We have stayed at many Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties, and have found them to be uniformly wonderful. This was our first exception. The property is incredible, the main house is beautifully restored,and don't miss the wonderful tour to get the full explanation of the plantation and the furnishings as well as great stories about the past owners. We had a 2-room suite in one of the outbuildings (#42) which was spacious and comfortable. BUT, it was a little shabby. The front stoop is covered with a worn and shredded cloth; the furniture in the sitting room was tired and shabby. Not antique and lovely, but worn and shabby. Not up to the expectations. There were no instructions for using the very complicated satellite TV, only a sketch of the remote and what each button does. It required much playing around to get it. On check-in, the person ahead of us had reserved (and paid for) a specific suite for their anniversary, but it was not available and he was given a regular room which did not sit well with him. The desk clerk was unable to deal with his distress (and he was very polite) and take care of the two other parties waiting to check in and also handle the busy phone. Yet she had no help and said she had no one to call. We had to wait almost 1/2 hour to check in. The lovely breakfast was marred by having to listen to Christian hymns and gospel tunes on the Musak (interspersed with other music). This may be the bible belt, but not everyone enjoys Christian religious music with breakfast. And on and on, a number of small things. The shame is that the property is truly lovely, and it would take only some attention to these troublesome details to have made it a great stay. Management is at fault.

We had the pleasure of spending a night in the main house at Monmouth Plantation in January while visiting Natchez. Monmouth Plantation is so interesting and it was a treat to stay in a home with such rich history. The grounds are beautiful. While we were there, the weather was spectacular and we enjoyed strolling the grounds, admiring the gardens and watching the ducks frolic in the lake. As we were there on a Monday, we had dinner "under the hill" but on our previous visit, we enjoyed a wonderful multi course meal with other guests in the dining room of the main house. We have not dined at 1818 but would have if we had been at the inn on any other night of the week when the hotel offers dinner service. The cocktails in the Quitman Lounge are delicious and Roosevelt, the bartender, is charming. The entire staff made us feel welcome. Breakfast was perfect-- yogurt, granola, fresh cooked eggs, delicious grits, light fluffy biscuits (& bacon was offered as well). What a great way to start the day! Definitely visit Natchez & when you do, stay at Monmouth Plantation.

Building & grounds: lovely. Very nice room. Nice grounds, with charming touches such as a "chef's garden" full of herbs, a lake with ducks, etc. The room was fresh and clean; not the most ambitiously decorated of the inns along our road trip but very nice.

Bar: We loved the afternoon cocktails with the home made mint juleps. Very nice touch. The snacks were a bit uninspired though.

Dinner: was very good but we wanted to try the tasting menu but couldn't because the chef refused to accomodate my travel partner who doesn't eat red meats, which I believe a fine dining institution should generally be willing and able to do. The a'la carte menu was nice too though, so we did enjoy dinner experience in the end.

Breakfast: a bit too basic and unambitions for a luxury inn. Other inns along our route did make a noticably greater effort with the details and quality of the breakfast.

Overall, It's a great place but they need to work on the details to bring it up there with the best inns along the Mississippi. I would recommend Monmouth to anyone staying in the area. Just don't expect to be blown away.

Spent an overnighter with friends here en route to Memphis. Place looks terrific with an imposing position above an intersection. Located in its own grounds, this was just what we envisaged a home of this sort would look like. We had a couple of rooms in the main block which were very nice, authentic and atmospheric - exactly what we wanted. The grounds are extensive with outbuildings and rooms all about. Whilst I understand that in December the grounds are not at their best, it was evident that certain areas needed more care and attention. On further inspection that could be said of the house also. No big deal, but some money needs to be spent on the place if they are to continue to charge the prices they do. Bar area is small and intimate, comfortably allowing you to mix with other guests. Didn't eat in the 1818 restaurant although it looked very nice. The Fire Alarm went off at 3 in the morning and the only people up were me and my friends. No sign of any staff. In fact, the place needs more staff in attendance at all times. Suspect that may be down to costs and all that which goes back to my initial headline of TLC, more attention to detail to make this a real 5* location. One other reviewer mentioned the breakfast which was very average and not becoming of such a grand setting. Nevertheless, we very much enjoyed our stay.