We stayed one night at the very comfortable Abacrombie B & B in early November, 2007 while visiting our granddaughter at Baltimore's MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) nearby.

Our room ($115 a night, midweek for two people, $88 for a single) was on the second floor, immaculate and charming with an en suite bathroom. More expensive rooms go for $135 and $155 but the least expensive room was fine. Limited number of rooms. It is an historic building, well-preserved, with a fine dining restaurant (Wednesday through Saturday) with only a few tables on the first floor. It was not open on the Wednesday that we stayed so we did not eat dinner, but we had an excellent complimentary breakfast with fresh fruit, cereals, fresh coffee cake, etc. The bed was the most comfortable we have had in a hotel or B & B and the room was reasonably large, enough for a several day stay, with a TV, clock radio and phone, hairdryer. The bathroom was small but had everything we needed.

Penn Station is a short (5 easy blocks) walk away, and a train from there goes to BWI airport. Connections are easy throughout downtown Baltimore though we had a car available. Parking is free next to the B & B, but next year they plan to expand the B & B, probably into the parking area.

We had a recommendation from a relative who had been there so it did not bother us not to find reviews before we went. This is a great place to stay while visiting Baltimore, at least in the off season. It is not air conditioned so it might be less comfortable in the summer.

I had a perfectly dreadful stay at this so-called inn October 12. It started out with a mislabeled key with a number for which there was no corresponding room. I had picked up my key earlier in the day and got in at 11 p.m. only to be left wondering where my room was. There was no one available in the inn whatsoever. Calling the phone number caused the phone to ring in the office off the lobby which, of course, no one answered. After calling emergency numbers listed in the lobby, I was finally able to reach someone who told me there was no room number such and such -- no kidding -- and the right room number was such and such.
The room was nothing at all like it was depicted; it was more like a small prison cell with an industrial-sounding ventilation system that kept me awake all night. Turning it off wasn't an option because the room was so small, there was no air. And while not being able to sleep, watching TV wasn't an option because there was no cable. The TV got exactly 4 channels!
Worst of all, however, was the stinky smelling bedding. While the sheets may have been clean, they smelled very bad and the blankets smelled even worse. Bad enough for me to pull everything back and lay on the bed in my clothes for the night. After a completely sleepless night, I packed up and left at 6:30 a.m., not waiting for coffee or breakfast. Horrible stay and I very much regret the choice for my one night in Baltimore.

A good thing about this B & B was that it was easy to find.

On the other hand, I like B & Bs because there is a host and/or hostess, but when we arrived, there was no one to greet us, no directions to the room, and nowhere to sit and rest before going up to the room. The stairs into the place were very steep, and the stairway up to the rooms was both steep and narrow.

Also, our room was very hot, and we couldn't get it to cool down, despite the fact that we had a thermostat in our room; apparently it wasn't working. We had difficulty persuading the managers--owners?--to come take a look, and initially they told us we were at fault because we hadn't set it correctly. Moreover, because they were entirely off-premises, it took about half an hour for someone to arrive. Then, unable to solve the problem, they transferred us to a room up on the fourth floor, not nearly as nice as the one we had reserved. My friend had difficulty with stairs in the first place, and we definitely didn't need to move ourselves and luggage up two more flights at 11 o'clock at night!

Breakfast wasn't up to what I've found in other B & Bs; there were no hot foods; cold cereal was one of the options, as were grocerystore-quality sliced meat and cheese.

The neighborhood is not one in which I would feel comfortable walking around, but there is parking beside the establishment, though when the lot is full, it takes quite some manuevering to turn a car around and drive out. Backing out was not an option on that main street.

However, the hostesss was friendly at breakfast and was willing to talk about her background and socialize a bit with us, which I did appreciate.

All in all, for her sake, I wish I could give this establishment a good rating, but unfortunately I don't feel as though I can. I will not be returning.

After seeing this place on a segment of Rachel Ray's Food Network show, we decided to stay with them as they offered a mid-week room/dinner package and we'd be in town to see a concert at the pier. We were booked well in advanced, and the Inn called us the day before we were to arrive to inform us that the restaurant was closed and would be for the rest of the month! No reason, no excuse.....just an offer that we could still stay at the Inn for $75. I think not. Really bad public relations.