Columns

This late 19th-century Italianate villa is named for its most distinctive architectural feature. Columns was built in 1883 as a private residence for a tobacco merchant, before serving as a wartime boardinghouse and then, in the Fifties, a hotel. Today it belongs to the owner of the Drifter Hotel, but it’s a very different vibe from the Drifter’s mid-century motel aesthetic; after a thorough renovation it’s a Victorian fantasy world, as ornate and colorful as any hotel in town.

Columns’ rooms and suites show plenty of variety, thanks to the historical floor plan. All are decorated in a style you might call maximalist, out of eclectic elements that feel more collected than designed. Some have claw-foot tubs, some have 15-foot ceilings, and all come with Tivoli radios and Aesop bath products.

The bar is the social heart of the hotel, centered around a Victorian lounge with classic coffered mahogany ceilings; this location is merely a suggestion, though, as your drinks will follow you to the garden, the porch, or any of the other common spaces. Meanwhile breakfast and a Sunday Jazz Brunch are served in the hotel’s dining room, along with a simple menu to accompany your evening drinks.