TL;DR

Historic waterfront: Inn on Wilmington’s river with cozy, homely vibes
1920s brick building: formerly Salvation Army, now charming boutique hotel
Relaxed atmosphere: with friendly staff and central location
Perfect location: for riverside walks and slowing down in Wilmington
Check prices here

Front Street Inn is a historic boutique on the waterfront of Wilmington, North Carolina, and a cozy, homely place to enjoy the city center.

The building is a gorgeous 1920s brick number that used to house the Salvation Army.

Now, you’ve got to pay to stay, but prices are reasonable, and it’s well worth the cost, in our opinion.

This hotel also has a superb location, wonderful staff and a relaxed atmosphere.

It’s everything you’d want out of a water-based town like Wilmington, which just calls for you to slow down.

You’re in the perfect spot for long walks along the river, with plenty of time to stop and smell the dogwoods.

Note: do not confuse them for the Bradford pear.

What are the rooms like?

Number of rooms: 12
Variety: Queen to King, some with balconies and fireplaces
Full amenities: mini fridges, TVs, work desks, and themed seating
Unique decor: each room has its own personality from Dutch portraits to exposed brick
See each room in detail here

Rooms range from Queen to King, some with balconies and fireplaces. You’ll also have mini fridges, TVs, work desks and themed seating as standard.

Where you end up staying depends on your booking; each room is unique.

This is pretty typical for a historic boutique hotel, and the nice part is that it’s at a level of luxury where you’re just choosing the icing on the cake.

Sure, we love those cute little paintings that artistically edit posh Dutch portraits, but it’s not going to make or break your stay if one is by your bed or not.

That’s not to say it’s not nice to get to decide. You could have the funny Dutch vibes of the Amsterdam room, or the bright, straightforward exposed brick of Segovia.

Others might want the bright, post, Crate and Barrel comfort of the Hamptons. Whichever, we’re pretty sure whatever room you get your paws on, you’ll enjoy.

What are prices like?

Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Breakfast café: Concorde Express offers pastries, good coffee, and cocktails
Limited onsite options: but plenty in the nearby city center

The food is good for a certain type of traveler, we can say. That is, the food is good for everyone who likes to start their day with a pastry and a coffee.

We, of course, think this should include anyone who is, was, or has ever been on vacation, but we’ll leave you to make your own life choices.

We can say that you can find the perfect locally-made croissant and espresso macchiato breakfast at the Concorde Express, the café on the first floor.

As the day goes on, you’ll find cocktails to die for and a slightly gluttonous latte menu. Bring your sweet tooth.

The café is so nice we want to give it its due, but we’ll take a moment to be frank: eggs-and-bacon people will have to break their fast elsewhere.

There’s also some expectation that a B&B will include both Bs, which is why we would classify this as a boutique hotel.

Besides the café, there isn’t much going on at the hotel. All the perks are in the very, very accessible city center.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Prime waterfront location: on the Cape Fear River with nearby Riverwalk
Walking access: Railroad Museum, Children’s Museum, historic sites, and hip cafés
Castle Street dining: local restaurants and bars from soul food to smoothies
Nearby attractions: New Hanover County Arboretum, Masonboro Island, Carolina Beach, Long Leaf Park.

And that’s the main draw of the Inn, in our opinion, is the location.

You could probably spit into the Cape Fear River, if you wanted, which we actually do not recommend.

We would recommend hopping on the Riverwalk and having a cheeky cocktail at one of the riverside bars.

And it’s not just sitting by the water and sipping margaritas. If you walk up the river you’ll hit the Railroad Museum, a great spot for local history.

The Children’s Museum, all of the hip cafes, and many, many historic sites are in walking distance of the hotel as well.

Castle Street is one of the best places for local restaurants and bars, from soul food to smoothies.

For other big attractions, you’ll want a car. The east side of the peninsula is roughly 25 minutes by car, and there’s plenty to see there.

Check out the New Hanover County Arboretum, the Masonboro Island Reserve, Carolina Beach, and all the other lovely natural areas.

If you want to stay a little closer, but still get some tree-air, check out Long Leaf Park, a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“Would definitely stay again, no question. Clean, very comfortable, nice furniture, kind and helpful staff, excellent location….”

“Beautiful hotel. Wonderfully decorated and furnished. Excellent location right in the middle of a beautiful downtown district. Instructions were very clear and helpful. No problems at all….”

Some things guests didn’t like:

”I think the railing could use some work as there’s green mold..l realize being close to the water probably requires more up keep….”

”The operation of the televisions was a bit tricky. We could not find a local PBS station nor CNN. There may be a way to access them, but an information sheet with the remotes would be most helpful. It was frustrating….”

> Read all the reviews right here