The Mimslyn Inn

You will not find a nicer building to stay in or eat in. But the Christmas Brunch really was lacking and I eat here about three or four times a year. The Easter Brunch was Excellent! This year the Christmas Brunch was cold and had very little if any interesting items. The crab topped fish was cold and had no flavor. The food just was disappointing. BUT, the server was delightful as was all the staff. I will be back, just because of the nice folks and the building. Maybe I am just too picky for 32.00 plus tip!

I’ve been going to the Mimslyn to eat since I was a boy (late 1980’s) and today was the first time I’ve had the pleasure to dine in the new Circa 31 restaurant. The new owners have done an incredible job renovating and modernizing without sacrificing its original spirit. It was such a nice day we had originally planned to eat outside. We quickly decided upon the buffet and when we went in to fill out plates, the upscale ambiance of the immaculate dining room beckoned us to eat in there instead.
What I am about to say next I do not say lightly: the next hour was nothing short of the Best dining experience I have had in at least the last decade. The food was intensely flavorful, fresh, well prepared, well presented, and it was literally hard to stop eating it. When I finally did and we left, we both kept remarking to each other for hours afterward what a wonderful meal it was and how we couldn’t wait to come bacK! And this was just the buffet! I can’t even imagine what other delicious secrets the full menu holds.
Hands down, my new absolute favorite place to eat. And the prices were actually pretty low considering the super high quality of the food we had. $ 12.95 for the buffet was a steal. I mean, Golden Corral charges more than that if I can remember and their buffet doesn’t hold a candle to this place.
If you want to make your tastebuds tingle, come to the Mimslyn, you will be happy you did!

A much-​loved, historic fixture and landmark of Luray.

We purchased a groupon deal for a one night stay and thought it sounded like a great deal! The Mimslyn building and location are beautiful and the grounds are lovely. Unfortunately our room had a distinctly musty smell and the air was very humid, even though the air conditioning was set to the coolest possible temperature. The room itself was nice although somewhat crowded with a lot of furniture. The bathroom was sufficient but very very small. Hotel staff was very friendly and welcoming and we loved the Speakeasy bar/​restaurant downstairs.

This rating is for wedding experience only:
The customer services was outstanding. One of the waiter saw we have a toddler and offered a Styrofoam cup with straw for her and changed the cup when she spilled and when she bit on the cup. Because it was chaotic, I understand sometimes that waiters/​waitresses forgot to give us what we requested, but one waitress who was responsible for coffee and came back asking if we ever did get your tea? Was sweet of her for doing so.
Food: me personally did not like it not so much but the mashed potato with the gravy was delicious. The sauce for the ham was also delicious. My husband enjoyed the country fried steak. My 13 months old daughter loved the ham.
Restroom was clean until toward middle of the wedding, don’t think they had anyone go in there to check/​clean.
Was a gorgeous day outside, a little on the hot side, but overall the area for the wedding ceremony outside was pretty. Loved it.

Loved coming here, we couldn’t find any rooms available but will try in the future to book more time in advanced. Its a little over priced but you are getting what you are paying for.

What a fantastic hotel! Brenda went above and beyond to help us out. The room was beautiful and bed was completely comfortable. We are so happy we found it.

My wife and I spent Valentine’s weekend at the Mimslyn. The hotel itself is quite beautiful. The lobby is elegant and we loved the winding staircase. We stayed in the Skyline Suite which was very nice. The fireplace (electric) was a nice touch and both the living room and bedroom were very nice. The whirlpool tub was a hit with my wife.
Now the not-​so-​good part: The service. When we arrived, the parking lot was full in front so I parked in front of the door and was greeted by a young man. He directed me to the front desk where I checked in (quickly) as received my briefing for the evening’s activities. I asked about parking as was told that there is parking on both sides of the hotel as well. Now, I would have thought that while this was being done, the man (kid) out front would be gathering our luggage and bringing it inside… like every other nice hotel I have ever stayed in. This was not the case. I parked on the side and had to lug our bags through the side of the hotel and through the lobby.
The rest of our stay (two nights) were quite nice, but it just seemed like the mostly very young staff just wasn’t sure what to do. Almost like it was their first day at work… all of them at the same time…
They tried, don’t get me wrong. It just seemed that they were not properly trained on the ins-​and-​outs of hospitality customer service.
All-​in-​all, we really enjoyed our stay and will be back. The pros outweigh the cons by a long shot.

What a nice, quaint little hotel… or not! That’s what we thought, but upon arrival, we were astonished by the glamorous entrance, friendly staff and, of course, the OysterFest! Drinks were a little expensive for the country, but still, the rooms were beautiful, the staff was amazing, and the Speakeasy bar downstairs was lively and had some good bar food.

Good food, TERRIBLE service: there was a huge delay and when we finally asked the waitress where our food was, it was clear she never put the order in; we waited half an hour for our bill, saw that they overcharged us for a bottle of wine, but didn’t want to wait another half hour to get it fixed, so we took the difference off the tip and fled. We will never be back.

The room I stayed in was small but nice. The bed was one of the most comfortable I’d ever slept in. They even sell mattresses from the hotel if you’re interested.
The bathroom was also very nice. Hot water and great water pressure on the shower made it a nice experience all together.
I had a drink at the small bar on the main level. Starr Hill Northern Lights was one of the beers on tap. Locally brewed it was fantastic. The Speakeasy downstairs is open from 3pm until midnight and is a really fun place to hangout and have delicious appetizers and drinks.
Overall it was an awesome time had at the Mimslyn Inn. I will certainly return!

Pros– clean, very friendly staff, nice pool, well kept gardens
Cons-​thin walls, overpriced/​tasteless food.

We came to visit Mimslyn with a Groupon package and were amazed with our luck! The hotel is beautiful and full of history. We had dinner in Circa 31 and it was the best meal I’ve had in a long time! The oysters were superb. I was thrilled they had a hot tub that we dipped in as the sunset. Beautiful views! We also had breakfast at Circa 31 which was yummy as well, especially the Old Bay rimmed «sea Mary». Loved the speakeasy downstairs! Definitely a hidden gem.

Second visit here. Great place to stay with kids. Had large room with king size bed and sofa bed. Nice pool and hot tub. Lots of space for kids to run around. Friendly and helpful staff. Best price found on Trip Advisor.

2 stars. The rooms are clean and the beds are comfy but the negatives still outweigh the positives.
Cons:
— Paper thin walls. Be prepared to hear every door open and close in the hall and every neighbor’s conversation. Good luck sleeping in.
— No coffee maker and no mini fridge in the room.
— Hugely overpriced for what you get.
— The view from our room included beautiful air conditioning units.
— Every time we tried to go to use the hot tub maintenance workers were all over the pool area and completely oggled us. Not a deal breaker but annoying.
Groupon users:
Beware the whiskey infused dinner. It was HORRIBLE. For more information, see my review of the restaurant.
Also, Copper Fox distillery is about 30 minutes away and includes a windy drive through the mountains. They have tours every 30 minutes and you don’t need reservations. It’s worth it.
The breakfast included with the Groupon was literally the best part of this whole deal, but how can you mess up breakfast?

We stayed at The Mimslyn Inn on a mid-​week Living Social special, that included a wine tasting. The Inn itself is of 1890’s vintage and has a lovely traditional feel while the amenities are decently updated. Lobby is attractive. The rooms, while small, are comfortable and clean. There is a Very Small workout area in the basement with a few machines. The outdoor pool is sun-​heated, but, again, clean and pleasant. The Jacuzzi was very comfortable!
The staff was unfailingly friendly, though they were a bit confused at times relating to the time and venue of the included wine tasting. Still, after being bounced around a little and slightly inconvenienced, the staff was extremely apologetic and offered gratis breakfast the next morning as recompense!
The Formal Restaurant (Circa 31) is only open on the week-​ends, but the Speakeasy Pub is on the premise and very comfortable (separately reviewed.) There are plenty of decent eating options within an easy walk.
Overall it was an extremely pleasant two-​day getaway and I would not hesitate to recommend the Inn to anyone headed that way!

We have just returned from a very relaxing weekend in Luray, VA and most definitely enjoyed our stay at the Mimslyn Inn .
Check-​in and check out was a breeze, and the front desk staff were very organized and helpful. Everything was in order upon arrival, and the check-​in process took only a few minutes. I will say that upon entering, the main lobby is very attractive, with a nice fireplace and plenty of seating and at times, a pianist.
We found our standard room to be very comfortable. Having read some of the previous reviews with issues concerning room size, I did not find this to be an issue at all. Not really sure what sort of calisthenics those reviewers were planning on doing in their room at the inn, however I didn’t find the room size to be an issue in the least.
We took the time to walk around the inn with a few adult beverages from the bar, and found the third floor and outside gardens to be extremely relaxing and inviting. Do take advantage of those!
Pros: Friendly, helpful staff. Comfortable room in a very nice, historic inn that is exactly what we hoped for. Free — fast WIFI. This was a Groupon find. I would stay here again with another Groupon.
Cons: Sunday buffet breakfast was fair at best. Bartenders could use a refresher on how to make proper drinks. See reviews for Circa 31 and the Speakeasy.

3.5 stars. My bf bought the LivingSocial voucher for a night’s stay in a Standard Room for two (incl. two tickets to Luray Caverns) and overall we thought it was a pretty sweet deal. So what about the hotel?
Well, I loved that we were able to park pretty much right in front of the hotel (this is from living in the DC/​NoVa area…). The concierge (? I think) was an older man who was very cheerful and pleasant. The front desk people and bellman were also nice and courteous.
As for the room, it was a little bit lackluster. As the fanciest inn in a small town I can appreciate it’s charm and design. In fact, I think the hotel looks fantastic and if I came back I would most likely stay here again. However, I think that the room (ours at least) could use an upgrade. Fresh paint in the bathroom to cover up the markings, caulk (?) around the bathroom door frame so it doesn’t look unfinished, and maybe a higher cleanliness standard. I would actually prefer a less fancier looking place to a place that looks impeccably spotless. Of course, this may just be the fact that I hold lodging cleanliness to a high standard.
Inside our standard room there was an overly large dresser holding the flat-​screen TV (look through the pictures on Unilocal). The view of the TV can be blocked unless you’re sitting as close to the edge of the bed as possible. Otherwise you’ll just need to sit in the big comfy yellow chair next to the bed. The extra pillow (stiffer/​foam, I love!) and blanket (super soft and warm) are in the drawers under the TV dresser. I have to say, my bf and I slept pretty soundly. Beware though, the walls are very very thin at this place and you can sometimes hear conversations from the hallway or the other rooms. Thankfully though they have an enforced «quiet time» from 10 or 11pm until 7am (not entirely sure about the exact time).
The brunch. For $ 15 per person I wasn’t too pleased but our waitress was attentive and very nice. Omelette station had yummy omelettes but a very gruff/​curt (maybe even a little rude) cook. Their crème brûlée was really really good; loved it. Food overall was ok and the selection just seemed a bit limited, I would recommend maybe cutting back on a few desserts and add in more entrée/​savory options. The salad station… oh man. I somehow got lucky and picked up a slice of cucumber with a big piece of fuzzy mold on the side.=\. And yea I still had my salad (sans cucumbers) with raspberry vinaigrette… and it tasted like raspberry flavored ranch dressing. I hate ranch. That salad was not finished.
I think if we had paid full price to stay here I would not have been pleased but with the LS deal I was satisfied (mostly due to the caverns tickets, which I loved). So if you can, get a deal/​voucher. Otherwise, just do a day trip (pack food, which we did anyway) without staying overnight.

I love the Mimslyn. Ever since I’ve been a kid, I feel the Mimslyn has tried hard to become what it is today. It has evolved as Luray has become more and more gentrified. I went here the other day with my brother and Mom for lunch. We were the only ones. The food was great and service, friendly and fast. I don’t understand why Luray town hasn’t flocked to this place every day at lunch hour.
Its décor is reminiscent of the Shining! I feel majestic every time I walk through the huge doors. The dining hall is elaborate and the large speak easy lounge downstairs is like walking into a portal 70 years ago. Luray is a gem because of places like this. I think the more and more that the DC’ites venture out into the Blue Ridge, they will storm places like this.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to stay here as it was way ridiculously expensive. However, it does appear to be the fanciest and nicest accommodations in Luray by far. The whole feel and setting is beautiful and southern.
We went here to partake in some of the oyster fest and dine at The Speakeasy (the restaurant where you don’t have to dress up). We had oysters, steak, and chips and dip. It was all wonderfully tasty. And the service was pleasant and knowledgeable — and we were never rushed. The space itself for the restaurant was alright. Nothing too special. It definitely feels like a basement and is on the dark side. Not much to note about the décor. But it was cozy and enjoyable enough.
Overall, based on our limited experience with the Mimslyn, I would say I’m a fan and I would totally stay here if given the chance.