For my birthday, my uncle and aunt who live near Wilmington, North Carolina took me on a two-day, two-night excursion to Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We stayed at The Jefferson Hotel.

The Jefferson Hotel was openend in 1895 and is according to my uncle the only five-star hotel in Virginia. For the occasion they stayed in a suite and I in an adjacent premium room. As we could open the interconnecting doors, we had loads of space to ourselves.

General impression

The Jefferson is named after Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States of America. The exterior and interior ooze grandeur and chic, without ever being tacky. It’s very stately.

A huge lobby, and even larger ball and/or functions room give the hotel a palace look and feel.

The room

My premium room has a little vestibule and large bedroom with kingsize bed. A wide television set, a seat, plenty of storage furniture, a coffee machine (but no tea option), enough power outlets and many, many lighting options.

You can have your room fully lid or a cosy, romantic setting. The airconditioning is easy to figure out.

On the way to the bathroom there’s a desk with again power outlets and a wastebin. The closet features a safe and a full-size ironing board. Two bathrobes present.

The bathroom has a separate bath and a shower. Two sinks and a separate toilet. There are plenty of towels. There’s an inbuilt tv in the mirror.

The WiFi is good. You just have to log in from time to time.

The suite

My uncle and aunt stayed in the suite. The bedroom and bathroom of that suite is similar to my premium room. The bathroom is even larger.

There’s also a living room with a huge tv, a low table, a couch and seats. It’s set up for meetings. The living room has a coffee machine and its own toilet.

The gym

The gym area is huge for a hotel. There are multiple options for cardio and muscle exercises. You don’t need to wait for another guest to finish. There are tv screens attached to the cardio machines and headphones are provided. Every machine comes with a towel.

But if the gym area isn’t enough, you can cross the street and go to the YMCA and tell them you come from The Jefferson Hotel.

The pool

The inside pool is warm and not too small. You can do short laps. There are many loungers, all with a towel. There’s also an outside terrace, but it was closed when I went for a swim at 7AM.

Breakfast

On Sundays, The Jefferson organises a big brunch buffet in the function hall. On other days you can have breakfast at TJ’s, a diner in the hotel. You order your breakfast from a menu. I had scrambled eggs, grits and sausage patties and a biscuit. A biscuit in the South is a kind of scone.

Shuttle

A very nice service of The Jefferson is the shuttle, which will drive you to restaurants or museums.

Conclusion

The Jefferson Hotel is topnotch. The stately combines, luxury, service, southern charm and quality.

A point of criticism? There were some illustrations of wear. A phone not working, wallpaper detaching and a doorknob not properly attached.

Don’t let that deter you. Check out The Jefferson next time you plan a stay in Richmond.

More photos in the montage.