As an historic site, the Priness Anne has gotten some big publicity. I had seen it reviewed in several magazines and thought we should try it out instead of a somewhat pricier B&B. I got what I paid for.

The Princess Anne did have some bright spots. The room we had (a deluxe one bedroom) was a suite with a bedroom and a living room/kitchenette. There was plenty of space in the rooms and ample storage for visitors who might want to stay several days. The kitchen space was clean and well-kept with the basic necessities supplied. This would be particularly nice for someone staying several days who might want to prepare a few meals in (although I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that with all the great dining in Asheville!).

Some of the ammenities were above par. The coffee basket in the room also included tea (a very nice touch) and biscotti. A bottle of water per person was placed in the fridge each day, and soft drinks were free upon request at the front desk although selection was limited. The wine and cheese afternoon reception was okay, but I'm not a big wine drinker, so what do I know? The chocolate truffles were nice but were not placed in our room on each night of our stay. I don't know how they decide when to put them in or not.

The breakfasts were a disappointment. Reviews and publicity claimed "gourmet" selections on the weekends. Two of our mornings were Saturday and Sunday, so we were surprised by very common breakfast offerings that were slowly served. Beverages were entirely self-serve. On the first morning, the hot water pitcher was empty for quite a while, and the tea selections were limited each morning of our stay. Fine if you are a coffee drinker, but we aren't. The dishes included French toast (nothing special about it), egg souffle (eggs and cheese baked in an individual casserole dish), and waffles. Fruit was served as well as link sausage and bacon. Am I missing something? Does this qualify as gourmet to anyone? Other local B&B's provide much better food and service.

The biggest complaint I had was the bathroom. It was not female friendly, so ladies beware. The entire room was tile and grout (shower, shower walls, and floor) and contained the toilet and shower, and I do mean just the toilet and shower. The trash can and sink were outside in the bedroom, and there was no room to move the trash can into the bath. The shower was large but had no ledge for toiletries (although a metal rack did hang over the shower head) or to prop for shaving (quite a trick that led to lots of nicks). As most hotels do, the Princess Anne requested that guests hang up towels to be reused in order to save resources, which I would normally gladly do, but on the first day my towel had a hole in it, and on the second day my towel was stained. I wasn't inclined to reuse either of those.

Several reviews complained of noise. We didn't notice this so much. The floors are hardwood, so you can hear people walking directly overhead, but we didn't notice any other problems with noise. We didn't hear neighbors through the walls or TV's (which were, by the way, rather small and only in the living room). We were there on a particularly hot weekend, so the air conditioners might have muffled some of the outside noise.

The air conditioners are remote controlled and adequate for the space (which we can say with certainty since it was in the 90's when we visited), and both rooms had ceiling fans which was a nice touch. It was a bit warm for us to enjoy the outdoor spaces although we did sit on the shady porch a couple of times. For us, the hotel was within walking distance of downtown...barely. It was a long walk in our opinion and involved no apparent good way to cross I-240 without walking blocks out of the way(overpasses required crossing some scary on and off ramps where drivers weren't looking for pedestrians and underpasses are...well...underpasses).

All in all, I'm not sure we would visit the Princess Anne again simply because there are so many other better choices in Asheville. I'd sugget a good B&B with a jacuzzi bath.

My husband and I stayed at the Princess Anne in July 2007 and were very pleased with the accomodations. The rooms don't look like your standard cookie-cutter hotel rooms with the ugly comforters and matching drapes and gross carpet; rather, they look like nicely appointed bedrooms in a bed and breakfast. We stayed in the green bedroom and it was very large with a large walk-in closet. The bed was comfy and there was plenty of drawer space, great furniture! The bathroom was spacious enough. Everything was very clean. The bedroom floors are hardwood and the bathroom floors are tile. I am extremely obsessive about cleanliness and find it hard to relax away from home but I was very comfortable at the Princess Anne. We stayed Wed-Fri nights and I think our first two nights were $120 and Fri night was $150 or so. Not bad. The breakfasts were included in the price and each morning we were treated to something different. The bacon is wonderful, as are the baked apple pancakes in tart dishes. Everything was great. At 4:00pm, they serve wine, sparkling beverages, and hors d'oeuvres. The staff is friendly and helpful. The hotel is very quiet during the week. I recommend it for couples and girls' getaways. I would not recommend it for children as it has a very quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

My boyfriend and I had a lovely stay at the Princess Anne. In fact, we ended up spending more time there than we had planned because everything was so comfortable. Our suite was very nice with a comfortable bed and couch and high-speed internet. The breakfasts were tasty and the dining room sunlit with great armchairs so that we lingered with the paper each morning. The staff was very helpful in answering all questions.

While the hotel is very near to downtown, I would say it is not quite walking distance, so please be aware of that when booking. But it was a great location in a cute quiet neighborhood.

My only other complaint is that it did get loud when the folks upstairs walked around. It is an old building and it would rattle the windows.

I would definitely return.

My husband and I rarely encounter such a pleasant atmosphere as the Princess Anne provides. The decor was impeccable and the service was outstanding. It inspired us to write our first Trip Advisor review! The entire staff was so friendly and personable that they made us feel like true welcomed guests as opposed to the sterile, stuffy feel of a corporate chain. Complimentary wine and cheese was an excellent touch, as well as the laptop provided in the common area. Our room was comfortable and spotless. Breakfast was a delicious and well presented hearty plate of gingerbread waffles and a sweet bacon. (best bacon we've ever tasted.) The only complaint we could come up with was that the televisions were a bit on the small side and that the noise traveled too well. (Though given the historic nature of the place it is to be expected) Overall an A+!