Bed and Breakfasting

Things to do in San Diego

jordanc — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:05:23 +0000

There’s no doubt that San Diego is a top tourism city with a wide selection of Bed and Breakfasts to choose from. But if you come to this sunny city, you probably won’t want to spend all of your time in the Bed & Breakfast (tempting as it might be).

Here is a list of things you might want to do in San Diego. Some are well known. Others might be less so:

The San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park. The zoo is known world-wide, but the Wild Animal Park in Escondido is also well worth a visit as the animals are wandering more or less freely here
A walking tour of one of San Diego’s charismatic old neighborhoods such as The Gaslamp District or Little Italy–both downtown neighborhoods where you can see some of the city’s classic architecture that’s been restored to its former glory
Beaches galore! What’s San Diego without a day at the beach? The weather is mild and sunny and there’s no better way to pass a lazy summer afternoon
Swami’s Gardens. Head up north to Encinitas to visit the amazing gardens at The Self Realization Fellowship
Star of India and Maritime Museum. If you love boats, this is one of the top maritime museums in the country and the Star of India is the oldest sailing ship still in use. You can book cruises on this great old boat
Tour some of the flower fields. Head up to Carlsbad where you can go on a tractor tour of the acres of flower fields
Take a nighttime haunted house tour. San Diego has many notable haunted houses. Ask your Bed & Breakfast for information on arranging a tour

This is jut a small list of the many things to do in this sunny city by the seaside.

When a B&B is More than a Bed & Breakfast

jordanc — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:54:46 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Treehouse Bed & Breakfast

In my quest for making this blog as comprehensive as possible I’ve begun subscribing to several Bed & Breakfast Newsletters. One of them, Pamela Lanier’s bed and breakfast directory and travel guide (e-mail: newsletter@travelguides.com) featured some Bed and Breakfasts from British Columbia. I was intrigued by the name Treehouse Bed and Breakfast–plus, they were offering a recipe for croissants–so I looked them up.

They’ve been called a place with Zen spirit, which is a great recommendation for a bed & breakfast. Plus, they offer DVD players in their rooms which is also a fantastic idea if you’re planning a romantic getaway (they were voted best romantic inn too). Music is a must for setting a romantic mood, and I wonder how many bed and breakfasts do offer this.

But what most captured my notice is that they offer discounted long-term stays for people re-locating to British Columbia. And they are open to giving suggestions. These are the sort of personal touches that make bed and breakfasts special places, unlike large hotels and resorts where it’s easy to fade into anonymity. At a bed & breakfast, at least for the time you are there, you become part of a larger community.

In case you’re interested, here is the recipe for Croissants a l’Orange that I got from the newsletter:

Cooking time: 25 min.

Prep time: 10 min., Inactive Prep time: 8 hr.

4 Servings.

Ingredients:
4 croissants
9 oz orange marmalade
3 oz orange juice
5 eggs
1C heavy cream
1t almond extract
Strawberries
Mandarin orange sections

Instructions:
Cut the croissants in ½ lengthwise and place the bottom halves in a buttered souffle dishes. Thin the marmalade with the orange juice and spoon it over each bottom half, saving a little to be used as a glaze. Replace the croissant tops. Beat the eggs, cream, and almond extract. Pour over the top of the croissants. Spoon some of the thinned marmalade over the top. Soak overnight. Remove from the refrigerator ¾ hour before baking. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for about 25 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with strawberries and Mandarin orange sections.

Notes:
Can also be made in a buttered 12 x 9 ovenproof dish. For an extra indulgence, use Pain-au-Chocolat!

Maximize Your Gas Milage

jordanc — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:36:59 +0000

With today’s gas prices, this article in Transworld News is worth checking out: 5 Ways to Maximize Your Gas Milage with a Bed & Breakfast Stay.

It has five suggestions for stretching your dollars with a Bed & Breakfast stay. One of its suggestions is something I also feel–you don’t have to go far to feel like you’ve escaped from your daily life. And since Bed & Breakfasts include breakfast, and sometimes an evening snack, it really does give you good value for your dollar.

My favorite suggestion though is to forgo the car altogether and do a bicycle tour of the area’s Bed & Breakfasts. This is a great suggestion. Save gas. Get in shape. And have a place to unwind. This would be especially fun to do in some of the Midwestern states on a two-lane country road.

Anyway, it’s a good article with some good ideas.

Staying Solo at a B&B

jordanc — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:13:10 +0000

Several years ago I had to take a long road trip for some business. Evening was approaching when I passed a charming-looking bed & breakfast by the side of the road and decided to stop. It was mid-week and there were no other guests so I took a room for the night.

It turned out to be one of my most memorable travel experiences. In the evening I sat in the Victorian-decorated living room, had cheese and wine and talked with the manager.

I slept alone in a canopy bed with a down mattress that I sank into. I also went for a long walk. This place was in the Sierra foothills.

My point is, that B&Bs are often advertised as romantic couple’s retreats, but traveling solo is its own reward.

I’ve often traveled solo and love it. It gives me time to sort out my thoughts. Plus, I meet people who I might not get to know if I were traveling with someone. The best part is that I can make my own choices and decide when I want to be social and when I want to be alone.

So staying at a B&B can be a great escape for a person traveling alone to have a chance to unwind a bit.

There’s a great blog with a lot of tips and anecdotes about single travel: Boldly Go Solo. Check it out. It’s worth taking a look.

The Lamplight Inn in Berlin, Ohio

jordanc — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:22:24 +0000

I was born and raised in Ohio, so have a particular fondness for this state. My grandfather’s family broke away from the Amish faith when he was a child, so I also feel an attachment to that culture. As a child, I spent a lot of time with both my grandfather and father in Holmes County where we used to go hunting for morel mushrooms, a gray spongy-looking mushroom that my father used to fry in a beer batter coating.

So I wanted to write about a Bed & Breakfast in that area. Ohio seems to be a perfect place for B&Bs: rolling hills, fertile farms, rich, pungent forests with loamy soil.

I did a search and found the Lamplight Inn in Berlin, Ohio, the heart of Ohio’s Amish country. Run by Larry and Helen Wilgus, this Inn was voted best B&B by readers of the Akron Beacon Journal, a paper my parents got every Sunday morning. Unfortunately, the photo I have of it wouldn’t upload, but do check out their site. It’s a quintessential Ohio home, and reminds me of a much larger version of the house I grew up in. It also seems like a truly special place. Larry Wilgus is known as the Singing Innkeeper and sometimes gives performances at the Inn.

If I make my way back to Ohio at some point–and I hope I do–I definitely plan to visit the Lamplight Inn.

What are You Doing for the 4th?

jordanc — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:29:40 +0000

July 4th is here. Time for barbeques, picnics and fireworks. This year more people than ever are staying close to home due to the rising cost of gas and the overall state of the economy. This might be a good year to re-define how you spend your holidays. Instead of packing up the car, throw a blanket down in your back yard and celebrate. Sometimes just a small change can bring a festive atmosphere to the home.

Turn off the cell phone. Unplug the computer. Turn off the TV.

Have some good friends over and play music or cards or a board game.

Do something out of the ordinary.

Maybe this is a good time to plan your next getaway at a nearby Bed & Breakfast. What better way to kick back and relax and feel taken care of for a bit.

There are plenty out there and sure to be one nearby wherever you live.

So have a good holiday and enjoy yourself with family and friends.

Little Italy, San Diego

jordanc — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:08:30 +0000

I have to admit that I didn’t visit this Bed & Breakfast. I was downtown in Little Italy, San Diego and on my way home when we passed Little Italy Inn which advertises itself as a European-style Bed & Breakfast. Someone else was driving so I couldn’t stop, but I jotted down the name and looked it up on the internet. With 23 rooms, it’s more a cross between a boutique hotel and a B&B than the traditional small sized B&B–however, that’s something I’m not clear on–just how big can a B&B be?

I have no reservations recommending it. It’s in an upscale neighborhood and would be a fantastic play to stay for the neighborhood alone. Historic Little Italy is a fun San Diego neighborhood. It’s just a few blocks from the harbor. Not too far from the Gaslamp District. It’s a thriving arts community–as well as some colorful public art that brightens up the sides of the buildings, there are a number of chic little galleries and shops.

Some of San Diego’s best restaurants can be found in this little area as well. Needless to say, you probably won’t find better Italian food anywhere in the city, but Little Italy is multi-cultural. You’ll find food from all corners of the globe either here or in the Gaslamp District.

Little Italy Inn is also near the convention center so would be a good choice for either business or holiday.

Going Green

jordanc — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:17:07 +0000

More and more Bed & Breakfasts are becoming conscious of the environment and promoting green tourism. Of course, in many ways tourism is antithetical to environmentalism since so many carbon emissions are used to get to a destination. Still, a Bed & Breakfast can be a good way of offsetting environmental damage.

Travel nearby. If you want to escape, but don’t want or can’t afford to go far with rising gas prices, consider finding a nearby bed & breakfast in your own town or the next town over. You can be a mile away and still feel in another world in the right B&B
Find places where you don’t need a car. For instance, here in Southern California, Avalon on Santa Catalina is a great choice. You can take a ferry from Los Angeles and once on Catalina, you don’t need a car. In fact, there are very few cars on the island. Local residents have to wait years to get on approved. Most people get around on foot, bicycle or electric golf carts.
Choose environmentally friendly B&Bs. Look for places that use organic cleaners, solar panels and use produce from their own garden.

The environment is everyone’s concern. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t travel, but we should travel with some awareness of our impact on the environment by making choices that will help not harm the world.

Bed and Breakfasting in Other Countries

jordanc — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:49:30 +0000

Photo: Manager of Holiday Farm B&B in Alishan, Taiwan

I came across this article about Bed & Breakfasts in Madurai, India. The Tourism Department is allowing locals to rent out extra rooms to tourists as a way to increase tourism to this area–which they are calling Bed & Breakfasts.

Having traveled a lot overseas, I think this is a great idea.

However, travelers to foreign countries, especially in places like Asia, Africa, the Middle East need to be aware that the concept of a Bed & Breakfast there is not what it is here.

While this might put some people off who want to surround themselves with the familiar when they travel, this very difference is what I love.

A bed & breakfast in another country or culture should embrace its culture, not try to imitate the West. Your breakfast might consist of rice porridge, pickled vegetables and tea instead of muffins, eggs and coffee, but if you show an openness to the way others live, you’ll gain memories that will last a lifetime and promote understanding between cultures.

Recently I visited Taiwan and one of my most rewarding stays was at The Holiday Farm Bed & Breakfast in the stunning and mountainous Alishan tea-growing area. The proprietors didn’t speak English but their warmth and hospitality was unmistakable. They served local teas, taught us to make sticky rice and in the morning the mist hovers over the mountain giving it a truly magical feel.

One of the memorable experiences for us was in the morning. We had a traditional breakfast for that area–salty eggs, green tea, porridge, lotus root. We all enjoyed it, but being Westerners really craved a cup of coffee. So after our traditional breakfast we hesitatingly asked if there was any coffee (I lived in China for three years so speak a little Chinese). The manager smiled and signaled us to come up to the common room. We followed, grateful, but expecting a cup of instant coffee.

To our surprised delight, he pulled out a bag of locally grown coffee beans, ground them up and pulled out a kind of French-press contraption and brewed us one cup of coffee at a time that could rival anything I’ve ever had at Starbucks.

He was a delighted as we were at our enjoyment of it and as entertainment, did imitations of birds in the area!

If you are ever lucky enough to go to the Alishan Mountains in Taiwan, do make Holiday Farm one of your stays.

Iowa Bed and Breakfast Cookbook

jordanc — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:20:19 +0000

A couple days ago I wrote about food in Bed & Breakfasts and how unique, regional dishes are often what guests remember best.

This morning I came across a news release about a new cookbook by Amelia Painter called Discover Iowa Cooking with Iowa Wines, Meats and Other Iowa Products which is a collection of recipes from Iowa Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers.

Who would have thought there was wine in Iowa, but this book provides a list of wineries. It also includes all kinds of recipes: desserts, appetizers, main courses, beverages that use Iowa products.

Painter and her husband own The Prairie Cottage B&B in Fostoria, Iowa and she’s a well-known journalist and presenter at Bed and Breakfast Association meetings in Iowa. She’s also the author of Owning and Operating a Bed and Breakfast in the 21st Century which would be a good reference for any one thinking of starting a B&B.

As well as recipes, the book is a great resource for finding out more about Iowa B&Bs.