Old Town Manor

We spent a few wonderful nights at the Old Town Manor located at 511 Eaton Street.  This Bed and Breakfast is certainly a place you should’t over look.  Quite honestly I had for some time.  A few reasons made me not consider this place, but we ended up staying here and I promise it won’t be our last.

old town manor

Location, location, location

This inn offers a great location.  You are only 1/2 a block off of Duval on Eaton Street.  Right smack dab in the middle of all of the action, but far enough off of Duval, it’s very quiet.  No matter where you wander… you will never be too far from your room.  From the inn, you are only four blocks from Mallory Square and its famous sunset celebrations!

Rooms … size does matter

The rooms are very spacious.  The inn offers ten rooms in the main house and four more in the converted Carriage House.  Each of the rooms are unique … no cookie cutter decorating here.  They are also spacious.  Our room had a king sized bed and we had a lot of room around the bed.  The bathroom was a little snug, but it served its purpose.  There were lots of shelves to put all of your stuff, so the lack of countertop space wasn’t really too much of an issue.  Our room shared a balcony with another room.  We had an awesome view of the front of the property overlooking Eaton Street.  Other rooms offer private balconies.  Usually, we find no one takes advantage of the balconies so we are usually the only ones out in the morning or evening.  Not too important for us to have a private balcony.

old town manor

The inside stairs. Beautiful banister and woodwork all through out!

Eaton Street is also considered very haunted.  Each evening, you can sit out front and watch the ghost tours walk by.  We tried to explore the area on our own, but never saw an orb…

The Team

Each of the staff members are very friendly and helpful.  We arrived before our room was ready and they held our bags and even offered a place to freshen up before we headed out to explore.  Within no time, we received a call that our room was ready and they had moved our bags there.  We were given advice on places to see and things to try … which turned out to be great recommendations.  They also held our bags when we checked out until we were ready to head over the airport.  They even called a cab for us!

Breakfast

Since this is a bed and breakfast, you are treated to a wonderful continental breakfast each morning from 8am to 10am.  The have so much variety that everyone’s desires should be met. I tried for the first time, gluten free cereal and I must say it was very tasty.  So much so, that’s what I had every morning for breakfast.  Kevin, as usual, tried everything.  He enjoyed the waffles and fresh fruit.  The coffee is served in two different strengths, which was great for us.  I enjoy a lighter brew while Kevin enjoys the bolder.  Each of us were able to enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee.

The downside was it rained every morning while we were there so we were not able to enjoy the outisde seating area.  But it looks wonderful and I must say it would be the perfect place to get lost in a book and a drink on a hot afternoon.

old town manor

Backyard courtyard. Lots of places to sit and very, very quiet!

Pool?

This was one of the reasons why I never stayed at Old Town Manor… lack of a pool.  But, we were very surprised to find out they have access to a pool off site (Rose Lane Villas).  Very close to walk to and it was a large and private pool.  Unfortunately we had rain, and didn’t get an opportunity to enjoy it

Pet Friendly

The Old Town Manor is very pet friendly.  They have a few pet “rules” so check out their website for more information.  They even have their own pets on property.  Miss Kitty is just a jewel.  She is a true Key West cat and, like any cat, we all were blessed to be staying in her property.  Mojo can be found wandering the lobby.  He is eight pounds of pure friendliness.  He will make sure you have a wonderful time while in Key West.

Wedding Venue

The inn offers a beautiful place to have a wedding or reception.  They will help you plan your event and best part, your guests can stay right on property.

History

As you know by now, I love the history of Key West and the stories behind each of its beautiful homes.  This one is no exception.  The main house was built in 1886 by Samuel Otis Johnson.  In 1937 it was remodeled by architect Jack Long who was hired by the then owners William and Genevieve Warren.

old town manor

Mr. Johnson ran a dry goods store from the property.  Actually, the home served not only as a grocery store and a butcher shop but a residence with a doctor’s office, a boarding house and now serves as a beautiful bed and breakfast.

Dr. William Richard Warren and his wife Genevieve bought the home from Mr. Johnson in 1913.  Born in Key West, Dr. Warren practiced general medicine from the home.  The ground floor front porch was used as the patient waiting room with other rooms inside used for examinations and surgery.  Genevieve descended from one of the Island’s oldest families.  She spent her days caring for her family, gardening and playing her piano.  Today her piano can be found across the street at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

An interesting tidbit…. in the 1930 US Census, the home’s value was listed at $8,000.

The Gardens

The inn boasts one of Key West’s first ornamental gardens.  Genevieve framed her impressive orchid collection with winding red brick pathways.  She barged soil in from the Panhandle and built the tallest rainwater collection cistern on the Island so she could water her plants.  It stands three stories tall!

 

 

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