One of the best ways to make a vacation memorable and different from the more normal type vacations out there is to stay in a bed and breakfast. A bed and breakfast vacation is an especially nice option for a couple looking to get away and spend quality time together. There are many advantages to staying in a bed and breakfast, but there are also many things that a vacationer needs to be aware of if they book themselves in a bed and breakfast for any amount of time. When all is said and done though, a bed and breakfast vacation offers a great many benefits that cannot be experienced in a more normal vacation.
Some of the many features that many people find attractive in bed and breakfasts are courteous hosts, high quality rooms, home cooked meals, the lack of crowds, and seclusion. The fact that many bed and breakfasts are individually owned not only makes them very different from each other, but it also means that the owners are usually more hands-on and possibly care more about each customer’s stay and satisfaction level than a large chain hotel.
One great step to take when booking a vacation stay at a bed and breakfast is to not book it online, but handle it over the phone. This gives you a chance to ask more specifics about the amenities and features of that bed and breakfast as well as giving you the opportunity to check out the customer service before you commit to staying there. One thing to check out however online is to view pictures of the bed and breakfast in question, make sure that it is the type of place you are envisioning in your mind. Be sure to ask for or check for reviews online. When staying in a chain hotel, you are usually familiar with what to expect as far as service and amenities, this isn’t true with bed and breakfasts. Checking out impartial reviews is a great way to set your mind at ease.
When talking to the owners or manager or the bed and breakfast, there are a number of things to ask so that you know what to expect ahead of time. Many bed and breakfasts have shared bathroom type situations where multiple guests use the same bathroom, if this isn’t what you want in a vacation stay it would help to know this ahead of time. It is also good to ask about the make up of the room you’ll be staying in itself, the closet space and how large the bed is are things that may be of interest to you. You’ll also want to see what meals are included with the lodging, this will help in terms of both budgeting your trip as well as deciding on where to eat which meals.
Many bed and breakfasts have restrictions on what hours the registration desk is open, showing up too early or too late may mean that you’ll be having to make alternate lodging arrangements. Bed and breakfasts operate by different rules than standard motels and hotels. Along with the registration desk, there may be other areas of the facility that are only open during certain times and it would be helpful to know this ahead of time as well.
Another great advantage that bed and breakfasts often have is that they are often located in areas where the larger hotels are not. This enables you to see and stay in parts of a community that many people never get to see. Always check and see what is in the immediate vicinity of your bed and breakfast. It helps with trip planning and is nice to know what restaurants, clubs, museums, and other activities are nearby to where you are staying. Many times a bed and breakfast is located adjacent to hiking and boating opportunities, knowing this ahead of time may mean that you alter your packing to include items you may need for these activities.
Staying in a bed and breakfast offers many experiences that just cannot be duplicated in a larger chain hotel setting. A large hotel cannot come close to matching the little touches that make a stay in a bed and breakfast entirely unique. When you know what you require for your stay to be successful and you match it up to the bed and breakfast that can deliver all those things, you’ve set yourself up to have the perfect excursion.
Hi
There aren’t very many b&b’s left that still have guests sharing bathrooms but I love your comment about desk hours. We often get calls at 2 am who become irate if we mention that their call woke us up and ask what kind of night manager we have that sleeps? We try to take this with some humor and we appreciate travel writers who help to educate our customers to the differences between the tiny b&b’s and the large resort hotels.
We are also writing a blog to try to let people know the personal side of running a bed and breakfast deep in the El Yunque rainforest of Puerto Rico.
http://myblog.rainforestinn.com
Bill & Laurie
Comment by Bill — July 27, 2008 @ 1:22 pm