Historic Cary House Hotel

Came into town for a wedding and cannot say enough about this delightful hotel. First, the after hours check in. I felt terrible that we forgot the instructions when we got in at 3 am but the attendant was so patient and pleasant helping us get in. It's a GORGEOUS historic space. What some reviewers may see as "run down" is in fact the dedicated preservation of a historical space. Every inch of the space lent to the nostalgia of living in a bygone era.
It is also the perfect place to stay if you want to experience all of the unique and interesting shops on the street.
The ONE thing you might not like is it gets a little loud outside on the weekends with the youngsters partying at the bars. It could be tough on the light sleepers but minimal in comparison to all the other benefits.
Love love love this place!!

Fantastic stay! The Gentleman working at night was amazing going out of his way to help me check in when I missed check in time! There were two Ladies behind the desk at different times in the day and they were both very helpful and took a lot of time to get things done for me! I really appreciate the three staff members that were working during my February 21st until March 7th I believe it was stay… Thanks guys for your patience and help! Truly above and beyond!

First time visiting this wonderful establishment. The employees were awesome and helpful at any questions you may ask. Plus, it was close to clubs and bars in walking distance to a venue that was hosting friends' Birthday Party she was having at Green Room plus the music was Awesome. And the appearance of the hotel Awesome the rooms great and the historic history of the hotel very interesting like ghost wondering around didn't see or hear anything but it would have been cool if I did. Plus, the atmosphere of the hotel I just have to say the Lobby was Amazingly Beautiful.

Nice older rooms. Love the character and history. Definitely a little different than your standard room. Every room is decorated with unique furniture

Night clerk / manager was very nice. The rooms were clean in the bathrooms well stocked. It was like stepping back in time at this hotel. Loved the old fashioned and the antique atmosphere. The bed was a bit firm for my liking, but I'm sure a lot of people a firm mattress I would highly recommend

My room (408) was great. Didn't smell musty or moldy. Bed was comfortable and bathroom had great water pressure and the water was hot. Awesome old hotel.

Great place to stay for an overnight trip to Placerville! Grab a beer at the Public House or grab a show at The Green Room. There is a ton of fun stuff to check out.

The lodgings were quite charming and lovely. Very spacious and comfortable accommodation, and the hotel is stunning. Parking is only around the corner, and the level of concierge care is extraordinary. The receptionist was quite helpful and offered to park my car, carry my bags to my room, place a takeout order and have it delivered to my room. She even accompanied me to the floor I was staying on so I could learn how to use the elevator, which is the hotel's original elevator. If you happen to be in the Placerville, California region, I'd highly recommend it because I had a great time staying there.

Love this place. Cant say enough great things about this hotel. I will definitely be back soon.

Historic and charming hotel with upgraded bathrooms, all-in-one in-room kitchenettes and very good quality towels! (That last one is the most important to me, LOL). Mist ride the elevator! Oldest working elevator in California, but know that it is tiny!

Park anywhere and check in first, then they will give you a pass for the free parking.

In the heart of downtown Placerville, which grew up around the hotel since it's been here since 1857

We loved our stay! We came out from the Bay Area hoping to experience an historic and haunted bldg and to see some snow, and we were not disappointed. The hotel features beautiful stained glass windows & a beautiful wooden antique reception area as well as the oldest elevator west of the Mississippi, which we did ride on.

The room was great - comfy King bed, premium sheets, pillows, towels & sundries. Coffee & tea in the room, which featured a kitchenette. There were no chairs in the room, which was kind of weird.

We stayed on the 4th floor in Room 405. When my husband was up in the night, the alarm clock was going brighter, then dimmer! I didn't see it, as I was asleep. Haunted!

We woke up to a snow storm & no power! The entire hotel was dark. Thank goodness there was a little emergency lighting. Most folks seems to be leaving when we did for the same reason. No electricity meant no strolling the cute shops to breakfast & coffee.

We were able to safely get out of town on Hwy 50 and found electricity & coffee in Shingle Springs.

Stayed in room 406 "John Sutter" in mid-July 2022. Had to make a reservation due to a jury summons. Honestly was expecting worse than I got. I have stayed in Best Western(s) and Motel 6(s) that were far worse.

Some may find the room I stayed in a little lacking. However, it suited my needs just fine. This room has a mini fridge and a microwave. Very Noice! This is why I put 5 stars for "Rooms"

The "hydroponics" system, as they put it cools the room very well. Almost too well. One hour under the cold air and I had to go outside to warm up.

The bed was a little too plush for what I am used to, but that may be a good thing for someone else.

There is quite a bit of ambient noise in this building. The floors creak quite a bit. Also, there is a fire station right down the street. If you are a light sleeper or easily disturbed by noise... Bring earplugs. Ambient noise is not a problem for me.

The hallways are narrow and low light levels persist in the halls of the hotel. If you have any difficulty with low light or claustrophobia, this might not suit you well. As for me... I like low light and compact spaces. It kind of has a Backrooms vibe =)

I didn't honestly feel anything "haunted" during my stay. Only notable thing was a warm bubble of air about the size of a German Shepherd on the bed next to me. It suddenly occured and felt strange considering I was blasting cold air into my room.

I did not feel anything malevolent from it. Did not feel frightened or threatened by it. I definitely think there is some paranormal activity here, though I wouldn't worry too much about it if you have a strong mind and spirit.

All in all. I am glad that I stayed here. No regrets on that front. I hope this review helps someone. Hope it's not too long or full of useless info...

Such a cool experience! The girl at the front desk, I believe her name was kiera, was extremely helpful and gave us the most "haunted" room in the hotel! She also gave us a quick tour of the basement and the gambling room which was so cool! She went beyond our expectations to make our stay super fun and comfortable. We did a little "investigating" throughout the night but weren't 100% on anything we may have gotten. Definitely come stay here, even if you aren't into the whole paranormal thing, this hotel is beautiful and rich with history.

This place is charming. Cute character, the elevator is super cool! I feel like I stepped back in time. They allow dogs 😀 and the people who work here are VERY NICE AND FRIENDLY!!!!
I will definitely stay there again. Great restaurants all within walking distance. I love Placerville and if you go you should stay at the Cary House Hotel!

The accommodations were very quaint, very beautiful. Very comfortably sized room and the hotel itself is just beautiful. Parking is just next door, the level of concierge service is out of this world. The person working the desk was so kind, offered to park my car, take my luggage up to my room, order food and bring it to my room, and even escorted me up to the floor i was staying on so I'd know how to use the elevator, which is the original elevator in this beautiful historic hotel.

I was very pleased to stay there, and I'd definitely recommend it if you happen to be in the Placerville, CA area.

Walking down the hallsfelt like I was in "the Shining", it was really cool. The interior design matched the setting, not too shabby. Its pretty basic inside, there's no room service, massage, exercise room and stuff. The water takes at least 10 minutes to heat up and the elevator looks real old! The walls were adorned with beautiful portraits and vintage photographs and the front lobby was a cool little museum to stop by and admire the stained glass windows, or look at the display cases.
The room was really nice and had comfortable beds. It could've been a lot more "vintage decorated" There were some old looking wooden tables, a kerosene wall lamp,vintage paintings, and there were old school looking books. But nothing too special.
Overall, the atmosphere was wholesome with a bit of a creepy factor that made the stay a whole lot better. It met all my expectations! Great Historical landmark to check out! I didn't want to leave, it's so relaxing, comforting, and I just loved the environment. Amazing hotel !

Really neat hotel, all historical. The lobby and stairway are very beautiful and have an old feel to them as expected. Front desk clerk was very kind and helpful, he accommodated me and my dog in a nice room. The elevator is old and weird but in a fun way. The room I stayed in was up to code with a modern kitchenette and cabinets. My only petty complaint is I wish there was a small end table next to the couch where I could rest my coffee cup and breakfast plate.

We made a last minute decision to visit “Gold Rush Country” over Memorial Day weekend. We were only able to get one night at Cary House, but because my 7 year-old was super excited to stay in a “haunted hotel”, we took it.
The staff- the girl who checked us in was friendly and patient with my kid and his endless questions about the “ghosts”, so that was nice.
We stayed in a king suite, room 406. It was nice to look out onto the street from the windows (loud at night though, probably because of the holiday). The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. There were extra pillows & a blanket in the closet, which was great. My son loved the elevator. The room decor is fair. There was an out of place desk lamp on one nightstand (last minute replacement for a broken regular lamp?) The wallpaper is so-so, more “Home Depot Historic” than vintage reproduction- but my kid thought it was sooooo fancy, so there you go. Someone else mentioned the lack of chairs- a desk with a chair would have been great, but that probably wouldn’t have been historically accurate either. My only true “con” about the accommodations: no washcloths. There were towels and hand towels, but no washcloths. The shampoo was nice though.
About our ghost adventure- my kid was very eager to make contact with a real ghost, whether or not we really did is a mystery. I downloaded a suite of “ghost hunting tools” from the app store (which I recommend, if it’s your kind of thing).
To me, the lobby seemed like the most likely place to run into a ghostly guest. I had The EMF sensor on and the reading spiked at the chess table. We sat in the lobby for about 25 minutes and the EVP detector (which turns signals into words) returned the name “Elwood” and a few other words that seemed “on brand”- kinda creepy. The next notable EVP was on the 2nd floor staircase- at the second floor there’s a little wooden settee, and as we passed it, the detector said strongly “COUCH”. We sprinted up the last two flights! The other name we heard on the detector was “Emory”. I looked on the Ancestry app and there was a “J Emory” born in Ireland, 1815, working as a miner in Placerville in 1860. As far as “Elwood”, there is a “Channey Ellwood” listed as a miner in Placerville in 1852 (pre-hotel).
My husband and I are chalking the whole thing up to coincidence, but my Junior Ghost Hunter extraordinaire is quite pleased with the whole experience, from wallpaper to Wild West ghosts. Will return in the future, as Main Street is filled with great shops and restaurants.

Beautiful historic inn. Stayed in one of the 2 bedroom rooms. Loved the atmosphere. As for it being haunted well let's just say no and my boyfriend was sitting on the bed and we heard a loud noise in the main room and we went and checked and one of the porcelain cups had fell into the sink. These cups was sitting in the coffee pot tray a good foot or more away from the sink. TV also came on and back off without us touching anything. But it was a great experience and I would definitely go back.

EDIT ON REVIEW: Been back TWICE since this review and still one of the BEST places to stay in and around Placerville. I was there on fathers day June 19th.. the front desk lady was amazingly nice to talk to and she even recognized me from my review! Slept great and was very clean.
Heard some whispering in my ear..could had been a ghost, but who knows :)

A very pleasant stay. Specious rooms and comfortable beds. We came in very late and the hostess let us in, quick check in and we got our room. This hotel definitely feels historic and warm. The old elevator is definitely an interesting experience. The hotel is comfortably located in the midst of the town, 30 seconds walk to all the nice little restaurants and cafes around. Loved it.