Bullis House Inn

After being in the car for days, the site of this large, impressive, looming estate was remarkable. Just the sight of the front of the Bullis House excited me. And, we hadn't even parked yet.

We stayed as bed and breakfast guests, sans the breakfast. Our corner room was on the middle floor facing the back. It was quiet, clean, private, had a mini fridge, an out of service dumb-waiter, cable and air conditioned! The vibe of this place was more than i could have imagined. I didn't know very much about the place when i arrived so the whole experience was a pleasant surprise.

I'm not sure if there were other guests that night, as everything was pretty quiet. My boy and i did some snooping around. Now, the top floor, I'm not sure what's going on up there but, the layout is a bit odd. I'm fairly certain that was the help's quarters when it was a fully functioning mansion. The bathrooms were tidy and the water was hot. Being raised in a Victorian home, i know that more often that not, the place just needs love. Take the front door, for example. The owner left us very specific instructions for how to open the door. After reading and re-reading them, my sweetheart was getting frustrated and insisted i try instead. (After me being an armchair door-opener, while he tried.) I got it opened easily. it's just things like that. The floor creeks. You share a two bathrooms on the middle floor, one with a shower, and the other with a tub. There are some strange noises here and there but, i would never go so far as to call this place "spooky". On the contrary, i WOULD call it charming, inviting, cozy, interesting and romantic.

Oh and the best part... the hard wood floors are original! Put together piece by pain staking piece. Not like this fake wood crap people use now.So, take the time to look down if you're already there. And, it looks like all the door and window hardware is original or near original Also, they've got honeycomb tiles in the bathrooms. Do you know how hard it is to install those? And to clean those?!! In saying so, the place is VERY tidy and full of charisma and ja ne sais quoi but, keep in mind it's quite old. Old stuff collects things. So, if you're looking for the Hilton, then stay at a Hilton, leave The Bullis for people with taste.

Spooky!

This was such a strange place to stay not like most BnB's I've seen and stay at. It was kind of eerie and felt like a scene from the movie psycho. The hostel right next door didn't help, nor did I know about it until I had arrived in San Antonio. It was creepy from the moment we arrived. I had to pray the blood of Jesus over this place in order to fall asleep! JK

The up side is the cost of our stay as well as the mgr. he was cool kinda like a beatnik type of artsy dude. The black turtle neck black hair and black glasses type. He cooked really good and was very professional. He also let us add a person to our room the 2nd night stay without any extra charge. Pretty impressive huh?

Would I go back? I might simply for the price and the mgr. I have never found a bnb with such a low price or a mgr so chill. Oh did I mention they offer a murder mystery night? lol Never would have guessed they would offer that....sacastic much? uh, yea. All in all though it was pretty cool.

So I stayed here way back in 2008... For the inaugural San Antonio Rock n Roll marathon.

The inn keepers were great. The breakfast was nice... So why two stars?

Well... After I got home I discovered I had contracted scabies (aka bed bugs)

I was in the military at the time and had them diagnosed so I know without a doubt that's what they were.

A day or so later I get a call from my running buddy who I had shared the room with (actually the bed, because the day bed squeaked horribly and I told them they could share my bed with me). Why did he call me? I can tell you it wasn't because of the race, but because he also had scabies.

I sent the inn keepers an email telling them about the situation... Telling them they might want to get rid of the sheets that had been in that room, fumigate, whatever... Because myself and my companion who had stayed there had contracted scabies. I told them since I lived outside of St. Louis (I now live in the city) and my companion lives in Pennsylvania it was unlikely that it was anything but their establishment that had caused them.

They never responded.

I would put one star... But I feel bad as the inn keepers were nice when we were there (though unresponsive after) and the breakfast was good... I also hate giving one star....

I can't believe someone would say "spooky" or "odd"??? This house is awesome !

My love and I were charmed by the house in all of it's historic glory. The room we had was so flippin cool, you could just feel the history of this place. The bathrooms upstairs were neat. The whole place was beyond neat.

It is in an older part of the city and I would not recommend taking a long stroll at night through the neighborhood but, we had no problems and I will stay here again if ever I find myself in San Antonio.

The Bullis House is beautiful, but it is a bit odd as well. The neighborhood is fairly run down. It isn't that close to anything, but there are some bus routes nearby. The hostel has the standard things that most hostels do, such as a kitchen and living room, but they have no Internet access. The large womens' hostel has no window and is in the basement. They charge $25 a night, but offer a break for longer stays.

Horrible place, rude staff, unsafe area, far away from Downtown, never come back and not recommend at all.

This is my second time staying at the Bullis Inn, and I would stay there again. The inside of the building is way better than how it appears on the outside. The sidewalks are cracked and uneven with weeds coming out in between. The patio roof leaks. There are 3-4 stray cats (healthy, but wild) on the front patio.

The inside feels old yet majestic. Its glory days are clearly over, yet with some elbow grease on the floor corners, fresh flowers on the tables, and a delicate touch of color, fragrance, and even the sight and smell of fresh baked cookies to waft your senses, this place would spark instantaneously. I'd urge any of you to wear flip flops wherever you walked inside, including the shower, as the cleaning was less than desirable.

The American history associated with this Inn also drives its character. How fascinating to know Chief Geronimo was connected with the General who owned that home.

The next time I come to San Antonio, I will stay here again. I will also make a point to visit the Sam Houston Museum across the street and dine at the Mexican restaurant down the street.