Downtown Family Oasis in Historic "Rhone Hotel"

Step back 100 years to the original Rhone Hotel listed in the Green Book for 38 years. Come stay in the largest short-stay apartment in downtown New Bern. The floorplan is suited for 3 or 4 generations to share a memorable vacation together. Close enough to have fun, enough space to spread out. The space This comfy, elegant and spacious hideaway is three blocks from the Neuse River and a short walk to Historic Downtown along the tree-lined scenic river walkway. Your walk ends at Union Point Park with beautiful views of the river, a playground, and lots of ducks and sea gulls. Enter the elegant first floor apartment with 12-foot ceilings, a historic picture window, and 100-year-old newly refinished wood floors throughout. Everything has been lovingly modernized with excellent central AC, 3 streaming TVs, and free fast WiFi. The original "parlor" from 1923 is the perfect spot to have a drink with friends before you walk downtown for dinner or across the street to "The Old Pinnix" for a nightcap! This front room can convert to a 3rd bedroom with a queen-size sleeper sofa for two extra guests when needed. It transitions through french doors into a modern eat-in kitchen for six. It has been fully updated - new cabinets, counter, sink, and dishwasher. Full size refrigerator and range. Food prep and coffee station with single-cup or full pot Keurig, electric tea kettle, microwave, and toaster. Lots of counter and storage space. All coffee, tea, chai, and hot chocolate provided. Dishes, cups, silverware, condiments, spices, cooking pans and utensils are ready for you to make your own feast. Down a long hallway (it could be a bowling alley for the kids!) is the Bedroom 1 that has a truly comfortable full-sized bed for two and a 55" TV with free streaming of Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Paramount, Disney, Hulu, AppleTV and Roku. A desk with wireless printer, full-size closet and dresser complete this room. Next is Bedroom 2 designed for the kids! It has a bunk bed that sleeps 3 with a double bottom bunk and then up a child-size staircase to a twin bed on top. This room can house a young family with port-a-crib upon request. During the day it becomes a game room with a 55" Smart TV, games and puzzles, and a full-size electric keyboard. Don't worry about your neighbors in the building. Thick plastered walls and airspace between the floors have some advantages. All beds have memory foam mattresses and both bedrooms have full blackout shades when you are ready to sleep. The new navy blue bathroom has updated everything: new sink, toilet, flooring, and full-size tub/shower combo, plenty of towels, and complimentary self-care items. One reserved parking space behind the building is just for you! Jump from your car straight into your private apartment entrance! It is the easiest way in and out. There is also free street parking in front for additional cars and guests. FYI - The apartment building next door to a vacant lot where they are currently building a future speakeasy and cigar lounge. Work is generally only M-F from 8am-5pm. For now you can still see the beautiful historic train station just beyond the construction site. Atlantic Beach is only a 40 minute drive away. Guest access The apartment has a private entrance and one reserved parking space in the back of the building . There is another apartment on the first floor with a private entrance in the front of the building. Reserve both apartments for a family gathering. It's fun and easy to go back and forth across the front porch between the separate apartments! There are two other apartments on the second floor. They enter through the building front door and up the central staircase. The front porch and the upstairs balcony are public spaces for everyone in the building. As the sun sets, take a cocktail up to the balcony with cushioned lounge chairs and enjoy the views of the city at dusk. On a clear night for holiday weekends, you can see the fireworks from the balcony. Other things to note The apartment can be wheelchair accessible upon request with secure temporary wheelchair ramps to manage the 3 steps up to the front door. The interior doorways accommodate a traveler wheelchair. The apartment building is one block from the railroad tracks with trains that run a few times day and night. Sometimes you hear them, sometimes not. The kitchen is stocked with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, sparkling water, condiments, spices, and cooking items. Local grocery stores include Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Aldi, Food Lion, and Harris Teeter within 1-5 miles. The Rhone Hotel was built in 1923 by Charlotte Rhone, the first black nurse in North Carolina, and her three sisters. First it was a rooming house, then a hotel, and now a four-plex apartment building. It was listed in “the Green Book” consistently from 1938 to 1967 as a safe place for Black travelers to stay. Watch "The Green Book", the Oscar-winning Best Picture of 2019 that depicts the true story of a successful black musician with a white driver traveling through the south in 1962. Recently renovated, it highlights New Bern's proud Civil War and earlier history as a consistently mixed-race neighborhood and city since the 1600's.