Panclog #26: Savannah is in Georgia
Panclog – Presidents’ Quarters Inn
I hope you like Spanish Moss.
To celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, my blushing bride and I headed down to Savannah, GA, sans children. I’m not exactly sure why we chose Savannah, other than the fact that I had travelled there for business in the past and that it seemed to be a pretty cool city. Nonetheless, I was pretty certain my wife would like the location and have a wonderful time. But, to be truthful, we could have gone anywhere and we would have had a great time, again, the kids were not coming with us. A lot of time had passed since she and I had taken vacation together and this trip was long overdue. My fellow panclogger and his wife were kind enough to watch our children, all of whom are teenagers, in what was certainly a most arduous and terrifying task.
Savannah, GA is a terrific city with tons of history, beautiful squares, interesting shops, and remarkable streets and buildings. We spent nearly our entire time in the historic district which has very strict rules on how the facades of buildings should appear. Within these strict guidelines however, every building seems to have its own unique character. When visiting a new place my wife and I always seem to get into a discussion on whether or not we could live there. We will even go so far as to look for “for sale” signs, and check websites for realty listings. We determined pretty quickly that we could live in Savannah. I’m sure my fellow panclogger would love to take over parenting of our children.
The Bed and Breakfast we stayed at is named “Presidents’ Quarters Inn”. It is located closer to the river side of the historic district rather than the middle. Don’t let that concern you as the historic district is roughly 2.2 miles square making it easy to walk the entire area. While the inn is right in the thick of the historic district it is nestled into a nook that feels very private and separate from the rest of the area. The inn has a large variety of rooms roughly ranging in price from $189-$325 per night (prices do vary depending upon season). Each room is named after a president; we ended up staying in the Nixon and Monroe rooms.
The inn is quite cozy and the staff is incredibly helpful and nice. Each member of staff was quick with a greeting, and more than willing to help with any questions. They also provide great suggestions for places to eat and activities to do in the area. The inn offers wine and hors d’oeuvre every day from 4:30pm to 6:30pm, an amenity we took advantage of. During our stay the inn offered Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. All were quite good. The hors d’oeuvres offered each day were different. While we were there the hors d’oeuvres included crackers with a flavored spread, cucumber and salmon sandwiches, and peppered salami. Coffee and various juices are available throughout the morning. They also offer Sherry, a fortified wine, starting sometime during the afternoon and is available till late evening.
Like any bed and breakfast the Presidents’ Quarters offered breakfast for guests every day. Breakfast is served in blocks of time every half hour. Presidents’ Quarters provides two breakfast options each day. The evening before you just need to check in with some member of the hotel staff and let them know what time you would like to be down for breakfast and what breakfast option you would be selecting.
Option 1 for breakfast is the Continental. Its contents are the same every morning with a granola cereal, muffin, fruit yogurt, and a large fruit cup. That isn’t to say that what is served is the same every day. The dried fruit and flavoring of the granola will vary, as will the kind of muffin, and type of yogurt. I ended up selecting this option twice during our stay
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Option 2 for breakfast is the chef’s special, which alternates between a sweet and savory option every day. I also selected the chef’s special on two different days.
On the first day Bananas Foster French Toast was served, along with some oranges, and sausage patties. The French toast itself was quite thick, with a crispiness to the edges that opened up to a softer center. The toast soaked up the syrupy glaze from the bananas foster topping which was very sweet. Without the sausage on the side and the black coffee in the cup, the sweetness of the French toast would have been overwhelming. In any case, I really enjoyed this breakfast.
Oh, by the way, that is a huge dollop of whip cream on top.
The second chef’s special I had was the Orange Ricotta Pancakes with a side of Applewood smoked bacon. The bacon was fantastic and was cooked perfectly to my taste. The pancakes were quite good, but subtler than I expected. I guess I expected the cakes to be more over the top given the bananas foster experience. I also wasn’t sure how the ricotta was going to go over. The ricotta’s only affect was to make the pancakes seem creamier than normal. The pancakes tasted just like normal flapjacks with just the slightest hint of orange. You almost had to be looking for the flavor. As the cakes came adorned with powdered sugar and whip cream, there was no need to add jelly to the top.
Overall I would give the breakfasts 4 out of 5 stars.
In regard to the B&B we would return to the Presidents’ Quarters Inn without a second thought. The entire experience is well done and the staff should be commended. At your next opportunity book a room, or two, or three, and get on down there.
Panclog 