Ash-Leah Manor, Hattiesburg

My husband and I have stayed in several BnBs across the south and Ash-Leah Manor hit the bottom of our list. It's a shame, too. The facility is beautiful and well-appointed. It is sad that they missed such a rare chance at greatness. The price per night sould have been an indicator. This could easily be a $175 - $250 night with a waiting list kind of place. We were not told beforehand about the wedding taking place while we were there - and that the BnB guests would be secondary; basically sequestered for hours to a small, under equipped area with no fridge, no microwave, no ice, etc. while the wedding guests had full run of the place. There was an unused rope to block off our upstairs area, but still, we heard folks outside our door and came out to find wine glasses left around. We looked out our french doors to see wedding guests on the balcony - looking in at us. Very uncomfortable. We could not believe the breakfasts were microwaved - much like a McDonald's Big Breakfast. After the wedding things quited down a bit, and my husband went to find some ice; when he turned on the kitchen light, roaches scattered throughout. The place was just dirty and needed the windows cleaned and a good dusting throughout. They put some shiny, slippery stuff on the tile floor that made it difficult to walk on. The innkeeper is not typical either. She obviously doesn't understand what people look for in a Bed and Breakfast experience. Warmth, genteelism, atmosphere and a memorable breakfast. When I asked her about things in Hattiesburg, she had no idea and handed me a map. When we wanted to use a microwave to heat leftovers for dinner, she was all panicky because her staff was "focused on the wedding". "You didn't tell me you were bringing dinner in". Funny, because she didn't tell us there would be a wedding and we couldn't just kick back and enjoy like we had planned either. All of our encounters with Peggy Gates were chilly and brief. If only there was a charm school in Hattiesburg... As we were leaving - very disappointed in the BnB experience, we saw Bob, the male half of the innkeeper and he seemed sincerely nice, but we were leaving. There was one other couple there for the same 2 nights that we were and they felt the same way. They missed a good chance at greatness there at Ash-Leah Manor. Sad.