Monday, September 05, 2016

Riverview Hotel

Life continues at a frantic pace.  Labor Day is going to be just that, laboring as I have a messy yard after Tropical Storm Hermine came through here on Friday morning.  That turned out to be a busy day that started way too early as we (Volunteer Fire Department) were called out early.  A tornado struck the north end of our island and damaged a number of homes and blocked many roads with a tangled mess of live oaks.  More about that later.  Here is a post I started Thursday night.
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I’d scheduled a few days R&R after dropping my daughter off at college.  My plan was to spend a couple of nights on Cumberland Island, enjoying the beach (more about that in another post), but I needed a place to stay the night before heading over to the island.  As the Cumberland Island ferry leaves from St. Mary’s GA (a town just north of the Florida border), I checked for local establishments.  There are a lot of rooms in the St. Mary’s area, especially out near Interstate 95, but in the old town there were several B&Bs and an old hotel, The Riverview, that was celebrating 100 years of business (and 90 years in the same family).  Their lists of guests included Rockefellers, Carnegies (the family once owned most of Cumberland Island) and Willard Scott.  I knew that was the place.  I have a thing for old hotels.

Notice the cat
The cat was yawning, and isn't fierce at all!
The Riverview Hotel looks like an old hotel from out west, except that instead of using adobe, they used tabby construction.  Tabby is a cement made from oyster shells and sand.  The building has a veranda out front, from which one could look out on the harbor and the St. Mary’s River and look over to Amelia Island, Florida.  It was also a place where certain guests went to smoke, but more about that later.  The rooms are all upstairs, the first floor consist of the office in the middle and a saloon on the north end and a restaurant on the south side.  Inside, at the registration desk sitting on the sign-in booklet is a friendly black cat (I never did sign in).  When we arrived there were no one at the front gate and a note that said to see the bartender as they’d taken the dog for a walk.  The office area wasn’t air conditioned and was extremely hot at the end of a day that approached the century mark (100 degrees F) with extremely high humidity.  The bartender was friendly and got us our keys.  We were in the Willard Scott room.  We were told we’d want to turn on the air conditioner and cool the room (no kidding!).  We went up and dropped our bags, turned on the AC, then went down to the dining room where we stood waiting for a table.  There was only one server and she was engaged in a deep conversation with the only table with patrons.  We waited and waited and decided we didn’t need to give our business to someone who didn’t even acknowledge us.  We headed to the saloon.  We learned they shared menus and the place was lively.  The bartender was over immediately to get us drinks and give us a menu.  I had a wonderful blacken grouper sandwich.
Upstairs  hallway (beautiful but hot)

We sat at the bar and talked to other patrons (a couple from Beaufort, South Carolina who regularly visits) and a couple of locals.  The beer was cold and the prices reasonable.  An hour or so later, we were back to the room.  The room was just beginning to cool off.  We watched a little of the closing of the Olympics, but went to bed early.  I’d been a long day and we needed to be up early in the morning to catch the ferry to Cumberland Island.  The ferry terminal was across the street.
The next morning, I went out and wrote in my journal on the veranda.  Even though the sun was just coming up, it was hot and sticky.  Another guy came out on the veranda and spent the time talking on the phone and smoking a cigarette.  I realized then why the room which was non-smoking smelled like smoke.  He stood right in front of our air conditioner unit and it was sucking in his exhaust.   The hotel had a light breakfast (cereal, fruit, pastries and coffee), which fueled us for our trip to Cumberland Island. 
The ferry to Cumberland Island

 I wouldn’t recommend this hotel for everyone, but if you like old places, you might like it.  I’d take it any day over the cookie cutter hotels along the interstate.  The room was clean.  I wish they could have cooled the room a bit before we arrived.  Also, the air conditioner unit was loud.  I would stay again, but probably not in the summer.  Also, I wouldn’t pay the extra fifteen dollars for the veranda room as it doesn’t really matter.  The room didn’t have a door onto the veranda and all patrons have access to it (though a sitting room).  Furthermore, not being on the veranda would mean that you wouldn’t have to deal with cigarette smoke being drawn into the room.  I’d enjoy spending time exploring St. Mary’s as well as returning to Cumberland Island, so maybe one day I’ll return.  

27 comments:

  1. Te envio mi blog de poesias por si quieres darle un vistazo
    Gracias.
    http://anna-historias.blogspot.com.es/2016/09/vacaciones.html?m=1

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  2. That sounds like a nice hotel. I never knew about tabby construction. They must be trying to conserve energy by keeping the air conditioning off. And that cat does look like it's hissing. I love black cats. :)

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  3. I love old hotels !! This look amazing ! Hugs!

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  4. Haven't stayed in many hotels in my life, and then typically only modern ones. I should get off the beaten path a bit

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  5. I love old hotels and go out of my way to stay in them. You can keep your Holiday Inns. I'm all for the "inconveniences" of aged buildings. And you meet some very interesting people. Love Beaufort. Stayed there years ago and still remember the feel of the place.

    Sorry about the serious storm, but I guess those come with the territory just as earthquakes come with ours.

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  6. Sometimes old hotels can be just great!

    I can well imagine with Tropical Storm Hermine (which has featured on UK TV) you have been kept busy.

    Keep safe and well

    All the best Jan

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  7. Love that cat! (I have two black grandcats)

    Based on your observations, I think I'd rather just admire this hotel through your photos rather than actually stay in it.

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  8. I liked the pictures of the hotel but I can understand why you might not want to spend more time there. A tornado? That doesn't sound good.

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  9. It's a shame about the cigarette smoke and the insufficient air conditioning, but it sounds like it was a beautiful hotel otherwise. I hope you won't have too much work to do in cleaning up after the hurricane.

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  10. I love old hotels and have stayed at one in the county where I grew up a few times. I love the charm even if they aren't quite as comfortable as modern ones.

    Iowa has a no smoking law for any public venue. Even though you can still smoke outdoors and on the veranda of motels, the no smoking law has definitely made a significant dent in the number of people who smoke. As a result, it is quite common to attend public outdoor events and not see people smoking. I am so used to it now that I really notice when I travel to other states and smell all the cigarette smoke everywhere I go.

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  11. Tabby construction is a new term for me.

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  12. Looks like a cute little place. Beautiful cat, too.

    I know you've been busy with clean up but I'm glad to hear you're safe after the storm.

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  13. Great post, still in the process of planning my own trip to Cumberland Island.

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  14. Well sir it seems as if your life continues on in the same fashion--never leaving room for the uneventful. Brother you remind in a way of TR.

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  15. I would love that place, I think, especially the cat. But I think it's unforgivable for restaurant staff to ignore you. (I had the same experience in the mountains of NC recently, when my sisters and I just wanted to pay the bill at a sandwich shop and leave, but the server / cashier was sitting at a table with another customer chatting while she took her order. She then made that customer a milkshake before taking our money. Sigh.)

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  16. Looks like a lovely hotel! The cat cracked me up. He does look fierce - like a black panther. Sorry you had some damage from Hermine. We had a little rain, but that was it.

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  17. Oh my, that is my kind of hotel. I did not know about Cumberland Island. I'll have to do some research.

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  18. Yay for cats. My kids love taking pictures like that of a cat in mid yawn. Boo for smoke though. I would have had to ask for a different room with an asthmatic husband (plus I hate the smell).

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  19. People have taken to 5* living and 6* hotels over the last few years like to the manor born. I've preferred places that invest in a good bed a shower with pressure that'd knock you off your feet if you didn't brace yourself to places with gold taps and sheets like a slip and slide. Mind you I suppose down thataways a AC unit would be the more important. Lovely photos.

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  20. Yes I think I would like this place too. Seems to have a lot on character and would probably be delightful in the fall once things have cooled off a bit.

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  21. sorry to hear about the hurricane

    you'd think that if the hotel is made from tabby construction that they'd make sure their reception cat was a tabby!

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    1. You're right about the cat! I laughed at your response.

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  22. I got such a kick out of this post, Sage! I've stayed in so many hotels over the years, from the good, bad, ugly, and funky! You certainly brought up many memories for me. I'm glad that you survived Tropical Storm Hermine relatively unscathed, and I hope that your daughter has had a great start to her university year.

    This hotel immediately reminded me of the historic Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming. Terry and I didn't stay there, but we explored it thoroughly. We even ended up eating breakfast in the saloon with a friendly bartender ~ but one with a revolver holstered on his side. I don't remember what the revolver was ~ I was so shocked to see a cowboy bartended openly carrying a handgun.

    I'm not a fan of cookie cutter hotels either, although they can be a welcome sight in the empty west! Hope your life slows down a little - I'm stuck in a frantic pace too. Take care!

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  23. I love the interior. I remember one hotel that had an old-fashioned look to it when I stayed in Chicago, but it wasn't as quaint as this one.

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  24. What a relaxing place to visit. I have a thing for old hotels too, well old buildings in general. I would really enjoy a break away too, and soon I'll be heading south to Alabama for a visit with family again, I can't wait. This kitty sure looks like it's home sweet home!

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