Why Stay at a BnB?

When we travel, more often that not, my wife Carol and I will try to finda bed and breakfast or inn to rest in for at least a night or more. We have a time share that we may use more when we are both retired. But it is so restrictive, and most of the time it doesn't really meet our needs when we travel. Hotels and motels have become little more than a place to put your body when it is tired and can't bear to drive any further. Resorts are usually too pricey for us. So we stay in bed and breakfasts. Why? There are many reasons.

First, we like meeting people from different parts of the country. People who own BnBs are usually regular people - people like you and me. They are not corporate types or people out to get a quick and easy buck. They are small business people that are fortunate enough to own some unique piece of property and offer to share it with us. They are part and parcel of Americana - that part of America that is an age gone by and that we seem to long for. They are service oriented. I have usually found that their biggest satisfaction is that you are happy you enjoyed your stay with them.

Second, we like staying at BnBs because the people that own them usually live on site. People who live in the area usually know the area. They know the good places to go: the good restaurants, unique little shops to visit, points of interest that are excluded from most travel  brochures. They know the places that are "tourist traps" and will help you avoid being taken in. They know about little known, out-of-the-way places, you might never discover on your own.

We also enjoy the hospitality that most of them offer. Breakfast often is not a meal, it is an event. First, comes a warm greeting in the morning. Almost immediately you catch the aroma of  the hosts favorite recipe that will soon be served to you with pride. Then comes friendly chatter - not meaningless banter but really friendly conversation. You quickly learn about their residence - you begin to catch the local flavor of the area. You're making a new friend, maybe one that will last a lifetime. Then suddenly, it's time to get on with your day. You've gotten some must "things to do" and "things to see." You leave feeling really good because someone took the time and care to give you their best effort. Often if you stay with them more than one night, they will be there waiting to greet you at the end of a "hard" day being a tourist. That's nice!

One of our favorite trips was an eight-day, leaf peeping tour in the fall through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Taking the back roads, we took our time just looking at the beauty of the countryside. Up hills, down valleys, around lakes - it was absolutely breathtaking and alive with color. We began to realize that the country we live in is pretty special and pretty big, too. But not too big. One place we stayed was in New Hampshire. That fall the Cleveland Indians were in the baseball playoffs (a miracle in its own right). The BnB we were staying at did not have cable TV so we couldn't watch the game. The owner of the BnB told us about a restaurant/tavern that might have the game available. We went there, and this is the point where the big country got really small. In conversation with the owner of the tavern, we discovered that he had lived in Cleveland for many years before moving there. "Of course, we will have the game on," he said, "but I must warn you there will be a lot of people cheering for Boston." Later in the evening we returned to the tavern, watched the game, cheered for the Indians (we were the only ones there who did, but no one seemed to care), and had an absolutely delightful time. It all happened in the secluded hills of a little remote New Hampshire village.

It's happenings like the one above that make inns and BnBs so delightful to stay in. We are ambassadors for these little, privately-owned, out-of-the-way, delightfully American places to visit. Feel free to use these pages to help you find a place that may provide a lifetime of memories for you too.