Mansion At Elfindale

The room we stayed in was quiet dirty in some parts. Including a rather gross rust-​red stain on the bottom of a sofa cushion. There’s storage in most of the room closets. The vanity was full of dust and dirt. The shower wasn’t fun at all. It’s cute and quaint but not practical. A lot of things need to be updated here. I really wanted to like it, I just couldn’t.
The food isn’t the best either. Being vegetarian I was left rather hungry after breakfast. The only thing I could eat was pancakes and eggs. The eggs were watery as well. On our last day I went downstairs to get a soda and was not happy to find that they had not rotated or replenished their stock of coca-​cola in a month.
The staff is nice, though I didn’t see them much. Which I actually like.

We were traveling to JRLC from near Chicago and stayed on a wednesday and thursday night in February. The woman who booked our stay was lovely, extra helpful, accommodating and knows the cool history of the place. You won’t get breakfast during the week included in the room and the room was a little cheaper for it. I believe you can eat in the dining room and purchase breakfast during the week but we did not do that.
We stayed in the tower suit and it was LOVELY. The bed is SO comfortable, and the two nights we were there, I would forget I was renting this place. We could LIVE there. The tower suit is cozy, has two additional sitting areas, one on the main level with a desk, the 2^nd up a gorgeous wood spiral staircase on the 2^nd level. On that level there is a love seat, two stuffed chairs and a table with two rattan chairs, as well as a bakers rack with a small stereo. The furnishings are not new, but everything is comfortable and charming. YOu feel like you can curl up anywhere with a book and look out the beautiful windows overlooking the trees and lake and watch the sun set or rise. The bathroom is SMALL but the tub is large. It’s a clawfoot, but the overflow drain is only half way up the tub so you won’t get to soak up to your chin because you can’t entirely fill the tub. It DOES have an updated TV. The room has a small armoir for clothes, a table top ironing board and iron. The room is not too feminine, nor overly masculine, it’s a little gothic, quirky, cozy and i LOVE it for those reasons.
right outside the bedroom door is a glass dining table where you could easily bring in a full meal and sit with whomever you’re with and relax in your sock and eat. There is also another love seat by the table, and other seating areas in the hall as well.
Our son stayed in the Hunt suit right next door… what a GORGEOUS masculine room. The bed is a four poster, high bed. Super comfy. LOTS of seating in an open, well decorated room. Also has an updated tv.
All the door to the unoccupied rooms were open so we explored. The whole place is AWESOME. I don’t much care for the more fru fru floral feminine rooms, but there’s nothing wrong with them. The ART DECO room is NO LONGER orange and pink, it’s been painted and updated to a very pale blue. I took pictures to show the new look. They need to update their website to show the updated tvs and colors so people know what they’re getting.
If you have leftover food there is a fridge downstairs you can use, and you can purchase some beverages from a cooler as well.
I can’t wait to stay there again!

This is an incredible old mansion with amazing craftsmanship, very rich history and lovely rooms. Don’t confuse this place with a Hampton Inn where everything is «perfect» and the same. It’s the quirkiness and imperfection that gives this place its charm. The rooms are very spacious, especially the John O’Day room and the Chapel room (we’ve stayed in both). They have high ceilings and tall windows. The private bathrooms are thoughtfully appointed with claw foot tubs (with showers) and historic fixtures. (Each room has its own bathroom). The beds all have new mattresses and comfortable pillows-​great night’s sleep! The bedroom doors are massive solid oak sliding doors so you don’t have to worry much about noisy neighbors.
Mayra is incredibly friendly and will give you a history lesson if you’re interested. Lori whipped up some awesome omelets and homemade cinnamon roles for breakfast served along with other assorted pastries, fruit, pancakes, and bacon.
If you’re staying in the Springfield area you should definitely check this place out! It’s rates are very reasonable.

On the third day of 2,700 mile road trip across country, we covered a lot of ground passing through the rest of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. My husband was determined to get to Missouri, Springfield to be exact. Since he did most of the driving, I did the hotel booking. The original Bed and Breakfast I found was full, so I asked for a recommendation and they sent me to Elfindale. When I called, Mayra, the charismatic B+B/wedding coordinator manager, was ready to have us, although I scratched my chin when I was placed briefly on hold and heard religious talk as the hold «music.» When we arrived, she gave us a tour of all the suites except the one that was taken and let us have our pick. It was like being in a museum, except we could touch. We chose the John O’Day room which was more expensive, but since it was an off night she gave it to us on the cheap, meaning the same price as the majority of the rooms.
The mansion’s story goes back to many owners, but was sold to a church in the late 80s where then the church turned it into a bed and breakfast in the early 90s. There is pro god propaganda everywhere, but it’s more or less subtle — if anything, interesting.
Our bathroom still had its original fixtures. We felt pretty special to be there. The entire mansion is filled with antiques galore.
Brunch is only served on the weekends (partially why we got such a discounted rate), however, coffee cake, juice and coffee was still served in the morning. The husband and I went to the Mudhouse for coffee and brought it back to our suite to have coffee in the sitting area. It was fantastic! If you ever find yourself in Springfield (which is a place I would gladly free willingly return to), a stay at Elfindale is worth it!