What's the atrraction about B&B's?
 

I've only stayed at a B&B one time and it was a horrible experience. I keep reading on this board people's love of B&B's and I have to ask Why? <BR> <BR>In my experience, the prices were not cheaper, the accomadations worse, and I had to be nice to strangers. <BR> <BR>We decided to stay at a "historic" home in a major north American city during our summer visit. The first floor of the home was the public space, the second floor for the owners (and their young baby who cried during the night) and the third floor servant quarters were for the guests. The room was obviously a storage place for the owners and we slept on a futon amid boxes of junk and a Frampton '77 poster on the wall. The other two rooms up there looked the same. Three rooms (six people) sharing one bathroom. Since it was a "historic" property, it didn't have air conditioning (owners had a window unit in their bedroom) or tv or phone in the room. Breakfast was standard stuff, nothing fancy. <BR> <BR>We left after one night for a real motel with airconditioning, telephones, and no screaming babies. I know it's not the babies fault, but we should have been forewarned about the baby. Never have any desire to return after the experience over 10 years ago. <BR> <BR>Yet others love the B&B experience. I know I shouldn't let one bad experience color a whole industry, but I have.

I'd buckle your seatbelt if I were you. You're about to get toasted!!

Icompletely agree- a b& b can be the worst or best experience in the world. <BR>The worst is when you are just a paying guest in someones home with very little amenities. I too hate to share a house with a family at a price. It is uncomfortable and is never worth the price. I have had a couple of bad experiences and have learned from them. <BR> <BR>Here is what I learned - <BR>Make sure you get a good recommendation - this site is the best. <BR>Make sure you have a private entrance and exit. <BR>Best of all possible - owners live off site. <BR> <BR>The reason I prefer b & bs to hotels is you can get more of a feel for the area you travel. The major reason is I cannot stand the smells in hotels and the closed in feeling (In 99% you cannot open a window). <BR> <BR>I think the best alternative are inns - mini hotels with the best of both worlds. examples - Bradford Inn in Branson, Woodstock/Kendron Inns in Vermont, Pleasant Hill in Marblehead, Baker/Doolittle House in Washington, D.C, etc.

Hi mmm: <BR>I agree that it can be great or horrible. The best advice I can give is to research everything and when your done do it again to be sure you did not miss anything. Shared bathrooms are not for everyone. En Suite is what you look for. Historic means no upgrades can be made hence a shared bathroom. <BR>I B&B'd my way through New England and it was wonderful!! Plenty of time and research went into it. <BR>I also like that there in an innkeeper on the premises, not a whole family. Being nice to strangers on my vacation is something I do like to do. Perhaps your bad experience made you feel that way. Breakfast shared with folks I will never see again is part if the charm of B & Bs. I have not met a stranger at breakfast whose company I dide mot enjoy!

<BR>Sorry my fingers slipped.... <BR>Make that company I did not enjoy!

Sounds like you had a bad experience; maybe you should try again? When they are good, B&Bs are one-of-a-kind properties with one-of-a-kind rooms, each decorated with a loving and discerning hand. The food can be wonderful, certainly a cut above the standard motel "continental breakfast." Fresh fruit salad, home-baked pastries and muffins, fresh-squeezed OJ, gourmet coffee. <BR> <BR>There was a B&B my husband and I frequented on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where we traveled frequently over a 2-3 year period of time. After a few visits, the owners got to know us and our preferences, and that personal touch made it all the more pleasant.

Hi mmm, <BR> <BR>I agree with the Julie and Annie. Your experience is a shame. I have never had such accomodations at a B&B. We do enjoy an occasional B&B stay depending on circumstances. We always check everything out ahead of time my advice would be to make certain of the following: <BR> <BR>

MMM, if you stayed at a bad hotel would you never stay at a hotel again? Of course not. Your comments based on ONE experience are just plain silly. I've stayed in B&Bs I enjoyed and some where I wouldn't return; however, that's the same as the many hotels I've visited.

I don't think B&Bs are for everyone, and I own one! If you are expecting full business services or a restaurant on site, you should probably opt for a hotel since it would better fit your needs. But if you want that "home away from home" experience, a B&B may be for you. <BR> <BR>I take great pride in my place and try very hard to stay up-to-date on restaurants, attractions, happenings, etc. I want our guests to think it was the best vacation or business trip they ever had. Since our guests come back again and again, maybe we're succeeding. (Our prices are not cheaper than some hotels but I do think our accommodations are as nice or better and we've upgraded to include internet connections, in-room phones, expanded cable, etc.) <BR> <BR>As for having to be nice to strangers, what's wrong with that? That's what I LOVE about the business. (If you're not a morning person, B&Bs can be challenging!) In short, mmm, I'm very sorry you had a bad time. I hope you'll give B&Bs another chance. <BR> <BR>One other note: "historic" doesn't mean shared bath in all situations. My "historic" (late 1800s) home has private baths in each guest room...probably just depends on city codes and whether or not the owners can or choose to renovate. <BR> <BR>ps - that room mmm described doesn't sound very great, does it? Luckily, I don't think it's typical. <BR> <BR>

Part of the key here is M's single visit "10 years ago." I think bed and breakfasts have exploded during that time and most are really nice.

I have never been a fan of B&B's either. Look at it this way. I have many good friends scattered around the country and like to visit them. But rarely do I stay with them, even though some try to insist on it. I am simply not comfortable in another person's house. I don't like to feel that I'm intruding, making no noise at night, trying to slip into the bathroom in the middle of the night, should I flush the toilet and wake people up? I smell the coffee and feel obligated to get up for breakfast instead of waiting till I feel like getting up. I could go on. If I'm not comfortable in a good friend's house, how could I be comfortable in a total stranger's house? <BR>That's how I see a true B&B, staying in someone else's home. Now a small inn-- hopefully at least 10 or 12 rooms with a regular staff or innkeeper, that's another story. They can be great.

I've truly enjoyed most of the B&Bs I've stayed in. All have been very comfortable, and I enjoy the breakfast chat in the morning, the tea or wine usually offered in the late afternoon, and the host's personal knowledge about the area. I don't stay anywhere without a private bath, and have learned to ask about air-conditioning, but when I shut the door on my room I feel very private, and not like I'm intruding into someone's house. The last one we stayed in, a farmhouse in Illinois Amish country, had beautiful gardens, a pool, and our room included a king-sized fourposter bed, a fireplace and hot tub, a VCR, and was beautifully decorated. Breakfast was to order, at the hour we requested, and the bill ($110!) was left in our room in a beautiful card. <BR> <BR>We stayed in our first B&B 15+ years ago, and it was sort of creepy--lumpy bed, USED SOAP--but we started trying them again a few years ago and now would never stay anywhere else in many types of locations.

mmmmmm: I have to totally agree with you. I have stayed at several B&B's, all came highly recommended, and they are not for me. I don't like feeling like I am staying in someone else's home. Give me a resort experience over a B&B any day of the week!

Let me clarify "be nice to strangers." I'm not the idle chit-chat type of person. I would rather have a deeper conversation about clouds, Bermuda high's and Nor'easters than the general "how's the weather" forced pleasantries. I'm not a morning person either. I guess the feeling I got out of the experience was like staying with my great-aunt. <BR> <BR>At the time my then boyfriend and I were 24 and never taken a vacation without family. We were shocking everyone by traveling together without the bonds of marriage. Let's face it, we were a couple of dumb kids but we did salvage a good time from it, though the relationship did end a year or so later. <BR> <BR>Now that I'm a bit older and have just a little bit more money, I would like to try something fancy. The suggestion of a mini-inn was wonderful. <BR> <BR>Thanks helping me understand the "why" to staying at a B&B.

I'm with you mmm. We had our first and last B&B experiences just a few years ago. Here's a tale from the BEST one that we experienced (it went downhill from there at the other B&Bs): <BR> <BR>The first place was in a beautiful part of town, old historic home, nicely refurished by two couples who lived in houses behind the B&B. We felt obligated to join the social chat with the owners and other guests in the living room before going out for the evening, and discovered that the owners were using that opportunity to promote the restaurants and businesses of their chamber of commerce friends. We had already chosen an inexpensive pizza place and planned to visit a planetarium for the evening (inexpensive yet interesting to us) and when they asked about our plans and we mentioned them, they tried their best to steer us to the businesses they were recommending, even handing us flyers and brochures. Just a big sales pitch. <BR> <BR>The owners then asked all the guests what time they would like breakfast the next morning, and everyone (except us) chose 7 am! Not exactly my idea of a vacation schedule. I for one do not enjoy being up early, dressed, sleepy, sitting at a dining table and being served a huge indigestible meal while expected to make small talk with strangers. Of course, we finished with breakfast by 8:00 and nothing opened until 10:00, so had two hours of down time. Great. <BR> <BR>The last straw came during the final evening, when we discovered that we were the only guests in the B&B (it was mid-November)and we decided to use the billiard table in the game room, which the hosts had offered for guest use. We played until 10:30 pm, even thought the "official" quiet time was 10:00 (another irritant) because we knew the hosts were at their homes and there was no one else on the premises. The next morning the hosts made sure to tell us that they heard us playing billiards well past 10:00 pm, as if they were scolding camp counselors and we were bratty campers who had broken curfew! <BR> <BR>And just to get this off my chest as well, at the second B&B one of our fellow guests was a well-known photographer who was selling her books as she traveled. She and the B&B owner spent the entire breakfast time promoting her books, then merely asked us what we would like her to write on the inscription when she signed her book for us, which she expected us to purchase, of course. A hard sell at the breakfast table. And of course, the B&B owner also made sure to promote all of her friends' local businesses as well. We were staying in an area of spectacular natural beauty and had no intention whatsoever of spending our time shopping, but this owner was relentless in her promotion. I absolutely fumed at paying money to be a "captive customer" yet again. <BR> <BR>My accommodation dollars will be spent where I can receive privacy and be on my own schedule, and not be subjected to sales pitches or scoldings. And mmm is right about the price, B&Bs are just as, if not more, expensive than hotel rooms. It seems they best serve those who own them and those who have something to sell to unsuspecting guests.

Ricki, sounds like you went to the Used Car Lot of B&Bs! My experiences have been the opposite. <BR> <BR>By the way, if you want "promoters" talk to your local hotel concierge. I know many in our city they ONLY recommend the restaurants that pay commissions and/or provide freebies. Ditto for just about every hotel employee.

We have stayed at number of B&B's and have really enjoyed all of them. I think the trick is to really to some homework before deciding. We have never stayed in a B&B that we had to share a bathroom at - an I don't think I would like that. Also, We have only stayed at B&B's that have extensive web pages that let you carefully look at the rooms of the B&B - especially the one we plan to rent. IMHO I think a little larger (8 or more rooms) B&B makes me feel more comfortable. A little larger B&B pretty much guarantees that you won't be the only guest in the place. (however, that did happen once when we visited a Historic Inn B&B in Virginia - The owners were so pleasant and they stayed in a separate house - that the experience really was pretty special!) <BR> <BR>I hope you will consider giving it another shot - you might really like B&B's! Have fun!

I suspect part of your "bad" experience was due to your age; I don't think I would have been comfortable in a B&B at that point of my life either. But, some of the reasons I travel are to meet other people, to get a real feel for the area, and to share tips with the other guests. I have found that in all the B&Bs I have used. We used only B&Bs in a 10 day trip thru Maine and New Hampshire - all were interesting, except for the one where I discovered there was no outlet for my hair dryer anywhere in the room or bath as I stood with dripping hair in early October! But, there were memorable ones - the Pomegranate in Portland, ME - ahh, what a gorgeous place; the owners gave us their concert tickets as we walked in the door because they couldn't use them that night. The Crystal Mesa Farm outside Sante Fe - 2,000 acres of open land and a house with such artifacts I felt as if I was in a museum - and the owners lived in their own house down the road. I don't stay for financial savings, but for the more personal feeling. Give it another chance. Then, if it is not for you, hit the Sheratons of the world.

Well, if our experience at one B&B had been unique, I may have chalked it up to just a bad experience. I only described two B&Bs, but we stayed at a total of five during that one trip, in three different states, and had the same experiences at each. The B&Bs we chose were far from a "used car lot" either in price or location. <BR> <BR>We do not stay at the types of hotels that have bellboys and concierges, so as a result, I have never, ever been subjected to sales pitches from any hotel staff. Pointing fingers at high end hotels and saying "well, they do it too" is no excuse, in my opinion. <BR> <BR>

Sorry, Yak, statements like yours make my blood boil!!! A concierge is there to help guest with any needs they may have, as generally the city is unfamiliar to them. If you've done your homework before arriving, then you probably know where you want to go anyway so never bother to speak with the concierge. Great. If you haven't, and there is no one in the hotel to ask, what do you do, let your fingers do the walking and trust your luck??? <BR> <BR>Staff has books of available restaurants in all categories and price ranges. Trainees are tested on their knowledge of the city and available sights for one reason only, to give the guests the best possible service. It was also a requirement in our hotel in Savannah for the staff to actually do some of the tours and visit sites, so they could give their firsthand impressions of them. We paid for them to do this, this was not free and/or promotional. No one was paying for inclusion and your implications that they are (all of them, everywhere...I'm sure there are exceptions) is insulting. In your cynicism, I guess you find it impossible to believe that anyone in business can have altruistic motives. DH drums service service service into his staff. It's his mantra. He has one motive: to make the guest's stay so pleasant that he will want to return and stay with us again whether he's traveling for business or pleasure.