkeeper. We were served this fresh
French toast with strawberry topping, yogurt with fruit and granola, hearty
bacon, fresh sausage, and scrambled eggs with cheese. This was a breakfast fit
for a king! Top that with some hearty orange juice and piping hot coffee and we
were set for our full day of driving.
The Mansion at Elfindale is a bit off the beaten
path and the bed and breakfast maintain strong ties to the
adjoining church. There is no smoking, drinking, or burning candles on this
property! For the road weary traveler or weekend escapist looking for some
peace and quiet though, the Mansion at Elfindale is as good a choice as any. So
if you are able to stop in to the Springfield Missouri area and you find need
to stay there, you should certainly consider the Mansion at Elfindale as
opposed to some cookie-cutter hotel or motel!
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