Bed and breakfast afficionados
 

Those of you who frequent bed-and-breakfast inns: how would you describe the B&B traveler? I find them to be friendly and congenial in general. (I guess you have to be if you're willing to share a breakfast table with strangers.) :p

I think maybe you've just explained why I really don't like B&B's. Who wants to be greeted at breakfast by "Hi, folks, where you from? The little woman and I are from Podunk. What are your plans today? We're going to the outlet malls"?

Not to start a war, but Patrick's reply is why B&B people prefer B&Bs to stuffy hotels. Given the choice, I'll take a B&B any day. The good thing is, you'll never have to worry about that kind of attitude at a B&B.

LOL, B&Bs are not everybody's cup of tea. I know some husbands whose wives drag them to B&Bs and they lie there thinking of the $30 an hour they are paying to sleep on the bed. :D

I like staying at B&Bs when I'm in the wine country or am on a romantic getaway with my husband (sans the kids) or am looking for atmosphere and ambiance.

When I'm with the kids, a clean hotel with a decent pool is all I care about. :p

I asked this question because we just came back from an anniversary trip and met some nice people at the inn we stayed at.

I AM the husband! I suppose I like B&Bs on leisure trips because I get tired of hotels on business trips.

All B&Bs aren't the same so it's really hard to answer this question. We've stayed twice at one in Key West which is much more like a small hotel. Also stayed in Santa Fe in a one-room B&B that was basically part of the owner's home. Liked both but for obviously different reasons.

We've stayed at our share of B&B's, many in Stratford, Canada where we go for the theater (they specialize in Shakespeare). There, anyway, the people you meet are usually highly intelligent and the breakfast table is a great place to review the plays and compare notes. Nothing about "Podunk" there! I would describe the B&B traveler as one who likes people. It's not for travelers who are looking for privacy.

B&B's are always an adventure. On our last trip to Quebec, the first one we stayed at was perfect - a well furnished, quiet room on the third floor of a victorian townhouse. The breakfast was first rate, and the host was friendly but not overbearing. The next one was in a house in the countryside. The walls were adorned with religious icons, the toilet paper holder played 'Love Me Tender' when you pulled paper off, and there was sacred music always playing on the stereo. Our bedroom opened onto the dining area, so when heading to the bathroom we had to pass people eating their breakfast. To be fair, the hostess was very pleasant, the room was immaculate and the price was right. We can also enjoy the big chain hotel with a pool, and impersonal service. It depends on what we are in the mood for. We have met many interesting people from all parts of the world at b&b breakfast tables, and it can be a lot of fun.

Patrick, for someone who's such an experienced traveler, you surprise with with your snobbish, simplistic response.

For my husband and myself, and later, with our kids, choosing a B&B has offered some unique experiences and they didn't involve making small talk at the b-fast table. One in Juneau, Alaska, where we had the use of a small rowboat in a lake right there, as well as a w/d and hot tub. In Sitka, we had a floor to ourselves, fully stocked library, open kitchen at night, gourmet b-fast. In Wa. state, we stayed at a former monastery, very quiet, great old fashioned fixtures. I think the relaxation, the ultra quiet setting(of the ones we've found anyway), and a chance for us to have special memories, saparate the b&b from a hotel or condo. Really depends on what you want. We use reputable travel sources when we've chosen any. Too many types to generalize on, so to be judgemental about people who stay at them is really not fair.

Sorry, Howard, but I've only stayed at three true B&B's in my time, and my experiences were very similar in all three of them. I consider a B&B a place where you actually stay in someone's home -- not a small inn, which is considerably different. I am really not comfortable staying in some else's home -- even my own relatives. So I'm less comfortable staying in a total stranger's home and trying to pretend that they and the other residents are my friends, especially when we usually have absolutely nothing in common. Sorry, just the way I've experienced it. But it is fine for others who enjoy that sort of thing.

I think anneofingleside hit the nail on the head in her original post "I guess you'd have to be (friendly and congenial) if you're willing to share a breakfast table with strangers." I guess I'm just not into sharing a breakfast table with strangers -- especially before my first cup of coffee. Sorry if that's too simplistic and snobbish.

I have to agree with Patrick - to me the B&B concept is staying someone's home and you have to be VERY comfortable with that concept. I'm not. We don't stay with relatives when we travel either tho and that includes those in Paris, France! We have stayed in several smaller hotels (inns)with 10-15 rooms in Europe and they were delightful, but they were inns, not someones house. I think it's all a matter of personal taste and you should go with what you feel comfortable with. I'm sure there are great B&B's out there, but shared breakfast or in some cases shared bathrooms is not my idea of a vacation. I'm friendly and love talking to people when I travel, but I guess I'm not friendly enough to want to share a house with strangers, particularly before my first cup of coffee!

Here is a different view--
I travel alone--husband will NOT fly--
I prefer the 'personal" side of B&Bs.
I am not just the "lady in 203" but the
"lady from California who likes her coffee early" When i check in, I leave with the owners a little packet==emergency number at home, type of car I am driving and my proposed schedule/route.. I appreciate the fact they are not "responsible" for me. However, over the last 10 yrs. I have never gotten the feedback that this was inappropriate and I do feel more secure in this setting.
Perhaps working in the medical field for 40 yrs. (now retired) makes me more aware of the unexpected issues that could arrise and no travel companion to rely on. Obviously not uncomfortable enough to keep me home. So far been on 42 states !!!
I do agree, certain personality types are just not comfortrable in B&Bs-
those who want total privacy and are more introverted.
So that is my "Senior" perspective...

Our family has owned B&B's and ,of course, I have stayed in plenty. I can say with no regret that I avoid them at all cost. Most B&B's are guest houses from the 70's that all had a shared bath rooms,that now put a bath in the closet,cook eggs in the morning,charge 10 times as much and call it a B&B.

If you are traveling from the city to the country,a B&B may be for you. But I have to agree that staying in someone elses home is not for me.

I have stayed at many B&Bs...and the best part has always been the breakfast! I swear, people must open these places because they know how to cook a good breakfast. Mmm!

The worst part is feeling like you are intruding in someone's home. At one B&B in Ireland, we actually ate at the woman's (owner's) kitchen table, while her husband was rushing around getting ready for work. It felt like I was a runaway being fed by some slightly put-off but kind stranger.

Also, all the travelers I've met at B&Bs have been uncomfortably quiet, or freakish (really, I don't want to hear about your personal problems), or rude (clipping toenails at the breafast table), or go on gabbing and gabbing making it hard for me to escape when I want to go out sightseeing!

So...I guess given the choice I'd rather NOT stay at a B&B. Though I do love mufins right out of the oven!

I guess we've luckier and/or more selective in our B&B experiences. First of all, our requirements are the same as for any other time of facilily: We insist on a private bathroom.
For those skeptics, I would heartily urge you to try the B&B experience in the Berkshires, other parts of New England and the Hudson Valley.

It's true that bed-and-breakfast experiences vary greatly depending on the inn. I've had a couple of disappointing experiences (booking at a place that wasn't all it was cracked up to be). But having learned my lesson, I've had mostly pleasant experiences by going only to highly recommended inns. I research travel books and ask people for recommendations and go with the inns that are often on top of the lists. That way, I'm not disappointed. I appreciate the decor and ambiance (again only in the better B&Bs), the gourmet breakfasts, and the architecture. It's nice to be able to have something that's different from sterile, cookie-cutter motel rooms sometimes. (Also, I'm interested in decorating myself and sometimes get into that "foodie" mood.)