The Phineas Swann (named for an early settler to the area) is pet-friendly, going so far as to provide "doggie spa"services. It offers a very tempting menu - and it is haunted.
The ghost is a playful child named Geraldine, who died of pneumonia in the house in 1937. She haunts the Red Room, which was used by her parents, and guests have reported having their feet tickled in the middle of the night.
No battlefields nearby, no sense of heaviness and oppression; just a fun-loving, giggling little spirit who entertains guests in her own merry way.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Kennebunk Inn, Kennebunk, Maine, USA
As with some of the other lodging places listed here, the Kennebunk Inn is haunted by the ghost of a former employee.
Silas Perkins worked at the Inn as a clerk. Perkins lived alone and his only friends were the people at the Inn. When he died, he remained in the place that had provided his only social life when he was alive. After his death, a table full of guests were almost as shocked as their waiter when, as the waiter carried a tray of drinks to them, a glass of wine was lifted off the tray and hurled violently to the floor.
Rumor has it, Perkins is still there.
Silas Perkins worked at the Inn as a clerk. Perkins lived alone and his only friends were the people at the Inn. When he died, he remained in the place that had provided his only social life when he was alive. After his death, a table full of guests were almost as shocked as their waiter when, as the waiter carried a tray of drinks to them, a glass of wine was lifted off the tray and hurled violently to the floor.
Rumor has it, Perkins is still there.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Eureka Springs Hotel, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA
The Eureka Springs Hotel advertises itself as "America's Most Haunted Hotel", with a website that is all about the hotel's hauntings and history. The hotel has a ghost tour every night; "ghost packages"; and an ESP weekend, among other ghost-related activities.
As for the hotel's history, in the 1930s it was a hospital for cancer patients. Norman Baker, the owner at that time, claimed to be able to cure cancer, and countless people believed in his "tonic" containing watermelon seeds, corn silk, and other ineffective ingredients. This substance was not harmful to ingest, but it had no effect on cancer.
Baker had to flee the state of Iowa for his practices, which had netted him a huge amount of money. He moved to Arkansas and renovated a Victorian-era hotel in Eureka Springs, his "Castle in the Air", where he continued accepting cancer patients. One estimate claims that Baker made $500,000 in a single year - which would be more than 5 million dollars in modern times. In 1940, Baker was sentenced to prison in Leavenworth; upon his release, he moved to Florida, where he died in the 1950s.
Many of the patients died at the hotel. Some of them still roam the halls, joined by an Irish stonemason known as Michael, who was killed in building the hotel in 1885; a cat named Morris; and Norman Baker himself. The hotel still contains a basement morgue, a holdover of the days when it was run by Baker (and was very necessary). The morgue is the final stop on the nightly ghost tour.
Apart from the supernatural activity, the hotel offers a spa with massage, scrubs, body wraps, infrared sauna, and teeth whitening, plus a salon with manicures, pedicures, and the usual hair cutting/styling/coloring services. There are three dining locations on the premises, and a wide variety of activities in and around Eureka Springs.
As for the hotel's history, in the 1930s it was a hospital for cancer patients. Norman Baker, the owner at that time, claimed to be able to cure cancer, and countless people believed in his "tonic" containing watermelon seeds, corn silk, and other ineffective ingredients. This substance was not harmful to ingest, but it had no effect on cancer.
Baker had to flee the state of Iowa for his practices, which had netted him a huge amount of money. He moved to Arkansas and renovated a Victorian-era hotel in Eureka Springs, his "Castle in the Air", where he continued accepting cancer patients. One estimate claims that Baker made $500,000 in a single year - which would be more than 5 million dollars in modern times. In 1940, Baker was sentenced to prison in Leavenworth; upon his release, he moved to Florida, where he died in the 1950s.
Many of the patients died at the hotel. Some of them still roam the halls, joined by an Irish stonemason known as Michael, who was killed in building the hotel in 1885; a cat named Morris; and Norman Baker himself. The hotel still contains a basement morgue, a holdover of the days when it was run by Baker (and was very necessary). The morgue is the final stop on the nightly ghost tour.
Apart from the supernatural activity, the hotel offers a spa with massage, scrubs, body wraps, infrared sauna, and teeth whitening, plus a salon with manicures, pedicures, and the usual hair cutting/styling/coloring services. There are three dining locations on the premises, and a wide variety of activities in and around Eureka Springs.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Morning Glory Bed and Breakfast, Salem, Massachusetts, USA
Salem is famous for its infamous witch trials of the late 17th century. A group of young girls accused certain residents of the village of having "bewitched" them. By the time the horror had ended, fourteen women and five men had been hanged; one of the accused, an elderly man named Giles Corey, had been pressed to death by rocks in an attempt to force a confession from him. Corey's only words were: "More weight."
The Morning Glory has two claims to fame - it is located in the notorious city of Salem, and it is haunted. A medium who stayed there claimed that the premises are haunted by the ghost of a teenage girl.
The Morning Glory has two claims to fame - it is located in the notorious city of Salem, and it is haunted. A medium who stayed there claimed that the premises are haunted by the ghost of a teenage girl.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Karosta Prison Hostel, Liepaja, Latvia
This lodging place is a one-time prison that has kept all the trappings of its former existence. The cells are still there, the walls containing graffiti from prisoners. A museum provides information about the history of the prison and of the Communist era.
Guided tours are provided, and audio guides are available in five languages, including English and German. A show titled Behind Bars gives additional entertainment to brave visitors above the age of 12.
Rooms are simple: Cells with bunks or iron bedsteads. Not exactly plush, but what can one expect from a former prison? Be prepared, though; your cell door may just open in the middle of the night. You may hear footsteps. And you may see a specter in the hallway.
Guided tours are provided, and audio guides are available in five languages, including English and German. A show titled Behind Bars gives additional entertainment to brave visitors above the age of 12.
Rooms are simple: Cells with bunks or iron bedsteads. Not exactly plush, but what can one expect from a former prison? Be prepared, though; your cell door may just open in the middle of the night. You may hear footsteps. And you may see a specter in the hallway.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti, Papeete, Tahiti
According to a guest, lights in the rooms go off and on with no humans to work them, and voices are heard at night. A staff member confided that the hotel was built atop a large cemetery - perhaps the previous occupants are none too pleased.
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