David Hunter is weekend manager at The Partridge Inn; therefore, he gets to bring his family with him. Pictured with him is his son Daniel. My friend and I spent the weekend before Thanksgiving at the historic Partridge Inn in Augusta, GA. Typhaine Soulet, a French and Spanish teacher at Augusta Prep, and a regular visitor to the inn said “It’s not the building, but the people in it who make it.” Bill Casson, a visitor to the inn for over 20 years said, “It is also the charm and warmth of the building that draw the guests.”

We found both of these to be true about the inn.

Alima Jalloh, originally from Sierra Leone, serves at the Partridge Inn’s Sunday Brunch. We were treated as if we were President and Mrs. Bush from the moment we arrived on Friday until we drove away on Sunday. Both the valet who took our luggage and Tawana Raines at the front desk welcomed us with warmth and smiles. In our room there was a general message on the telephone from David Jones, the manager, welcoming guests to the inn. The next day we received a personal message from him.

The first night we ate in the P. I. Bar and Grill where I enjoyed the best prime rib I have ever eaten. The sou chef for the P. I. Bar and Grill is Kief Thompson. Our waiter, Robert Jennings, impressed us immediately by asking us for our IDs before he took our drink order. Seated next to our table was Laurence Savage, a guest from Ireland who was working with the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) and would be at the inn for six weeks. Both Savage and another guest we met who had been at the inn for months said it was the closest place to home they had ever stayed.

After dinner we were treated to the fabulous jazz music of Mellow–D featuring Buzz Clifford on the piano, Not Gaddy on drums, Sonny Pickett on guitar, and Pam Bowman, singer.

Michael Steed, front desk manager, and Arielle Perkins, front desk, greet visitors to The Partridge Inn. Room service the next morning was a pleasure. The eggs and sausage were excellent, the coffee was hot, and the tray was brought at the exact moment it was promised. We ate on the balcony where we could see for miles.

After breakfast for an hour, Kevin Kilchenstein, the food and beverage director, took me on a tour of the inn. The inn is located on Walton Way Road in Summerville, the hilltop, which was established by the more affluent residents. In the early 19th century the Summerville homes were used during summer to get away from the heat and humidity along the Savannah River. In the summer months, Summerville was filled with social events. The neighborhood is still striving to preserve the best of its past. The land where the six story Partridge Inn is now was bought in the 1780s by the Walton family where they built a two story residence in the 1800s. The Partridge Inn rich in history was chosen by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as the first Georgia member of Historic Hotels of Georgia. New York hotelier Morris Partridge bought the property late in the 19th century and began expanding it until it reached its current size in 1929.

Buzz Clifford plays the piano and Pam Bowman sings at the P. I. Bar and Grill. After the tour of the inn, my friend and I drove downtown and walked on the riverwalk, shopped, and toured the Sacred Heart Church which has been turned into a cultural center. Everywhere we went, from getting a sandwich at the substation to shopping in an antique store, everyone was interested in who we were and why we were in Augusta.

We returned to the inn, watched the Carolina vs Clemson game, and prepared for our dinner at the inn’s premier restaurant, the Bambu on Hickman. When we walked in the Bambu we felt we were in another country. Ben Crawford, the host, seated us where we could see the waterfall and enjoy the mountain scene and the changing lights throughout this sensual atmosphere. David Pohlmann was our very attentive waiter. The French Asian fusion cuisine at the Bambu is created by Executive Chef Philippe Chin, the youngest French master chef in the world. After this exquisite experience, we went back to the P. I. Bar and Grill and enjoyed Mellow–D again.

Ben Crawford (l), host at the Bambu Room on Hickman, stands in the kitchen with Philippe Chin, the youngest French master chef in the world. Sunday morning we were overwhelmed at the buffet held in the Morris Partridge Ballroom. Food of all kinds lined the walls. From eggs cooked anyway we wished to fried oysters. Our waitress for the buffet was Alima Jalloh, originally from Sierra Leone. She is attending Augusta State University studying nursing to make a living and journalism, her love. Her bubbly personality entertained us through breakfast. The background music was Buzz Clifford playing Cole Porter tunes accompanied by Joshua Marks playing the guitar. (Marks plays at the Hunter and Gatherer in Columbia on Thursdays.) Typhaine Soulet, Marks’s fiancée, who recently moved to the states from France, goes to the inn each Sunday to hear Marks. Soulet’s comment about the people at The Partridge Inn was so true. Everyone we encountered during our stay made our weekend such a pleasure.

Laurence Savage, a guest from Ireland, enjoys an Irish coffee I must commend the leadership of The Partridge Inn. It is such a joy and so special to visit a place where everyone seems to be enjoying what they do. Thank you for a wonderful weekend.

Roses carved out of soap in an arrangement in the lobby.

Kief Thompson is the sou chef in the P. I. Bar and Grill. Robert Jennings waits on tables in the P. I. Bar and Grill. Robert Stevens, a restaurant manager, checks on the bar. Amos Russell, bellman, does “a little bit of everything.”