| BED & BREAKFASTS: Your Change of Pace |
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| Written by MaryAnn Miano | |
| Thursday, 28 June 2007 14:02 | |
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Bed and breakfasts offer an alternative to impersonal, austere hotel high-risers and aesthetically boring motels. B & Bs provide the warm, friendly touch of home away from home and offer the promise of a unique experience. In fact, the B & B itself is part of the destination.  What exactly are B & Bs and inns, and what are the differences between the two? Both are private residences where the owners rent rooms, or small family-owned inns with a hospitable personal touch. As a rule, a B & B serves only breakfasts, and those breakfasts are often delectably gourmet. An inn typically has its own restaurant and may serve other meals besides breakfast. Being part of a bed and breakfast experience means being treated as a welcome and pampered guest, not simply as another faceless transient vacationer to a staff that sees hundreds of guests a week.Although many are located in historic areas within cities and towns, some attractive bed and breakfasts are in hidden communities and in rural settings where hotels are not established. In the gathering spaces and around the breakfast table, you can mingle with fellow travelers. For those who prefer very private settings, B & Bs are quite intimate. Many refurbished establishments will provide rooms with their own baths, fireplaces, and sitting areas. Each room is classically decorated differently from others down the hall in pleasing color themes with antique furnishings. There is great attention to detail in the decoration. Gracious innkeepers are built-in concierges. They are intimately familiar with their locale and are able to guide you to restaurants and activities. Furthermore, some B & Bs offer special packages such as spa or holiday themed weekend getaways. Hosts will set out snacks and afternoon tea and coffee for guests who choose to lounge in their living area. Be prepared to leave your work behind. For cell phone, computer, and TV/cable addicts, some B & Bs do not always have connectivity to the high tech world. This is welcome relief for Blackberry widows and widowers. You can find B & Bs that give you the tranquility of a separate world. If you really must be connected, some offer suites with links to the outside. Remember, if you are expecting Las Vegas, a B & B might disappoint you. But if you enjoy exploring quaint towns in rural settings, excellent dining, staying in a home-like setting with warm hospitality, being pampered, great service with comfortable accommodations, and trying something different from the usual, a bed and breakfast is there for you! Are bed and breakfast establishments a good fit for you? There are four B & Bs of interest right here in New Jersey to help get you acquainted. Each has a particularly unique feature that may coax die-hard hotel fans into a change of pace. SPRING LAKE: The Normandy Inn Listed on the National Register of Historical Places, The Normandy Inn will time warp you into the 19th century without sacrificing modern amenities. This beautiful seaside Victorian Inn is only half a block to the beach. You will wake to the sound of crashing waves before you meander down to the dining area where your own private table awaits. Full course breakfasts are served on fine china. Surprise your taste buds when you indulge in their mouth-watering chocolate chip pancakes, hot porridge, omelets, and homemade salsa, to name a few of the specialties on the menu. Cozy and charming and in the style of an Italianate villa with Queen Anne modifications, you will notice original period antiques painstakingly selected to accent the 15 guest rooms and 2 suites. Expect private baths and air-conditioning for your comfort and the convenience of high-speed internet access if you find you need to get your surfing fix. The Normandy Inn stands out from the rest as the avid antique collecting proprietors have a special fascination for lighting fixtures. You will notice gorgeous lamps, lavish chandeliers, and sconces gracing the house. Relax with a cup of coffee on the large, wicker-furnished wraparound porches before you set off to the beach for the day. CAPE MAY: The Mainstay Inn Voted the best Victorian building in the 2006 Reader’s Choice Award for the best of Cape May, The Mainstay Inn is by far one of the most elegant B & Bs in the Cape May vicinity. The Washington Post dubbed this Victorian beauty “The jewel of them all.” The breathtaking architecture will sweep you off your feet. Unwind in any one of their three parlors, spacious verandas, and garden. Being a guest here is like taking a peek at history. Built in 1872 as an exclusive gambling club for men, the house’s design represents the height of luxury for that era. There are 16 large and comfortable antique filled rooms. Some suites have fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and private porches. Full breakfasts are beautifully prepared for guests who will be seated in a dining room surrounded by original pieces like the 300-pound mirror hanging above the 500-pound marble top buffet table. The home is lavish and elegant from front to rear, and its 14 ft. ceilings will awe you. Allow yourself to dream when you sit at the broad veranda, gazing at the ocean a block away. The Mainstay Inn, one of the first bed and breakfasts in the Cape May vicinity, will astound you. LONG BEACH ISLAND: Julia’s of Savannah Relax at this breezy, quaint but richly decorated 9-room Beach Haven bed and breakfast getaway. Situated in the heart of Long Beach Island, you will want to browse local shops, indulge in scrumptious culinary delights in the nearby local restaurants or have easy walking access to the beckoning call of the ocean. The rooms here are serene and cozy. The suites have private tiled baths with claw foot tubs or Jacuzzis. Sunshine streams through the airy, breezy curtains. One suite has a king size bed with canopy. All rooms offer their own personality—they are themed with colorful accents of rose and sage, blue lilac and hydrangea, chestnut and gold, shades of white, yellow and violet. The rooms seem to soothe tired eyes. If you are looking for activities away from the bed and breakfast, you can kayak, go boating, play tennis, or enjoy the only amusement park on the island. The Fantasy Island Amusement Park has a casino, arcade and amusement park rides. There are also concerts and art shows hosted by the local Bicentennial Park in summertime. Julia’s of Savannah is unique and a perfect quiet getaway for couples. LAMBERTVILLE: Chimney Hill Estate Inn A half-mile away from historic Lambertville sitting atop Goat Hill is the majestic 1820 farmhouse called the Chimney Hill Bed & Breakfast. Eight rooms grace the establishment in the main house, along with suites in the barn house, all decorated in lovely, lacy, and luxurious colors and fabrics. It is common for folks seeking family reunions to rent the entire house to bring their family together. Inside the main house is a great stone porch surrounded by windows allowing an impressive and bright view of the garden, rolling countryside and grazing deer. The floor and walls are flagstone. Comfortable couches lay beneath a cooling ceiling fan. All the common rooms within the main house have fireplaces. The dining room is exceptional. Colonial style tables sit upon wide-planked floors. The low-beam ceiling offers a cozy feel to your meal. There is a window seat, and the tables are set with luxury in mind as you partake of your breakfast on elegant tablecloths and dishes of fine china. This B & B has a huge carriage house with a boardroom for corporate meetings. The meeting room gives access to a projection screen, TV, DVD and VCR. Garden weddings in spring and summer are popular. The inn can cater to approximately 150-175 people. The grounds are gorgeous. On the premises exists a greenhouse, an apple farm, and an old smoke house. The proprietors also raise alpacas, which are beautiful animals in the camel family. The barn house contains guest suites in a more contemporary setting. Several suites have their own loft with a TV, VCR, gas fireplace, spiral staircase leading to the bedroom, a refrigerator, microwave, whirlpool tub, and steamed shower. Chimney Hill B&B has a tucked-away country feel but with suites that harbor modern amenities.
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| Last Updated on Monday, 06 July 2009 19:35 |
