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Dinsmore House

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  • 1211 West Main Street
     Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
    (434) 974-4663Website
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zabelle
zabelle
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5 out of 5
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Dinsmore House

  • December 16, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by zabelle from Portland, Connecticut
Dinsmore House

If you are looking for an oasis of civility amid the chaos of the city, this is the bed-and-breakfast for you. If is right down the street from the University of Virginia. I was just a little taken aback when I saw the beautiful brick house dwarfed by the towering Marriott Courtyard Hotel which seems to surround it. This as it turns out is not a bad thing, the Marriott provides six secure parking spots for hotel guests as well as access to their pool and gym. You can then leave the cookie cutter behind and come to your private world at the Dinsmore House.

Ryan and Denise Hubbard and their very sweet dog Maggie have taken on a labor of love in restoring the Dinsmore House to its former glory. Built and designed by renowned architect James Dinsmore, the house was originally called Livers House. Dinsmore worked as a master carpenter for Thomas Jefferson on both Monticello and Poplar Forest and later was recommended to Benjamin Latrobe for work on the nation’s Capitol. "James Dinsmore a more faithful, honest and respectable man I have never known." Thomas Jefferson.

Today you have your choice of six rooms and suites. We had the Dinsmore Room for our first night and the Jefferson Suite for our second. There is a discount applied when you stay two or more midweek days. Breakfast is served from 8am to 9:30am in either the dining room or on the sun porch. It was delicious and abundant both days.

In the afternoon you will be welcomed with a wine and cheese social. I had a glass of very fine white wine and a nice chat with Ryan about the Inn. The parlor is a warm and welcome place to gather and meet the other guests. If you would like a cold drink, there is a small fridge on the porch.

The Dinsmore Room was large with an impressive king size four poster bed. There are no stairs to mount it but it was doable. We have a wing chair and an antique sofa to watch our TV. There is an armoire to store our clothes as well as an antique dressing table. The little bowl of chocolates is a nice touch as is the bottled water. There is wireless Internet access throughout the house however, in the Dinsmore room I had to climb under the bed to plug my laptop in.

The Jefferson Suite had two rooms with a separate parlor where I could easily use the coffee table to hold my computer and the entrance is through a private outside door not through the house. What was nice was that our luggage was moved for us between the two rooms by housekeeping while we were out.

If you want to leave your car and take the free downtown trolley you just walk down to 11st Street and cross to the other side of the street.

From journal Captivating Charlottesville

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