Front Street Inn

It is part of a coffee bar and very loud but you don't hear it in the room. You do hear cars roaring by, though. The manager, Damien, is wonderful - very accommodating. The parking lot is closed for only guests but a guy recognizes you and comes running out to open up for you. Nice. The rooms were very eclectic and I liked them but for such a hip place, it was hard to plug in my charger. We were very close to a lot of the historic places we wanted to see and fairly close to an open market that had fun things. Wilmington could be as big a hit as Charleston if it worked at it a bit more.

The Inn is situated on one of the main routes in/out of Wilmington from the south but despite that and our room being one which was on the roadside, traffic did not disturb us that much save the bin lorry which rocked up at 7am one morning. As noted by many, the main advantage of this Inn is its location. The main road aforementioned allows easy ingress from and egress to the main highway and Interstate and it is just one block form the Riverside Walk with all its bars and restaurants leading to downtown Wilmington. Our room was very clean and tidy. One has to confirm one wants one's room cleaned: it is not done automatically. Curiously, our room (and it seemed others too) had a small kitchenette in it although no pots or pans if one actually wanted to use it to its full potential. The bathroom was functional. It seemed to need some TLC. The shower unit was dated as was the shower itself although the blast of hot water from it was enough to send one into next week! We had an issue with our lavatory as its cistern seemed continually to be filling up after use. That was rather disconcerting. That brings me onto my next point. I would have mentioned this to someone but the staff were invisible. One is emailed a couple of days in advance to confirm how one can access the building and ones room and given that we were not sue to arrive until around 8.30pm, that did not strike me as unusual; but that was about the height of my interaction with any staff member. If they were around, they did not identify or introduce themselves. A hangover from Covid perhaps but a strange practice for people in the hospitality industry, we felt. Breakfast is a monotonous affair by which I mean it is the same food available every day. This comprises orange juice, four breakfast cereals and a waffle maker. Hardly inspiring. Whether coffee was available was hit-and-miss. There was a Lavazza coffee maker present but with the ominous message 'Coming Soon' on it. So one had to do with pre-made coffee in insulated servers - when they had coffee in them. On two of the four mornings we had breakfast, it was empty. Not very good. The other thing about breakfast which I have never come across before anywhere I have stayed was that was that it one had to use disposable cutlery and bowls/plates. And these were not very practicable. The photos of this place makes it look charming and quaint. And it is clearly a period property. There is plenty of parking aside the building. As a base for exploring Wilmington either on foot or by car, it is perfect. However, the matters raised above detract from this.

A friend and I went to Wilmington for a girls trip and after seeing the Front Street Inn I thought the location looked great and the place was adorable so we booked it. Both of those statements were true but there were more disappointing characteristics. Pros: The location of this place COULD NOT be beat. Since we flew in we Uber’ed everywhere or walked and with this location, we could walk almost anywhere we wanted to go which was so nice! It’s in downtown so restaurants and shopping were just a couple minutes walk away. While the inside of our suite was very dated and had some obvious damage ( it looked like it was the only one listed on the website that hadn’t been remodeled but was the only one available for our dates) it was EXTREMELY clean which I really appreciate! We had a large personal balcony at the top and it was beautiful! Cons: We were given a personalized code to get into our room as well as the downstairs lobby area and we had issues with it every single time we came back from leaving for the entire 3 days. We had to put in the code, at minimum, 3 times before the door would ever even try to open and one day the code didn’t work on the lobby door at all. It was cold and raining when we went so that made not being able to get inside quickly really inconvenient. The next big issue was contact/interacting with staff. We got there on Saturday and didn’t see a human that worked there until Monday afternoon. I called at least 4 times on Sunday and never got an answer or a call back. On Monday I called 3 times before I got an answer. I’m not sure what the guy’s name was but I asked if he could store our luggage after check out (We paid $60 for a late check out after staying there for 2 nights at right below $500 but our flight still left 5 hours later) until we had to go to the airport and he said yes to bring it down at 1 and if he wasn’t there for us to call and he would meet us there. Well of course at 1 no one was to be found at the lobby and I called 3 times and no one ever answered. We got lucky and about that time he pulled up from going to lunch and helped us get our luggage inside. He wasn’t very personable, and kind of rushed us out of the lobby after putting our luggage behind a desk in a room where construction workers were coming in and out while doing a renovation. (If we would have had another option we would not have left our stuff there.) He told us to be back by 4 to get our stuff that he would make it where our code could let us in until then but that he leaves before 5 so we would need to get our stuff before then. Spoiler alert, the code didn’t work after he said he would fix it. He was there and let us in to get our stuff and he once again was rushing us to get out. I needed to use the restroom so I asked if there was one in the lobby I could use and he said no (knowing damn well there’s a bathroom in every hotel lobby) and then when I looked at him funny he changed what he said and told me I could walk to the b

What a wonderful place to stay. The benefits of staying at a B&B far outweigh that of a hotel and The Verandas was no exception. The staff are exceptional, the bed was super comfortable, water pressure was great and the breakfasts delicious. The house has been tastefully decorated with furniture in keeping with the historic period of the house. Breakfasts were long and leisurely as we got to meet many interesting people staying at the B&B. It is nestled in the historic area of Wilmington and within walking distance of restaurants, stores and the famed Riverwalk. The beach is a short 20 minute drive away if you want to smell the ocean air. Would definitely recommend if you want a first class break away.

Very disappointed in our stay. There was construction underway so no nice common area to enjoy, small back self-serve coffee and water with cookies in the evening. We selected the Bistro Suite mostly for its balcony, view of the garden and spa tub. The garden was a sad affair with mostly bare ground, no color and the main feature – a clothesline. The seating on the balcony was a wicker loveseat with torn worn spots in the cushion. In our room - the ceiling fan didn’t work, the spa tub didn’t work, the cold water tap on one of the sinks did not work. We continually had trouble connecting to and staying connected to the feeble WiFi. We did have a nice breakfast but had to walk a few blocks to another property for it. The huge bright spot in this stay was Damien, the manager. He has a permanent smile and was very, very personable and helpful. It seems the property has no overnight staff on premise so Damien came from his house to help address the WiFi issues.

We enjoyed our stay. It was clean & staff was friendly. It was nice to just punch in a number & not use a card to enter. It’s close to many activities & good restaurants. We came for a wedding & made it into a mini vacation. We would definitely stay here again.

Yes, love the porch. Need instructions for Expresso maker. TP holder to close. Thanks interesting building. Nice porch for breakfast. Cordial staff. Need to refund my son for balance from fire damaged unit. NOT RIGHT!!!!!

Loved the extra touch of hospitality leaving fresh baked cookies and muffins in the afternoon! Coffee was always hot too! What a great location!!! Quiet at night and comfy bed. If your looking for a quite place to stay this is it! Had a small room to just relax and read a book or stay in your room. Cute all glass room to eat your breakfast and enjoy your morning coffee.

Very cozy room, immaculate condition. Wonderful location to walk down to the riverfront. My only complaint would be that the breakfast was lacking, in that all that was offered was a make your own waffle or cold cereal. Some healthier and/or non-sweet options would’ve been wonderful! Other than that, very satisfied with our stay.