The Oaks Victorian Inn

A beautiful 1889 home with four guest rooms and a guest cottage. Philip and I chose to stay in the cottage for the extra privacy and the hot tub. As it turns out that might have been a mistake, because neither of us are particularly spry and I’m afraid of heights too — and the only bed is up a ladder in a tiny loft area. The innkeepers told us that someone who was 6’8″ had managed to fit up there, but I’m only 5’4″ and I felt a little closed in, so if you’re arthritic, afraid of heights, or claustrophobic, better just go for one of the (lovely) rooms inside the house.
Why did I give this one only three stars? Well, a few things. One was that, as much as I feel a little odd saying this, we didn’t feel very welcomed. When we first arrived, I was scolded for walking in the door and saying «hello?» to attract the attention of someone I could hear in another room. Apparently I was supposed to ring the doorbell and wait. Well, okay, sorry, but did I really deserve a scolding for this? We asked to see the house and we did get a tour, but at one point I said something (a compliment) about a room and was given a somewhat rude response, so I just shut up and trailed along unhappily for a few minutes and then let Philip complete the tour alone. I had apparently worn out my welcome the minute I bypassed the doorbell, so it seemed better to just stand quietly in the foyer and try not to make any more mistakes.
The innkeepers didn’t introduce themselves, and seemed a little… not exactly disgruntled, but certainly not happy. I mean, just in general. They didn’t have to cavort with joy we were there or anything, but as breakfast was discussed I got the feeling that it was a hassle that we were going to be eating anything (so we later called and said we would just skip the ‘breakfast’ part of the ‘bed and breakfast’). We were told FOUR TIMES that we MUST shower before and after using the hot tub. It made me feel like I needed to change my deodorant brand. We’d only been on the road six hours when we arrived, I don’t think it was really necessary to tell us to take a shower AND then there was a little plasticized sign in our bathroom reminding us AGAIN (so reminder number five) to shower before and after hot tubbing. Once would have been fine, there are no doubt health department considerations and so forth, but I’ve been taking a bath for 52 years now, I’m kind of in the habit.
And bathe we did, and it would have been nice if we had been given more towels. There were two rather bizarre beach towels and then two bath towels. That’s it. For a total of six showers for an overnight stay, that’s not exactly adequate.
There was a window unit a/​c and a ceiling fan in the cottage, but up in the loft it was really stuffy and warm, uncomfortably so. The window by the bed wouldn’t open, the ceiling fan squeaked, and the air from downstairs didn’t make it up to the loft area so it was an uncomfortably warm atmosphere — and this was on a relatively cool evening, I can’t imagine what it would be like on a hot Virginia summer night. At around $ 200 for a night’s stay, I would have liked more towels and less squeak.
The grounds are very nice. The house is well situated and easy to find with the directions given.
There’s nothing particularly wrong with The Oaks, but I felt uncomfortable around our host and hostess, so I wouldn’t go again. The ladder/​loft thing would keep me from booking the cottage, but I would have stayed in one of the inn rooms… but I don’t think so now.
I wouldn’t discourage anyone from going, but I wouldn’t encourage it, either. Maybe we just caught them on a bad day?

This was my first Bed and Breakfast… and I absolutely loved it! Beautiful historic Victorian home that is very well-​kept and maintained. The interior has so many lovely and interesting details, nicknacks, etc. It’s like living inside a storybook for a couple of days.
So quaint and charming. Linda and Bernie (the owners) were just fabulous! They were very friendly and helpful. As out-​of-​towners visiting Christiansburg for the first time, I can say that my husband and I really appreciated all the tips and recommendations they provided us for local dining and activities.
We stayed two nights during Valentine’s Weekend, and although technically we didn’t qualify for the Valentine’s special, the owners still gave us a complimentary bottle of champagne!
On the first night, we stayed in the Julia Pierce Room and had the pleasure of enjoying the luxurious setting and jacuzzi! The room also has a fireplace… very romantic and cozy! On the second night, we stayed in the Alexandria Room, which although is smaller, still had a lot of character. The beds, linens, pillows were all very comfy! And again, the rooms have so many interesting details you can’t help but wonder about the story behind them!
Breakfast on both mornings we stayed was delicious and I very much enjoyed the feeling of being pampered. Linda is great about asking if you have any food allergies, etc. Coffee, tea and a jar of homemade cookies are served throughout the day. My husband and I were like little kids always helping ourselves to the yummy cookies in the cookie jar!
We spent some time hanging out in Christiansburg, but also spent a lot of time enjoying the house. It comes with free wi-​fi, a library with board games and books, as well as dvds for you to check out.
I’m not sure what it’s like during the busy times of the year, but when we stayed, it was quiet and a nice escape from the crazy and fast-​paced DC metro area.
The hubby and I hope to return very soon! Highly recommend this place!

Very nice place to stay. the room and house were great. We spent two nights here and were very happy with the stay. First rate all the way. If we are in the area again we will be staying here.