A great place to stay. We rented most of the rooms for a girl's scrapbook weekend and it was the ultimate place for us. We had pizza delivered from New Cambria restaurant. Couldn't ask for more! Rooms were great and the kitchen was awesome!
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Date of stay: April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you're looking for a quiet and inexpensive rural getaway that has both romantic and historical appeal, you can't beat the Recess Inn. Don't go unless you want to get away from it ALL. There's virtually nothing else within 20 miles. But there's plenty to see just here in the Inn -- especially if you like walking down the memory lane of your long-ago school days.
The rooms, with the old schoolhouse theme evident throughout, are spacious and comfortable, the breakfast is simple but top-notch, and the hospitality is great but not intrusive. The exterior might benefit from a sprucing up, but the interior has special touches wherever you look.
A side note: the best food in this part of the state is about a 20-minute drive away. The Pear Tree in Bevier, while a little pricy, is a stylish operation with terrific food. Together, the Recess Inn and Pear Tree made for a wonderful, and memorable, anniversary combination. It could be the same for you.
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Date of stay: July 2008
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My parents, my sister and her husband, and my boyfriend and I stayed here the night before my nieces graduation from Truman State. All the hotels near Kirksville were booked. We had two rooms on the lowel level and one on the main level. Our room opened to a small patio area and had a large tv and sofa. The 3 rooms on the main floor are more like original schoolrooms but the attention to details makes the entire place interesting and cozy. It was nice waking up to the smell of breakfast cooking. Nancy asked us what time we wanted breakfast and if we had any special requests. Biscuits, gravy, bacon, eggs, potatoes, rolls, and fresh fruit were a delicious way to start the day. Luckily, we had some time to check out the restored post office and small local store. Very relaxing and laid back start to a special day. Macon is only a 25 minute drive and we had dinner at AJ's there because we were meeting my niece. I wish we could have had dinner at the restaurant in Ethel that is open on Friday and Saturday night. I am so glad this piece of history in Ethel was saved and is being well preserved while a lot of people get to enjoy it. Nancy and her husband were hospitable but also let us feel like we had the run of the place. This would be a great place for an extended family to get together to catch up or enjoy the holidays. The price is very reasonable for the quality of accommodation and the food.
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Date of stay: May 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Request the lower level room across from the kitchen with the door to the patio if you like a...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Recess Inn was the perfect response to weeks of long hours at work. We got away with some family and thoroughly enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and interesting antiques that fill this B&B. The beds were so comfortable, we slept better than we do at home! Breakfast the following morning was delicious too. We will definitely be back!
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Date of stay: December 2011
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I stayed at Recess Inn and we just loved it. Nancy is a wonderful host. She is so friendly and just a really nice person. The rooms are large and comfortable. Breakfast was great, I sure enjoyed the biscuits and gravy! And it was fun drinking out of the old ½ pint milks bottles. The Inn is very unique, quite a interesting theme and with good historical appeal. This would be a great place for a group to gather. (reunion, group meeting, a group of older kids, girls get away, etc.) This is one of the best bed and breakfasts we have ever be in. If we are in the area, I would definitely plan to stay there again.
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Date of stay: August 2008
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Check-in / front desk
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Business service (e.g., internet access)
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the best bargain in Missouri. At first I didn't want to write a review because everybody would want to go there. It is a historic old schoolhouse over 100 years old. Old classrooms are now bed-and-breakfast rooms. The rooms have beautiful quilts. The furniture is from 100 years ago. It is literally in the middle of nowhere and it's like going back a hundred years in time. This place is meticulously clean and it passed my ultra violet light cleaning test. She must be OCD because nothing fluoresced under UV light and that is rare. The morning breakfast is to die for and that in itself is worth what you paid for the room. Her biscuits and gravy taste like what my mom used to cook and when I taste those I go back in time to when I had my mom. This is a quiet classy establishment that is well off the beaten path. But definitely worth the extra drive. We will be back and have been back!
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Date of stay: June 2014
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â No because I don't want anyone else choosing our favorite room when I want to be there.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is a very nice Bed & Breakfast in an old, well-kept town. The renovations of this old schoolhouse were top-notch. We loved the antiques. We had the "Music" room and it was very comfortable and nicely decorated. The other rooms, including the large library and dining room, also gave us "wow" moments. The InnKeeper was very nice and explained some of the history of the building. Take roads 3, J, & F SW of Kirksville rather than H149 to get there. Much better roads. Hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did!
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Date of stay: May 2009
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family and I were very impressed by the care and attention that was given by Nancy and her husband. She prepared absolutely wonderful breakfasts for us every morning and was able to foresee all of our requests and needs. Though Ethel itself doesn't have much to offer, if you're in Macon County and/or visiting Kirksville and want a nice retreat in the countryside, this is a wonderful spot. The grounds used to be the town's main schoolhouse and the owners have done a great job of keeping that original feel. There is a beautiful library/sitting room as well as a cozy TV room upstairs with a large flat screen TV. Each of the rooms has its own feel and personality.
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Date of stay: July 2012
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
a bed and breakfast out in the country, very peaceful and quite, population is 61 old school house made into a B&B beautiful place, great food and wonderful host all rooms are very spacious, two queen beds in one room a king and single in two other rooms all private large bath rooms very large spacious rooms. great breakfast in the morning. must travel 30 mins to nearest restaurant for lunch or dinner
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Date of stay: September 2016
Location
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â all rooms were on one floor
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Normally there are other people that stay here at the same time but during our time there were no other visitors so my wife and I had the run of the place., and a fascinating place it is. I, myself was born in a small town in Missouri much like the town this inn is located in so it felt like I was coming home but my wife (a retired schoolteacher) also found this converted school to be comfortable and ever so interesting. There is no wifi. There is T.V. but we felt no interest in watching it. We slept in our first canopy bed. This B&B was one of the highlights of our trip although it was just meant to be a convenient place to stay because of some genealogy work I had to do. If our travels ever found us to be in this area again this would be the one place I would not hesitate to choose.
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Date of stay: July 2015
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â They are all good.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kansas City, Missouri12 contributions9 helpful votes
"Request the lower level room across from the kitchen with the door to the patio if you like a siting area. Take time to look around the entire place. Lots of interesting history."
There are more places to choose from in the Ethel area.
LOCATION
United StatesMissouriEthel
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
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