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-   -   B&B with lake or ocean view? (https://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/b-and-b-with-lake-or-ocean-view-401328/)

jmw444 Jul 25th, 2008 06:52 AM

B&B with lake or ocean view?
 
All of my favorite European trips have included small hotels or b&b's with lake vistas just outside my window or from a little balcony. I've been wondering what my options might be here in the U.S. for small accommodations with ocean or mountain lake views. Any leads will be copied and pasted with my thanks. J.

GoTravel Jul 25th, 2008 07:08 AM

There are probably thousands. Can you narrow down the area? Northeast, east coast, southeast, midwest, West, southwest?

Marginal Jul 25th, 2008 07:43 AM

Do you want just random names thrown out, without regard to budget, climate, location?

jmw444 Jul 26th, 2008 06:33 AM

Actually, I'm open to all suggestions. I find that, for me, a large part of the pleasure I've received from my European trips has been the views I enjoy when I wake up or in the evening at sunset and dusk, apart from whatever "must sees" or "must dos" might attach themselves to the location. I much prefer small places. My favorite hotel has 15 rooms, and I love the quiet of most B&B accommodations. I usually travel in early June.

I do appreciate your replies, and I shall be very interested to read any suggestions you might make. J.

1JAR Jul 26th, 2008 09:10 AM

Stephanie Inn Cannon Beach, Oregon

The Shore House Lake Tahoe CA

clarkgriswold Jul 26th, 2008 09:28 AM

Bayside Inn, Alton New Hampshire

High Tide Inn, Camden Maine

Inn on Summer Hill, Summerland CA


ncounty Jul 26th, 2008 10:22 AM

Harbor House Inn, south of Mendocino, California.

jmw444 Jul 26th, 2008 10:41 AM

Thank you very much for the places you've recommended thusfar. Particularly beautiful are the Stephanie Inn (however, 50 rooms make it one of the larger ones), High Tide Inn, and Harbor House. J.

jmw444 Jul 27th, 2008 03:53 AM

Hello, again. GoTravel wrote that there are "probably thousands". But you see, I think maybe that isn't true. I did do some looking at U.S. guidebooks before posting my question and found that large hotels and condominiums had snagged most of the prime spots not already claimed as sites for private residences. Alas. Thanks again 1J, clarkg, and nc.

gail Jul 27th, 2008 04:02 AM

I know of several in Alaska.

What do you mean any leads will be copied and pasted?

volcanogirl Jul 27th, 2008 04:07 AM

The Arbor House in Black Mountain, North Carolina and A White Texas Pelican in Kemah, TX.

jmw444 Jul 27th, 2008 08:32 AM

volcanogirl, those are the kind of places that I'm looking for. Thank you very much!

Gail, I'm sort of old, so perhaps my techno lingo is out of date. I visit each website, and while I'm there, I copy the url and paste it in my word travel file on my laptop. That way, I've got all the links in one spot along with relevant comments. I used to bookmark all interesting urls, but I never learned how to make bookmark folders, and that list got way out of control. Oh well.

J.


volcanogirl Jul 27th, 2008 09:04 AM

I'm glad, jmw - we've stayed at both of those and loved them, and the service was excellent too.

ncounty Jul 27th, 2008 03:32 PM

It would be fun if you gave your top ten at the end of this thread....with links if technically feasible.

sobster Jul 27th, 2008 06:08 PM

Castle Hill-Newport, RI
The Boulders-New Preston, CT
Alyce's Dunscroft-Harwichport, MA
Madison Beach Hotel-Madison, CT
The Breakers-Spring Lake, NJ (not small but not huge0

DebitNM Jul 27th, 2008 06:18 PM

The Seven Gables Inn

http://www.pginns.com/

in Pacific Grove CA [near Monterey and Carmel]. It was divine! The view from our room overlooking the water was perfect as was the sound of the waves.

See for yourself:
http://picasaweb.google.com/DebitNM/PacificGroveCA2008

Deb

jmw444 Jul 28th, 2008 06:15 AM

I've just spent an hour and a half visiting the websites of places recommended by the last couple of posters. I should have been working on powerpoints and lesson plans for next week's back to school.

Debbie, your 7 Gables Inn is lovely, and thank you so much for linking your own pictures. Sobster, Castle Hill is a stunner. I think two nights there would total the same dollar amount as my entire five-night stay on Lago Maggiore including airfare. :) But that's OK; I'll file it under 'splurge'.

The suggestions thusfar have included a range of budgets; and while most of them are more expensive than my favorite Gerra-Gambarogno two-star (with balcony lake-view), their "amenities" do dazzle.

Ncounty, I will be happy to post with the list of website links at the end of this week. Thank you all for helping me to prove to myself that it just might be possible to find my dream "room with a view" without dusting off my passport. J.


sobster Jul 28th, 2008 11:23 AM

Dear jmw444-Just to be facetious, I was going to recommend Hotel La Palma in Stresa.

WannabeinaMontserrat Jul 28th, 2008 12:14 PM

www.elizabethpointelodge.com or www.innonoakcreek.com.

ChicagoDallasGirl Jul 28th, 2008 12:31 PM

This one has more of a harbor view, but still quite nice, I think.

topsideinn.com

ChicagoDallasGirl Jul 28th, 2008 12:35 PM

One more. If there's such a thing as affordable luxury, this is it.

innonlakegranbury.com

clarkgriswold Jul 28th, 2008 03:25 PM

http://www.bayside-inn.com/images/sundeck2.jpg

http://www.blairhill.com/room1.php

blh Jul 28th, 2008 05:48 PM

Some friends have rented the entire Inn on Lake Granbury for the last weekend in October. They are all excited and looking forward to staying there. It looks wonderful on the website. Too bad we won't be with them - we'll be in France - oh well!

ssvw27 Jul 28th, 2008 05:55 PM

The Inn on the Sound in Falmouth, MA is gorgeous with wonderful views of Nantucket Sound just across the street. Cape May, NJ has some lovely inns on the ocean,too.

volcanogirl Jul 28th, 2008 06:21 PM

I thought of another one I liked - the Inn by the Sea in Maine.

jmw444 Jul 29th, 2008 05:01 AM

Oh, how I wish I had started this thread earlier in the summer. Why do I get inspired by diversions just when I should be buckling back down to business?

Here are two of my own from previous solo research, not from on-site experience, unfortunately.

http://www.bigbeachhouse.com/

http://www.greengablesinnpg.com/

I'll have to spread my virtual trips throughout the day today. I'll use them as carrots. Lesson prep one hour earns 15 minutes of following the most recent leads from last night. :)

sobster, you are being counterproductive, but you've given me a laugh followed by a wistful sigh. J.


DebitNM Jul 29th, 2008 05:34 AM

FWIW - I had booked at Green Gables before switching to Seven Gables. We walked past Grren Gables while in Pacific Grove. I was glad we had made the switch. Seven Gables had better location and was really much prettier.

Deb

mouseRD Jul 29th, 2008 05:58 AM

I'll echo DebitNM's post about the Seven Gables being lovely - both inside & out; we stayed at the Tickle Pink Inn in Carmel Highlands (the Crow's Nest room which we loved!), but I would definitely consider Seven Gables (over all the options in Pacific Grove) for a subsequent trip! We used to live in NJ, so am familiar with the Breakers. There are other lovely accomodations in Spring Lake; I guess you could check out the website if you're interested. Cape May, NJ is also very lovely. I think someone mentioned Newport, RI which I loved, as is Cape Cod (loved Falmouth, Chatham, & Martha's Vineyard). We've also stayed at the Elizabeth Pointe Lodge in Amelia Island, Fl & absolutely loved it & the surrounding area/Fernandina Beach. Another area you might like is Seaside, Florida.

jmw444 Jul 30th, 2008 04:02 AM

I surely do hope others are reaping the benefits of this thread, as I am. There are some great places here.

Topside Inn caught my eye especially, because I've always wanted to visit Boothbay Harbor. Blair Inn is also very appealing and those lake views are spectacular. Of particular interest to me are the B&B's that seem to offer easy neighborhood walks into villages or along the shore. What a delight to park the car and not return to it until the end of the week (or however long the budget will stretch). J.

jmw444 Aug 1st, 2008 06:19 AM

So here's a summary list. Thank you all for your contributions. I can't imagine that I'm the only person who has "room with a view" as a top priority, so maybe you've assisted more folks than you know. Happy travels, all. J.

http://www.stephanie-inn.com/
http://www.bayside-inn.com/
http://www.hightideinn.com/inn.html
http://www.innonsummerhill.com/about.htm
http://www.theharborhouseinn.com/
http://www.awhitetexaspelican.com/
http://www.arborhousenc.com/house.htm
http://www.pginns.com/7gables/abt7g.html
http://www.castlehillinn.com/Lodging/The_Inn/
http://www.bouldersinn.com/
http://www.dunscroftbythesea.com/
http://www.madisonbeachhotel.com/
http://www.breakershotel.com/
http://www.elizabethpointelodge.com/
http://www.innonoakcreek.com/
http://topsideinn.com/
http://innonlakegranbury.com/index.html
http://www.blairhill.com/index.php
http://www.blairhill.com/index.php
http://www.innbythesea.com/
http://www.bigbeachhouse.com/
http://www.greengablesinnpg.com/

ncounty Aug 1st, 2008 12:08 PM

Thanks for compiling this list! It was fun to look at some of the places.

I have physically been to two of these places and they are quite different with commensurate prices. The Inn at Summerhill did not have stunning views IMO. The rooms are small and a bit motel like but beautifully decorated. They had a wonderful breakfast when I was there many years ago. It is on the east side of the highway and not right on the ocean. It is a very pleasant place to stay.

The Harbor House is perched right on the ocean and is a fantastic location. I didn't stay there myself but I checked it out in person and wanted to come back. Rates were in the low 200s back then and I even made reservations but that trip ended up being canceled. I wish I had gone now that prices are almost doubled! I believe the price then may have included dinner which made what seemed expensive back then more palatable. Their views are amazing and probably worth the splurge.

volcanogirl Aug 1st, 2008 02:57 PM

Great list, jmw; thanks for assembling it!

marilee12 Aug 1st, 2008 08:56 PM

Sunnyside in Lake Tahoe is a very small hotel sitting on the water. Their outdoor dining is right on the water. Personally, I think it is a beautiful location.

sobster Aug 2nd, 2008 06:11 PM

The Sagamore-Bolton Landing, NY (Lake George0

Marginal Aug 2nd, 2008 06:20 PM

www.hooliohouse.com

cm318 Aug 2nd, 2008 06:27 PM

Highland Inn - San Juan Islands -- fabulous! http://www.highlandinn.com/

Also, Clam Beach Cottage - Salt Spring Island (British Columbia) -- not a traditional B&B -- but, a wonderful waterfront cottage - and they stock the refrigerator with breakfast foods. Check out the photos on tripadvisor --

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Columbia.html

We've stayed at both of these properties and highly recommend them.

elnap29 Aug 2nd, 2008 08:03 PM

We just returned from a Northwest trip that included Friday Harbor House on San Juan Island, Washington. The view was delightful from morning til late at night. www.fridayharborhouse.com

Have stayed at Highlands Inn in Carmel Highlands - great ocean view, but we much preferred our stay at Martine Inn in Pacific Grove, CA.

Great Lake Tahoe view available with the right cabin rental at Franciscan Lakeside Lodge, on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. We had our own private strip of beach and shared a boat dock with a few others. ON the water. Fantastic.

Also Agate Cove Inn in Mendocino, CA
and Asilomar in Pacific Grove, CA.
Inn on Oak Creek, Sedona, AZ

olesouthernbelle Aug 5th, 2008 07:00 PM

turtlebeachinn.com

zlaor Aug 6th, 2008 11:39 AM

North Hero House, North Hero Island VT

jmw444 Aug 8th, 2008 05:32 AM

Wow, I thought we were finished. This is such fun. I can only check in on weekends now that I'm back to teaching, but it's a treat.

I especially love the look of Sunnyside and Asilomar.

A question about Turtle Beach. It has such a nice relaxed look. I'm wondering about air conditioning. No? My travel time is limited to June, and my past experience with Florida destinations is that ceiling fans would not be enough for comfortable sleeping. Comments?

Thank you all, and happy trip-dreaming. J.


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