Colonial Houses, an official Colonial Williamsburg Hotel in Williamsburg, VA

This was an amazing place to stay right in a colonial village. Historic. You feel like you stepped back in time. Accommodations are well equipped. The location is perfect as you are staying right inside the village. I highly recommend this. Make reservations at the restaurants because they book up. The Kings Tavern is excellent. I do not like the restaurant at the Williamsburg Inn. There are plenty of good places to eat at the market square.

There are times when I want to stay in a chain hotel that will deliver the same thing every time, and then there are times when I want to have an experience like no other. Our three days in the Lewis House were really special! This house was perfect for two couples, with bedrooms and baths upstairs and down, sitting rooms on both levels (the upstairs one doubles as a third bedroom), and a small kitchenette. It was fun to make drinks and snacks and spend the evenings chatting with our friends, and then to walk around the historic area by day. This house faces Francis Street (with some traffic noise at night), but it is next to a sheep paddock and has a large back garden, with a view toward the back of Duke of Gloucester Street in one direction and toward the Williamsburg Inn the other way. I really loved looking out of the upper windows at night, especially when it snowed -- so pretty! The house itself, while a reconstruction, was made by real craftsmen about 75 years ago; the windows, the woodwork, and the door locks have that distinctive Williamsburg feel. The furnishings are nice reproductions of period pieces, and the fabrics throughout the house give the perfect historic finishing touch. I would definitely stay in this house again, were it not for the temptation of choosing a different one of the Colonial Houses instead, as they are all different. Maintaining all these old buildings has to be a challenge, so it's no surprise that a little wear is evident. In the case of the Lewis House, there was cracked plaster in the ceiling, but that didn't affect our enjoyment. The place was completely clean and was well serviced while we were there. The check-in staff said to call if we needed anything and were as good as their word.

My husband and I, along with our young-adult daughter and niece, stayed in the Nicholas-Tyler Office over New Year's and absolutely loved it. This was our second time in a colonial house - last time, years ago, we stayed in the larger fancier Ewing house with friends. Don't get me wrong, the Nicholas Tyler office itself is a bit worn - in need of a small refresh - with stains on the beige carpet, 1950ish bathrooms, and tears in the bed canopies. If you're looking for perfection, don't stay here. But if you're looking for charm and location, this little house has it in spades. I highly recommend staying in one of these sweet houses. The Nicholas-Tyler Office is actually two units, an upstairs double bed attic room with a daybed, full bath, small fridge and small tv, and a downstairs suite with two canopied double beds, a larger full bath, a kitchenette (small fridge, Keurig coffee maker, sink, and storage cabinets), and a living room with a fireplace and good-sized flat screen tv. We rented both for two nights and they opened up the door between the two to make it a full house. We parked in the lodge lot behind the house where there's a gate and pathway to the house. There are several steps up to the first floor and a steep stair to the second. The location is perfect, near the armory and courthouse and not far from the Inn, where you check in and use the amenities. It's just so fun to pop out of the door to your own little house and stroll over to the sites and events (even the grown "kids" loved it). We even had a cozy fire in the fireplace one night (only allowed when the temperature drops below 50 degrees and must be started by hotel staff). However, the grate in the fireplace was laughably small and the wood so unseasoned we had to really work to keep it going after the firestarters burned out. (I don't think they want you to have too much fire:) The place was quite clean and well-stocked with towels and toiletries (no robes or slippers though) and the beds were comfortable, although strangely they lacked winter comforters, having only one blanket each, so we had to keep the heat on higher than we would normally at night. The house was plenty warm, though. There were three chairs and a couch in the living room, so room for everyone to sit, but nowhere to hang a coat - a coat rack or hooks would be nice. The service was excellent, from the helpful concierge at the Inn to the lovely guy who came promptly to start the fire when we requested it. We particularly enjoyed our own set of gorgeous handmade holiday wreaths on all the exterior doors, and the young women loved just loved their cozy suite upstairs with its view of the armory and courthouse. But the best part was that the house really felt colonial, helping immerse us in the atmosphere and history all around us. I beg you, colonial Williamsburg, when you update please don't swap out the reproduction antiques for anything more modern! We were perfectly comfortable and charmed. As for the entertainment, we enjoyed touring the houses and palace, General Lafayette's excellent talk at the coffee house, talking to the knowledgeable shop owners about their wares and trade, a carriage ride, the Hang a Pirate show, and we particularly enjoyed our dinner at Christiana Campbell's (we also ate at Shield's Tavern, which was good as well. Make your dinner reservations when you book!) We had only ever been in the spring/summer and found Colonial Williamsburg to be even more attractive dressed up for the holidays and more accessible in cooler temps without all the crowds.

Perfect spot to experience the magic of Colonial Williamsburg! Easy to book, great customer support, and a lovely room was assigned. Easy walking distance to all of the sites of interest to us. Comfy bed and fabulous location. Extra surprised and impressed that even after an overnight of snow, steps and walkways were already cleared when we went out for a stroll around 9am that morning. Will definitely return!

The staff was very accommodating. The historical events were great, especially the nation builder talks with Marquis de Lafayette, the Native American storytelling and the “Hang a Pirate” play. We stayed in a colonial house which was so comfortable. The food was good at the Kings Arms Tavern and Sheila’s Tavern.