Austin Folk House

The Austin Folk House's website didn't have very good photos, so we were pleased to discover that it is much better than the photos suggested, charming with interesting art on the walls. Our room was large and comfortable, and everything worked as expected. The only problem we had was the room became too hot at night, but we closed the heating vent and had no problem the second night. Because we stayed during a holiday period, the street outside was quiet, but it might have noisy traffic during other times of year. We like to walk, and the Folk House's location was a good starting point for our treks around Austin. Breakfast was pretty good and made this B&B an even better value.

9 years ago

I enjoyed the Austin Folk House. The décor is more down-to-earth than some B&B's, which can be overly decorated and too fussy. The Austin Folk House felt very comfortable. There's a refrigerator in the hallway where one can store food.||||The breakfast was extraordinary - I wish I had had room for more. The granola is excellent, there was a fresh fruit platter, banana pancakes, and a sort of egg casserole plus other items.||||The location is more urban than I expected, very close to the UT campus and some high rise buildings. I was concerned about parking our car, packed with stuff and too difficult to unload, but we didn't have any trouble.||||They usually require a two-night stay, but I was able to stay for just one night since it wasn't a busy time of year. ||||I compared prices of some of the hotels in central Austin and this B&B was a better value than other places. It was a good decision to stay there.

9 years ago

We really enjoyed our stay at the Austin Folk House. The rooms are very comfortable and clean, the staff was friendly, the breakfast was delicious with a good variety of food, and the location was close to 6th street as well as UT. There is also bicycle rental station just a block away. The only issue we had is the shower head in our washroom sprayed all over the place rather than flowing in a stream. There was also water leaking out of the bathtub faucet while the shower was on. Other than that, I would recommend staying here.

9 years ago

I'm a former Austinite, and if you've read all of the reviews for the Austin Folk House, you should have a pretty good idea of the common reason why most people stay here: location and price. It's certainly why I selected it. Downtown Austin lodging is expensive, as one might expect. If you're in town for a concert, a night out on the town, or business at the university, the location of this b&b is very good. At the corner of 22nd and Nueces, you're right on the edge of UT -- 3 blocks west of the Drag, about a 7 minute walk to the Main Building (the "Clock Tower"), and about a 20 minute walk to 6th Street via Nueces. All in all, a pretty central location for downtown activities. The price is overall good, comparatively speaking. With free parking and within walking range to many downtown attractions, it's a relatively good deal economically. It's also a relatively safe area to walk around at night.||So, why the average, 3-star rating? Several reasons...||I knew before I arrived that this is a hands-off b&b. It wasn't just the reviews that let me know that. They tell you in your confirmation email that "there is no need to stop by the office first." When you arrive, you'll see a note with your name on it pinned to the rear mailbox of the house. The note will give you the exterior door's access code and once in the house, your room key will be in the door of your reserved room. I am totally fine with this kind of approach. It happens not infrequently if I have to arrive at a specialty lodging outside of normal staffing hours and I am completely fine with it. In fact, it's often preferred if it's been a long travel day and my first wish is to just get in the room without having a long conversation. What was unfortunate for this b&b is that not only did I never see the proprietor(s) during my 3 night stay, but the one and only employee I ever saw never said a single word to me, despite my "good mornings" or "hellos." I was left to feel unwelcome, I'm sorry to say. In fact, the only words during my stay that were ever delivered to me occurred in the iemail I received after I departed, which had a link to an itemized receipt and the words "Hello and thank you." That's all it said.||My breakfast experience was, overall, not very good. Depending on which review you believe, their breakfast selections are either incredible or awful. The cold food options are standard fare -- cereal, a house granola, the usual Yoplait yogurt cups you see at chain motels, bread, juice, etc.. I found the coffee to be overall lousy but drinkable. The hot food options, which their website details on its own page, were neither "hot" nor "delicious" for me, unfortunately. The selections consisted of an egg and meat dish cooked in a casserole dish in addition to the aforementioned stuffed french toast. They were put out in the dining room before 7am (I know this because I stayed in the room directly opposite the kitchen) and by 8:30am they were dreadfully cold (despite the tin foil placed atop the dishes). Regrettably, it certainly appeared that these same, mostly uneaten dishes, were recycled for the next day's breakfast. This is not a cooked-to-order b&b breakfast, just to be clear. Based upon my experience, breakfast would not be a criterion for choosing this lodging.||Be wary of the room descriptions that are posted to their website. I stayed in room 2, which is described as having a four poster bed and is listed as "one of the preferred rooms downstairs." The bed in this room during my stay was not a four poster (I don't happen to care about that, but some people might be upset). You could see where the posts had been removed from the bed, though. In addition, I've no idea why this would be considered a "preferred" room. Yes, it is directly across from the kitchen, so access in and out of the house is relatively easy, you won't have to drag your luggage through the house and up the stairs, and for a person with mobility issues, it might be a good option. But, it's right next to the laundry room (immediately adjacent to the room door), which means that the washer and dryer will likely be going all day during your stay (as it was mine). This room is also right on the western edge of the house so you will definitely get street noise at all times of the day. To be fair, the b&b is pretty up front about noise and you'll have lots of ear plugs to choose from. The only time the noise was ever a problem for me came not from passersby but from whoever was employed to install some landscape pavers directly below my window. I was greeted by loud music and talking when the project began around 8am, which continued well into the morning.||Though the house smelled musty, my room was in large part clean. There was a television if you need that, but it was very small. The temperature inside the house was just fine and mostly cool during my stay (outside temperature averages during my stay were in the 80s and low 90s).||All in all, this is just an average b&b. I'll choose a different location next time I'm in town, but it's certainly not the worst option for a night or two downtown. Just don't go expecting a warm, Texas friendly welcome. Maybe you'll get that in their main building, the Star of Texas Inn (I'm guessing that's where the proprietors spend most of their time), but you most likely won't get it here.

8 years ago

I enjoyed my experience at the Austin Folk House. I stayed here for a conference at nearby UT and really loved this little place. ||The room I had was #9, and it was small but enough for me as a single person. There was a huge wooden wardrobe in the room that seemed far too large for the room, but it was nice to have a place to hang my clothes. It blocked a window, but upon investigation, that window looked right into a parking garage so I was happy it was blocked. There was another window with a much more pleasant view into a beautiful tree and out over the neighborhood.||The bed was comfortable. There is a small TV that had plenty of channels to keep me company after the conference (even was able to watch some Penguins hockey in Austin, how about that?). The bathroom was the perfect size with a nice shower and fun toiletries included. ||Breakfast - what can I say? It was amazing. There was something different everyday, all of it tasty. There is a variety of hot dishes like frittatas and bacon, plus fruit and yogurt and cereal aplenty. Good coffee and orange juice too. It was very nice to eat breakfast on the small but comfortable porch. ||One thing I really appreciated was the lemonade, soda, and cookies available in the evening when I came back. It was really nice to settle down after a long day of conferencing with a tasty cookie and some lemonade. ||One small warning: if you take the Supershuttle to or from the airport, they often get this place confused with the Star of Texas Inn. My Supershuttle drivers tried to drop me off and pick me up there. Make sure there is no confusion. ||Overall, I could not more highly recommend a B&B. I loved this place and wish there were more like it.

8 years ago

If you want to stay near the University of Texas, then is as a good a spot as you'll find. It's about two blocks west of campus. The rooms are well-kept, the breakfast is good, and the parking is free. Overall, not bad, but we did have some minor inconveniences: the free wifi didn't reach our room, and the late holiday week breakfasts (8:30-10) meant that we had to skip it on the day we left. The neighborhood isn't quite as nice as it has been in the past--lots of litter, graffiti and signs of homeless living on the street--but it doesn't feel unsafe.

9 years ago

Every time I am in town to visit my kids at UT I stay here. Book in advance though, they fill up for big weekends and events. The room have really comfortable beds with well furnished antiques. The friendly staff served an incredible gourmet breakfast with delicious pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit and an egg dish. The house was within walking distance of UT and some great restaurant and bars. These "folks" define the bed and breakfast experience.

10 years ago

We loved this place and will stay here or at their other place when we visit Austin again. It's interesting to see such different reviews for this and their other place, this seems to have much better ratings but they are both excellent places to stay. The places is a converted large house, with rooms that have attached private bathrooms. The rooms are comfortable and have older vintage and antique furniture. The staff are lovely, especially the chef who prepares healthy food each morning for breakfast. We also appreciated the cookies and drinks available during the day. The one thing which could pose a problem is that the manager is not on site, however she is available over the phone at all hours, and there is generally a staff member that is on site to provide assistance if needed. If you want a very comfortable homely B&B atmosphere then this is definitely the place for you. I wrote a longer review for their sister establishment the Star of Texas so if you need more info, go have a read of that.

13 years ago