Thanks to those who responded back to my post! I am not in the habit of 'entertaining'. I don't do parties. I dread family coming for extended visits and they know this, so they don't! <grin>

I am not the least little bit a morning person. I don't wake up chipper and jump out of bed to greet the day.

So, you're asking, why the heck is she doing this for a living? The answer is kind of involved but the short version is that I get a lot of satisfaction from this 'job'. I get to decorate an entire house for other people to enjoy. (I get to decorate MY house for me to enjoy!)

Guests come in from all over the world. Getting opinions from people who are not a bit like me is VERY interesting. I like being able to say I've had people from Mongolia stay in my home.

This will be an 'I told you so' moment for those who go away to get away, but the conversations in the morning are what keep me going. And it's one of our top compliments...'I loved the conversation.'

Yes, we DID have one gentleman in our 3 years here walk out the door saying it was like eating in an Army barracks (he REALLY likes his peace and quiet in the morning) but, overall, guests have enjoyed themselves.

So, for those who can't see themselves in a million years staying in a B&B (my parents and siblings as an example) it's a good thing hotels have come as far as they have in a thousand years.

For those who like B&B's but have had some not too happy experiences, please keep trying! There are so many different kinds of 'B&B' out there to enjoy!

Just thought I would chime in. . .

In Ireland, Great Britain, Wales, and Italy, we have loved B&B's. Some were great, some not so great--all added to the experience and were cheaper than hotels. A few had communal tables, most did not. I think the key is, to a certain extent, is just act like you "own" the place and make yourself at home and to speak up when you need/want something. We do prefer when the owner's have their own private quarters. And we probably engaged in conversation with the locals to a much greater extent than if we had done the "hotel" thing. And that's a good thing.

In Hawaii we love the "vacation rental" experience. Not a B&B, but usually you do get to interact with a "local" and, again, that's a good thing.

In the mainland US--I find that B&B's are just too expensive. We travel extensively and usually just go the Priceline route for hotels--the cost is the factor, but I would love to try more B&B's if the price was right.

To dmlove:

"I much prefer to find a local coffee house/bagel joint for my breakfast (for example, the fabulous The Croissant Shop, I think it's called, on the same block as the Residence Inn Times Square, or the Coffee Pot in Sedona)."

Oh, if only I could last long enough to find a nice diner or coffee shop! That said, I had the best breakfast in the Eagle's Nest Restaurant in SF. Not sure if it is still there on the pier or not. Totally locals the first time I went, totally tourists the next time.

When it was all locals it was great. Complete strangers wanted to know where I was from and what I was going to be doing. They helped me figure out how to order and were yelling from the back what the best menu items were. (No yelling goes on at breakfast here, but we do get some guests saying to the new arrivals, 'Ooo, this was really good.') (Always nice to hear.)

I could have eaten at the swanky hotel I was staying at in SF but even Willy Nelson (also staying there) asked me where to go to eat.

You're right, $15 for breakfast at a hotel was way too much.

To jerryw:

"In the mainland US--I find that B&B's are just too expensive. We travel extensively and usually just go the Priceline route for hotels--the cost is the factor, but I would love to try more B&B's if the price was right."

I'm interested...what price would be right? I ask because I know the hotels in my town have prices from $179-$350. I guess they discount on Priceline, but I don't know that for sure.

The $350 is over double what I charge and that doesn't include breakfast. (And it's a Hilton, not exactly the upper echelon of hotels.) Even the $179 beats out my top price in peak season.

You could stay at an Econolodge or Super8 for about $79-$99 in season, which is substantially less than I could charge and still stay open.

Hope you read this, I'd like to get an idea from someone who would stay at a B&B what a good price would be.

And what that price should include.

Me_Innkeeper - do you live in the B&B or do you have a separate residence?

From your posts, it sounds like you do VERY MUCH enjoy being around people and conversing with them (even if you don't necessarily want them in your personal space), which would conform with my take on things.

P.S. Regarding your first post, I would KILL to have an ice machine close to my room... :)

In my earlier post I stated that I do prefer nice hotels but my few experiences with B&Bs were satisfactory and in one case a great experience.

But since you asked about what is a fair rate for a room at a B&B, here is my take.

A B&B does not have nearly the expense of a 4*+ hotel.

Just recently, we paid ~$100 for a night at a London Gatwick/Horley area B&B. That included a nice, albeit small ensuite room with a TV, phone and free wi-fi, continental breakfast and a free airport shuttle.

That's about as much as I'm willing to pay for a B&B, unless of course it's a very special, water view, balcony, romantic, private jacuzzi type B&B.

You did mention Hiltons. I have Diamond status with Hilton so not only do I get free breakfast but in most cases I get free finger food throughout the day and in some cases wonderful selection of warm food(depends on the hotel) and free top shelf booze (limited to 2-3 hours in the evening) when I get upgraded for free to the Executive level rooms. So, if I have to pay $200 for a Hilton room that I know has a wonderful executive lounge or $150 for a B&B, I will chose the Hilton.

Very interesting thread here. I am glad that innkeepers have piped up too! I think the bed & breakfast of the Newhart show was the norm back then, but bed & breakfasts have evolved very much over the 15+ years I have been open. No fru-fru, stuffed animals, chintzy stuff here... I have fine amenities in the bathroom, flat screen and/or big TV's, movies to watch, elegant robes...washed after every use....comfortable linens...washed on a very regular basis, free wireless internet, etc.... I have 3 tables in the diningroom and parlour for 3 rooms to have breakfast. Sometimes guests enjoy each other so much that they move to be together at the larger table! We never flop around in the guest area watching TV or anything like that. Our private area is very private, on site and in building, but not near guests. I think all of us innkeepers can recount good and bad experiences both at B&B's and at hotels. Why is it that all the scathing hospitality reports about bedspreads and glass washing are about hotels? Our reputation is totally on the line if we are a small place and we are overly vigilant to make sure things are clean and perfect. No two guest rooms walls touch each other here either. I hate being at a hotel where they have the headboards back to back. We have had several occassions where we could hear every snore, sneeze, lovemaking, groan, etc...AT A HOTEL!!! Like others said, we are glad you don't choose us as we want every guest to be comfortable. If in your mind you will not be happy at a b&b, please don't come! With over 50% repeats here, including many business travelers, honeymoon couples, people visiting this gorgeous area...that's OK you don't come. Here this morning my guest took a long walk by 3 lakes, a couple parks, and beautiful neighborhoods, thoroughly enjoying herself and getting a great feel for this area. A hotel parking lot doesn't quite do the same thing....JMHO!!!! I am not saying we are all perfect, or even all good, just that we have to be exceptionally vigiliant to stay in business so most of us work very hard to do so!

It's fascinating the different tastes people have. I've enjoyed most every B&B I've been to (usually well-researched), and have appreciated interactions with owners & staff, sometimes have gotten some great last-minute advice or interesting thoughts on what it's like living in place X. I love the old wooden bookcases with thumbed-through books from the early 20th century, portraits of ancestors with Chester Arthur sideburns in Civil War gear, heirloom desks. I even like the floral patterns and lace doilies if it's the indivduals' taste ;).

A chacun son gout :)

To toedtoes:

I live in a separate space in the same building. You could think of it as an apartment.

So, the guests have the B&B side of the place to themselves, separate living room, porch, etc.

I have my own entry and all of my own stuff, including a kitchen, so I don't make my dinner in the inn kitchen, or watch TV in the inn living room.

I do sit on the inn porch because it's a good spot to chat with neighbors.

Many of the B&B's we looked at to buy had ONE room the innkeepers could call their own. I could not live like that. I want to be able to make a hot cocoa in my jammies at midnight without interrupting guests who are chatting or playing board games in the inn.

To AAFrequentFlyer:

Ah, the $100 B&B room. Mostly a thing of the past on the coasts. Still available in the midwest.

If I had 80% occupancy like the hotels do I could charge $100/night and do well. If I had 100+ rooms, I could give special travelers such as yourself, the kinds of perks you get.

As it is, I offer a 'Frequent Sleeper' discount to my repeat guests. And they sometimes find chocolates or other special treats in their rooms.

But, $100/night and I'd be broke.

There are as many different types of B & Bs as there are innkeepers. If you do research and talk to the innkeeper in advance you won't be surprised or disappointed. If you don't like communal dining, stay at a B & B with individual tables. If you don't like sharing a common area with the innkeepers, don't stay someplace like that.

You may want to stay in a hotel if you are very busy and just want to check in and out without talking to someone. If you are on vacation and want to find out more about the area, where to go, where to eat, etc. you will probably really like a B & B.

I am baffled by this conversation. It sounds like many of you have never stayed at a B&B/inn or have formed an opinion based on a visit or two. I have traveled almost exclusively at B&B/inns for the last 20 years both here in the States & abroad, and my husband and I recently opened an inn.

We have: high thread count 100% cotton pressed sheets, free secure Wifi, 3 course gourmet breakfast made with fresh ingredients from scratch(served at our guests' choice of times), fresh ground organic free trade coffee, complimentary soft drinks, bottled water, iced tea, afternoon snacks, high grade mattresses and freshly laundered linens from the mattress to the comforters, jetted tubs, steam showers, fireplaces, beautiful furnishings & Oriental rugs (no doilies in sight!!), and much more. We also provide concierge services, print boarding passes for our guests (just today I printed up information on a National site that our guests wanted to travel to & had it waiting at their place at breakfast), and much, much more.

I personally have never received that level of service unless I was staying at a 5 star resort! (Or some of my friends' B&B/inns).

I think that many of you are quite misinformed. And some of those stories are really bizarre.

Thanks for clarifying Me_Innkeeper.

Brittany - I don't think anyone is saying that the accommodations aren't up to par (or above par) at B&Bs, simply that for some of us it's not what we want when we travel.

I also think that while there are several of us here who don't like B&Bs, we wouldn't turn someone else away from staying in one. At least I wouldn't. I have friends that I would happily suggest a B&B rather than a hotel for their travels because I believe THEY would enjoy it. When I've had B&Bs recommended to me, I thank the person and then continue looking for a budget hotel that meets my needs. I don't need to stay in any more than I already have to know it's not MY thing.

I'm glad that you clarified how you feel about B&Bs. Frankly, I personally am not fond of the smaller homestay places where there are no common areas that are exclusively for guests - I don't want to have to hang out in my room ALL the time :-) I also need to have a TV in my room & hopefully something that plays music (all our rooms have TVs, DVD/VCRs, and either have CD players or iPod dock clock radios). I agree that there are some places out there where there's not enough privacy for the guests, but that is usually in the smaller 1-3 room places.

Ah, toedtoes - but that is exactly what many of the original posters were saying about B&Bs - that they were subpar lodging choices for a myriad of reasons. Then we have the 'experiences' that sound like they were written for a men's magazine letters column. And you'll not find a room at my place for $100 but what I charge is still a way better value than the luxury hotel in town. C'est la vie - for every story told about bad B&B experiences, we can match them with guests from he** experiences. Maybe an innkeeper should write a tell-all about bad guests ... lol, am I being negative?

<i>Author: cd
Date: 05/31/2008, 11:13 am
I don't like people in the morning, I really don't even like my husband in the morning ...</i>

LOL!!!

I used to want to own an Inn..we saw one for sale in the Berkshires one summer.
Then the idea of all that work, upkeep etc kept us from going farther than just a What If conversation..

I don't think there are so many misconceptions here, unless someone is posting about staying in a B&amp;B and has not done so... I have and I don't want to again.
For all the reasons stated.
I also think when people refer to &quot;hotels&quot;..they are lumping a lot of different sorts of hotels together.. Maybe the Holiday Inn in Great Barrington smells like chlorine, but the Hotels I generally stay in smell good.. and then there is the issue with the cute little pet, cat / dog that so many B &amp; Bs have .. you cannot bring yours but you get to share theirs.. ah, if I miss my dog, yours won't make me happy.
And the cat hair on the bedspread just does not do anything good for my black outfit lying there.

Yes, the B&amp;B pets will never substitute for our own. But my son who has never owned a dog certainly had a wonderful time playing with the owner's dog at a B&amp;B we stayed at on a New Hampshire farm, the year he was 9. The dog was clearly thrilled to have a playmate with an unending capacity for playing &quot;fetch,&quot; since adults are known to have short attention spans in that department.

Thomas - You're right, there were some comments generalizing like that, but I think it was similar to saying &quot;XX hotels are dirty&quot; because you've stayed in 3 of their hotels and they were all dirty. You're going to generalize from your sampling that they all are similar.

While one can argue that a sample that small isn't accurate, it is realistic. People aren't going to continue going someplace that they've tried several times without success because someone else says &quot;but you just haven't gotten a good one&quot;, or &quot;not all of them are like that&quot;, etc.

If they're asked &quot;what do you think?&quot;, they're going to base their answer on their experiences.

I do think B&amp;Bs get a bad rap simply because they are all independent and B&amp;B owner 1 can't control B&amp;B owner 2 from making B&amp;Bs look bad. I also think that B&amp;Bs stay better because they are not &quot;for everyone&quot; - the big corporations aren't buying them out and trying to turn them into an enterprise.

There have been dozens of 'misconceptions' listed here - including yours that the innkeepers' pets have free run of the inn and that no B&amp;Bs allow pets. Neither is true - many B&amp;Bs have pet-friendly rooms, and while we have cats they stay entirely in our private quarters and never go into the guest area of the inn. Except, occasionally, when guests who miss their own cats want to meet ours - and that does happen. Then my one friendly cat is held in my arms whilst being petted by strangers.
As I said before, I'm just as happy to have guests like you stay away - you've tried a B&amp;B and don't like them for whatever reason, and really we have better things to do than convince you otherwise. It is the misconceptions posted here that may lead someone to never try a B&amp;B that we innkeepers take exception to. As any individual hotelier would, I suspect, when he/she is accused of not sanitizing glasses and using cleansers that reek for hours, even though those exposes routinely make the news.

toedtoes - see my response to Scarlett above. Really, I have no quarrel with someone who has stayed at a B&amp;B, even only once, and not found them to his/her liking. I have not loved every B&amp;B I've stayed at. And I most certainly have not loved every hotel I've every stayed at. Yet I don't generalize that all hotels are bad. If you are choosing lodging, then know yourself well enough to know what you want and don't want - everyone will be happier.

I agree Thomas. And I apologize I'm not trying to be argumentative, it's just a good conversation.

Having worked in a pharmacy, I remember the news magazines routinely showing how Pharmacists are cheating their customers, switching the drugs, short counting the pills, etc. It does get annoying, or worse, to be lumped in with the bad.

Heck, I see it here with destinations when posters state &quot;2 days is too long there, you only need a couple hours&quot; or &quot;don't bother going, go here instead&quot;. It's all subjective.

Scarlett: I agree with Thomas6, you're making a broad brush generalization about a segment of the lodging industry. Many B&amp;B/inns are specifically marketed to travelers with pets. Most innkeepers that I know keep their own pets in their private quarters (we even have a private area of our yard for our dogs). This is just one of the many generalizations &amp; misconceptions that are in this discussion. There are lots of different lodging choices out there, because everyone doesn't like the same thing. Why people choose economy lodging &amp; some travelers stay in 4 star hotels. Let the traveler decide without being swayed by inaccurate info is all that I hope for.

Brittany90...You, as an innkeeper,should not have made the statement about 1-3 room places having no private area just for guests. I have 3 guest rooms, down from 4 when I started out 15 years ago. I have 2 parlours and a diningroom, plus a sleeping porch and a big front wraparound porch exclusively for guests. Do we share the front porch with guests who want us too at the 5pm snack time - YES! I understand you do too. That is one of the reasons people love it here. We also gently excuse ourselves after an hour or so so the guests can have it to themselves, or get on with their evening plans. We never go out there if we feel the guests really want to be by themselves...like last weekends wedding couple. Please do not generalize and think before making this type of comment! We are having a hard enough time here as it is :&gt;)!!!

We prefer to stay in B+B's but do our research ahead of time and ask a lot of questions before reserving. Because we do not like to share space with owners, we always look for a B+B or small inn where there is a dedicated guest entrance and living room as well as outdoor area that is exclusively for guests. We love to eat, so we look for a full breakfast and I am very fussy about cleanliness, so we look at all the reviews on tripadvisor.com and fodors.com for any comments that suggest a less than spotless environment. The point is....DO YOUR RESEARCH! There are good and bad hotels, and good and bad B+B's.

Some of our favorites?...
Cape Cod- Fort Hill Bed and Breakfast (We get our own cottage with fireplace, gardens and ocean views or the large suite with a soaking tub, sitting-room with piano. Unbelievable breakfast! Helpful innkeepers)

PEI-Barachoise Inn (Has to be seen! Separate building with 4 suites. fireplace, great spa tub, full breakfast. )

Bar Harbor- Graycote Inn (Reasonably priced, full breakfast, very helpful inn-keepers, rooms with fireplace and lovely porch)

Nantucket-Union Street Inn (A bit impersonal because of the size but the best we have found on Nantucket. Lovely suite with huge bathroom and nice sitting room. Full breakfast. Helpful innkeeper. )

New Orleans-Maison Perrier (Great location in the Garden District. Wonderful suite with sitting room and bathroom big enough to live in! Full breakfast.
Helpful hosts.)

Venice, Lucca, Volterra, London, Amalfi, Cinque Terra....
Hey...I could go on but you get the point. Of course I do have a friend who tried to get last minute accommodations to visit for Parent's Weekend at Ithaca College and ended up staying at a Pig farm!!!!
So do the research and make your reservations in advance...or take your chances with a B+B.

To the B&amp;B ownwers on this thread, any good recs for Niagara on the Lake? ;-) ? No communal tables please! Brittany90, I would stay at your place in a heartbeat! We stayed at an Inn?B&amp;B in Bar Harbor and Dingle, and had some of the BEST breakfasts ever.

I don't think anyone here was bashing B&amp;B's. On the contrary, I think this thread was started as a kind of true confessions of &quot;I know people love them but I don't get it&quot;, originally just about the communal tables. If they weren't successful, popular choices theer's be nothing to discuss.
And the creepy stories are a blast. I, for one, would love &quot;True Confessions of an Innkeeper with The Guests from Hell&quot;.

Brittany <i>Let the traveler decide without being swayed by inaccurate info is all that I hope for. </i>

You will have to hope for more than that here on Fodors Lounge.
We all ( Travelers ) discuss these topics every day, all day and night and we do our best to sway each other all the time. We also travel and experience a broad variety of places to stay, eat, etc.

These are called OPINIONS and we all have a right to them.
No names have been named, your B&amp;B will remain nameless unless you bring it in with some sort of silly advertising.

This is the First time I can remember that a hotelier or B&amp;B owner has ever come into a Fodors discussion and argued their point.
Enjoy the forums but do not try to control them.

Thomas, sorry, I missed your last post there..

Having NOT stayed in every B&amp;B in the land, I will most certainly be generalizing when I discuss them.
If this topic were about a particular B&amp;B, then I would stick to my issues with that one B&amp;B.

We all do the same thing here when talking about Hotels and I do hope all of those General Managers are not coming onto Fodors next to argue their points!

The title of this thread is HOW DO YOU REALLY FEEL ABOUT B&amp;BS?

We are answering that question.

You and the other owners might answer that question and not argue with the other posters regarding their answers.

American B&amp;Bs? Loathe them.

They're always in a pretty new (by our standards) house whose owners rat on endlessly about the fact it's more than five seconds old (or &quot;historic&quot; as Americans call it, meaning nothing ever happened there and it all didn't happen about 1920).

All in favour of communal tables - but against the prissily designed main courses they serve instead of the proper egg, beans, bacon and chips breakfasts you get in real B&amp;Bs at home. And, for all their aires and graces, no American B&amp;B serves proper yogurt and insists on covering everything with sugar. If all this &quot;healthy&quot; food you serve instead of a proper fry-up's so good for you, how come you all die so young?

Lastly, even more than all those &quot;my name's Darren and I'm going to make you feel really guilty you're not giving me a preposterous tip&quot; waiters America's infested with, the bloody owners (or whatever absurdly pretentious name they give themselves, like &quot;innkeeper&quot;) insist on being you new best friend.

Dreadful places. Nuke 'em all.

To Scarlett:

A couple of points...I don't think any innkeepers were trying to control the forum, unlike yourself, telling us not to... :-)

Second point, I would think that 'travelers' (of which B&amp;B and hotel owners make up a small portion) would really appreciate hearing from the owners of the places they stay.

Most of us who posted were trying to help with some of the misconceptions we noticed and trying to balance out the perceptions. After all, this is my sole business. If travelers who have never stayed at a B&amp;B come here, see the topic and start reading, and there are no counterpoints from owners of the establishments, then it does present a somewhat lopsided view.

A 'he said, she said' conversation. 'I like them,' I don't like them.'

I was trying to bring up why it might be nice to try one.

As for all the negative and positive points the posters raised about B&amp;B's I do have to say that if a lot of guests didn't like what the owners were doing the places would close. The frilly, lacy, doily places as well as the modern, urban, hip places.

I certainly wouldn't want someone to come here under duress. Like the guest I had earlier this year who only came because, 'I got this stupid gift card for Christmas or I wouldn't be in this dump.'

&quot;A couple of points...I don't think any innkeepers were trying to control the forum, unlike yourself, telling us not to... :) &quot;

<i> why the smiley face? is it supposed to take the insult out of your remark? or just passive/aggressive?? </i>

Oh, right, and to answer the question...if I need to be in and out and don't need breakfast before I leave, I stay at a hotel.

If I'm on vacation and have time in my day, I stay at a B&amp;B where I'm almost certain that I can speak with someone knowledgeable about the area and get a decent meal in me before I have to face the world.

My first B&amp;B stay was in Ireland. Very nice, lots of fun. Second stay was in Nova Scotia. Great old house circa the US Revolution (moved to NS from Boston when the Tories was tossed). From then on I started actively looking for B&amp;B's here in the US.

Less than 10 years after that first stay, I hung out my own shingle and it's been a blast.

Overall, I like them.

got this stupid gift card for Christmas or I wouldn't be in this dump.'
LOL, what a rudesby! What did you say? Some people have no manners IMO!

&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt; That is one of the reasons people love it here. We also gently excuse ourselves after an hour or so so the guests can have it to themselves, or get on with their evening plans.&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;


Okay, no offense as you're probably
a lovely person, but an hour?? Even 20 minutes would be too long!

Again, nothing personal but when
DH and I have a chance to get away
with out the kids, we're not out
to make new random friends.

While we
can be delightful conversationalists,
we don't want to be!!!
We have enough *mandatory*
cocktail parties and social
events to attend that require
our sparkling wit and interesting
take on life :)

B&amp;Bs are just way too up close
and personal!

'I also think when people refer to &quot;hotels&quot;..they are lumping a lot of different sorts of hotels together.. Maybe the Holiday Inn in Great Barrington smells like chlorine...'
So you, Scarlett, take exception to this generalization but feel completely justified in making similar ones about B&amp;Bs? And you have a problem with a smiley face on another post when you did exactly the same thing on the first reply post to this topic? Whatever...
I have been posting on these boards for over 2 years and rarely bother with them anymore because of the vitriol that passes for opinion here - as this has. Glad to hear from those who enjoy communal tables and other aspects of B&Bs; glad the rest of you will continue to enjoy Hiltons and Motel 6.
Judyrem, I have never stayed in Niagara-on-the-Lake but the Harbour House Hotel is a Select Registry Inn, a group of inns &amp; B&amp;Bs with stringent inspection standards, and appears to have a dining room with separate tables. They are an inn rather than a smaller B&B; you might give them a try.

To wanderluster - We give ourselves one hour MAX as if we didn't do this guests would want to share way more time. We want our privacy too! Some nights the guests are so interesting and some others just hit it off that we could be up till midnight - their choice! I put the snack in the diningroom. They choose to have it or not, and choose where to enjoy it. It is not mandatory to have it, and especially not in any particular place. My wedding night couples are treated very special and given all the privacy they want. Their snack is already left in their room before their arrival! Ironically, on more than one occassion they have come out to the porch with us too!

One more point I feel I must make then that is it for this subject, at least for me. As you can tell, being an innkeeper is an all encompassing passion. We do it because we want to pamper people, give them the best we know how to do. As a professional (licensed by city, state and county), I feel this is my duty, monitoring these boards to see what issues potential guests may have. I have decided, due to this discussion, to make my wording on my website to specifically state that I have 3 different breakfast tables for 3 rooms....no sharing. I actually often do 3 different breakfast times so often guests don't see each other anyway! We appreciate the feedback, we don't appreciate the very negative and uninformed comments. In 15 years I have seen a major evolution from the cutesy, no TV type place to the b&amp;b of NOW - flat screen TV's in rooms, fine linens, free wireless, chosen breakfast times, etc... A few years back we were FEATURED in the NY Times, an article on business travel. A guest woke up one day and forgot what city he was in. It was then he knew he could travel better - IN HIS OPINION - There is no right or wrong to this, just personal choices. You have no right to question people who desire b&amp;b's and we have no right to say you must...end of story for me....15-1/2 years and still loving my interaction with guests, many who have become friends....guests from 21 countries, 50 states and 4 territories so far.....

Is it bad that I won't leave a review for our favorite B&amp;B because it's hard enough to get reservations there now? :)

I'm not a big fan of most BnBs, but FlanneurUK's remarks about American BnBs are off the mark. In our part of PA, there's no shortage of 18th century places to stay, which is older than any of the BnBs operating here in the part of the UK where we currently live (or at least any of the ones you'd consider staying in). One of the &quot;newer&quot; BnBs in Bethlehem was built in 1858, which is still decades older than our listed &quot;historic&quot; cottage (included in the town's historic walking tour guide) in England.

I prefer larger BnBs, which are probably more accurately described as inns rather than homestay BnBs. For example, I would happily stay at the Sayre Mansion, esp. in a Carriage House Suite.

http://www.sayremansion.com/suites.htm

And while I'm at it, might as well put in a plug for this beautiful corner of Pennsylvania, please, the PA Dutch country is not just about the Amish!!

http://www.sayremansion.com/areainfo.htm

Ok, commercial over. We now return to your regular program.