Peninsula Inn & Spa

This is a tough review to write. Our stay itself warranted 2 stars at best. However, our discussions with the new owner (owned it about a moth) were great, and her goals are admirable… if she can pull them off. So, we settled on a 3 star review. Here goes:
The location is absolutely perfect, right in the heart of Gulfport. The sign for the property is hard to see from the road as it is behind a plant, but once you realize you have arrived parking can be found in front of or behind the inn. Check-​in was quick and efficient. There is a quaint old elevator that can make getting bags upstairs (in our case, to the third floor) a real treat.
It’s when we got to the room that we were taken aback. On the current web site for the Inn there are only 2 unflattering and unhelpful pictures of the room (and there wasn;t much more on TripAdvisor). The bedroom itself was good sized and could be quaint if it weren’t for multiple areas of ripped wallpaper and closet drawers that were absolutely filthy. The AC was a wall unit that worked well, especially in conjunction with the ceiling fan (which, IMHO, is mounted quite low). You walk through a small butler pantry to get to the sitting room. The butler pantry has a small sink and coffee maker, yet the coffee maker in the room had not been cleaned after the last guest. The sitting room is also a good size, containing coffee table, chair and pull out sofa (double size). Strangely, the bathroom sink is next to the sofa in an alcove, making it awkward to use at best, and impossible to use if (as we did) you have someone sleeping in the sitting room. More disturbing was the fact that the smoke detector was missing, and there were obvious soot/​smoke stains on the wall right above where it should have been. I feel that this is a safety hazard (we have stayed in hotels that have had fires and early alerting is critical). This room too, was a bit shabby with stains on the carpet and was scuffs. Then there was the bathroom. It is a big room (which makes it amazing that the sink is not in there), and very, very dark. But the shower itself was disgusting. There was mold all over the shower floor, and standing puddles of water in the shower, when we first got there. When we went to complain at the desk, the first question the young lady working there asked was whether we wished to not check-​in and stay elsewhere (a very very odd reply). We said no, we wanted to stay here, but wanted to have the shower and coffee maker both cleaned. She said they would. We left for a few hours and returned to a clean coffee maker and the obvious smell of a bleach-​based cleaner in the bathroom. There was still mold (as you can see from the pictures I posted here), but it was far, far better than when we first got there. And, to their credit, they came by to ask if the shower was acceptable. Note, however that the housekeeper failed to clean the coffee maker the next day, as well. It is apparently not a part of his/​her routine.
Breakfast was OK. It consisted of a hot egg bake (spinach and feta, although the feta was lacking), a sweet bread pudding, fruit and breads. There was also OJ, coffee and tea. There was no one working in the breakfast are that entire time we were there, and so it was unclear to us (and others, as we watched) what to do with your dirty plates (which people put on the bar). The front porch was a nice place to eat.
When we used the Unilocal app to check-​in, we were pleased to see a coupon for a free glass of wine. Later that night we went to the bar and said we had a free wine coupon from Unilocal.They asked us what we wanted (there were a few choices of house wine) and we went to be seated. When the waitress brought the wine, she said it would be $ 10 ($ 5 per glass). We reminded her about the coupon, which we then showed her. She stared at it and said she had never seen it before and that she would have to check with the manager. To make a long, sad story short, she came back and took the two glasses away from us and started to walk away saying that they have never seen that coupon before and that they can’t make money giving wine away for free. Apparently, it is better customer service to them to take the wine and throw it away rather than give the customer the benefit of the doubt, even when showing them a legitimate coupon. This waitress was completely rude, and even held her finger up to warn away another waitress who we think was going to tell her to leave the wine (rather than insult us by taking it away). The rude waitress said that it’s even worse since we were not staying at the inn. We corrected her and told her we were indeed staying, and she then started to walk back with the wine saying that it would be better to give it to a guest than throw it away, but we told her to keep it and we walked away.
The new owner said all the right things when we shared this story, and her ideas for the future seem solid. But she has a long way to go to get the staff to rethink customer service

We made reservations at the Peninsula Inn for their pricey «Special Christmas Eve Dinner». We specified on the phone while making the reservation we wanted outside seating. We arrived on time last night to a very rude manager who informed us since they were short-​staffed, there would be no outside seating. We decided to be flexible about it, although we were disappointed. Then when asked for our name, we were further informed they did not have our reservation. We were quite surprised, but the very rude manager said «I’m not surprised in the least». Apparently this is common for them. There was no apology, nothing. The rudeness of the manager (Daryl) was unbelievable. We had 1 previous bad experience the only other time we were there, a few years back. There will never be a 3^rd time. Save yourself the aggravation of dealing with the manager. there are lots of great dining options in Gulfport. The Peninsula Inn is NOT one of them. And by the way, we ended up walking down the street to the new Boca Bay Grille, where, without reservations on Christmas Eve, we were made to feel welcomed, enjoyed fantastic service and a great meal!

I am not one for posting too many reviews, however, in this case — I wanted too. Just spent two nights at the the Peninsula Inn & spa and I had a great experience. The property is charming and the owners made me feel like I was at home. The inn is centrally located on Beach boulevard in downtown Gulfport — easy to go out and stroll around the area without using a car. They have a huge outdoor patio along the front of the building and bar and restaurant with outdoor seating. My room was very comfortable and fully equipped with AC and/​or fans.
I recommend! Will return with my family!!!

i made reservations here last year for my girlfriends birthday june 11^th 2014 drove all the way there to hear someone tell me the chef hurt himself and didnt come in so the restaurant is closed… All i got was a sorry no offers to make it right what so ever. although i was leaving and didnt ask to speak to manager or owner because now i had to find a new place to eat on the fly if you people are so unstable as a restaurant that you cant find a replacement for one man then the least you could do is call someone and tell them that you wont be open.

What a beautiful place to stay. Great location and friendly staff. Especially the restaurant. The food is amazing. I can’t wait to go back!

The inn is very outdated as far as up keep. The room was so hot because the ac was in the sitting room and didn’t circulate. The carpets in the room were so dirty our feet were black we had to wear shoes at all times. At 1 in the morning someone must have forgotten the code to the front door so the proceeded to pound for 30 min. The owner’s are nice and welcoming but the inn could use some cleaning and updating and ac needs attention asap.

My husband and I had a great experience here with another couple. We stayed in the Princess suite of 2 rooms with a shared bathroom. The layout was unique as was everything else about this place. The staff was extremely welcoming and friendly. We loved sitting out on the patio under the ceiling fans enjoying some reasonably priced brews while we contemplated our next bar, restaurant, and shop to check out next. Gulfport is a small place where everyone seems to know each other and even if you are new, they welcome you like you’re a regular. Bring your dog, the staff will take her for a walk and turn on the TV if she barks or seems lonely. The bartender keeps dog biscuits behind the bar to pass out and make friends with any hesitant doggie patrons. A great time, I recommend!

We had a great experience at the Peninsula. Gulfport is a charming town and is easily accessible from major airports. It was a great spot for a weekend getaway with my wife. Our meal at Isabelle’s was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend for all looking for a relaxing weekend away!

What a charming place to stay in such a charming town. We ended up here by accident and simply loved it. If you are looking for an instant vacation, this is the place to go. While you are there — try the crab cakes at Backfin — the fish tacos at Tiki and the tiramisu at Pia’s. Talk with the bartender Josh at Pia’s — he knows his Italian wines.

I would not have expected to like this place because I am very modern but I did enjoy staying here. It felt like a home away from home. There are suites so it’s perfect for a family and I recommend staying here.

Really great little B&B, very nice owners, nice facility.

Always excellent food! Love the drink specials too. We have recommended the Inn to friends who have been visiting from out of town and they have loved the accommodations. Thursday night are fun nights with the Social event organized by the locals.