Travel and Leisure Articles

Casa De San Pedro Bed and Breakfast offers lodging and accommodations for vacations and romantic getaways near Ramsey Canyon, Bisbee, and Sierra Vista on 10 acres adjacent to the San Pedro River and Riparian National Conservation area. Here you can spot vermilion flycatchers, green kingfishers, gray hawks or many of the other 355 species of birds or 100’s of butterflies in this area.

Located in Southeast Arizona, Casa de San Pedro Bed and Breakfast is a Territorial style San Pedro inn built around a courtyard and fountain. This San Pedro River Arizona location is an ideal naturalist hideaway - perfect for birding, hiking, horseback riding, environmental study, or relaxing! Built in 1996, it is exquisitely decorated and furnished with hand-carved furniture from Mexico in an effort to capture the atmosphere of the old inns of Spain and Mexico, where visitors were treated as invitados bienmirado {highly regarded and honored guests} and were lavished with personal attention. At Casa de San Pedro, guests are invitados bienmirado and our goal is to provide you a special experience and ensure your comfort while visiting Southeastern Arizona.

Featuring 10 guest rooms with private baths furnished with Mexican hardwood furnishings, tile showers and decorated tastefully with luxurious linens and paintings from local artists. Casa de San Pedro offers a relaxing and inspiring environment for your vacation. All of the rooms have private entrances off an interior courtyard filled with flowers, birds, and a bubbling fountain. Non smoking rooms are also available. Mornings start with a full gourmet breakfast served in the dining room - and the fresh ground organic and shade grown {bird friendly!} coffee will start your day off right! Early breakfasts are available for birders.

A full description of Casa de San Pedro can be found at www.bedandbirds.com

Though it is quite normal to spend your time in a different city or country in the comfort of a hotel or in some instances, in a motel, there is a lot to say in favor of staying in a bed and breakfast. A bed and breakfast is really an establishment that usually lets out some few rooms to people that wish to savor a more homely atmosphere and who need accommodations that is also not too costly. As can be implied by the name, bed and breakfast means getting to rent out a room and also be served with at least breakfast if not other meals.

British By Origin

The term bed and breakfast is actually British by origin and it was in that part of the world that this kind of accommodation was first made popular before being adopted by countries in different parts of the world. This popularity has led to allowing people that visit different countries get a chance to choose to stay at bed and breakfast and so sample firsthand the different cultures and cuisines and in a simple manner get more out of their stays.

There no doubts the great amount of charm and quaintness that you will get to experience if you opt for a bed and breakfast stay and it is of course a very good alternative to living in the more commercially oriented accommodation options that are the norm in most cities and towns around the world. No doubt, a bed and breakfast cannot provide the same level of luxury that is normally available at the fancier hotels and even in some cases in motels. But, then this lack of luxury is more than compensated when you take into account the kind of hospitality and culture that you will get to experience at the bed and breakfast.

In the US, bed and breakfast establishments have begun to flourish and most of the ones that you get to stay in are really historical buildings that have been converted to provide authentic American experience in different states in the country. Some of the better known bed and breakfast establishments such as the Newport Blues Inn are truly worth staying in as they provide modernity, history and other excellent amenities as well. With fourteen different guest rooms, each renovated beautifully, this bed and breakfast establishment stands out from the run of mill similar accommodations and you also get to choose from rooms with private bathrooms as well as those that have queen or king-sized beds and even some that are deluxe or plain standard accommodations.

Summer vacation with the kids has come to a close; some will be relieved to send them off to school again, while others will be going for the first time. Everyone had a great time on the family vacation this year amidst the chaos of packing and locating the lost teddy bear under the bed in the hotel, or the various seashells still in hidden in your beach bag, which accidentally spilled in the trunk of the rental car. Alas, you had time together as a family and now it’s time to prepare for school and return to your regular work schedule. But, wait, don’t you think you and your dearest need a break of your own? Plan a weekend vacation in Ohio just for the two of you. Maybe you’ll relive your honeymoon or make it better this time, or you can just sleep until noon without knocks at the door in the morning and whines of who “started it first”. Make it a romantic getaway and plan to stay at one of the many bed and breakfasts located throughout Ohio, from Lake Erie Islands to the Indian mounds of southern Ohio; this is one vacation in Ohio you can agree upon.

Blackfork Inn located in Amish country amidst Loudonville’s state parks, is the perfect vacation in Ohio for two. Stay a night or a long weekend because this vacation in Ohio will be your most romantic one yet. Blackfork Inn’s innkeepers, Sue and Sandy, will be delighted to help you plan your stay from selecting one of their guest rooms or suites decorated in period furniture and sunny windows overlooking the colorful gardens to suggesting one of many attractions in the Loudonville area. Save money with this vacation in Ohio by reserving your room online and taking advantage of one of their many reservation specials. Rooms vary in price from $75 to $150/night, oftentimes less expensive than a hotel, and you’ll be the guest of honor at breakfast. Blackfork Inn is the only B & B in downtown Loudonville, close to the Victorian Main Street and just a few minutes from other outdoor activities such as hiking, horseback riding, biking, and canoeing. The Mohican and Malabar Farms State Park have much more to offer its visitors including picnic tables and trails for a quiet walk together. Blackfork Inn is open year round, so plan a vacation in Ohio to Loudonville any season of the year.

Bula Moon Bed and Breakfast located in awe-inspiring Ashtabula County is just five minutes from I-90. Ashtabula County, with its covered bridges and lush landscapes, is a beautiful and historical place to vacation in Ohio. Although it is only open April through the end of the year, Bula Moon boasts of a romantic getaway with a hot tub which seats up to eight or if you’re fortunate, just two! A vacation to Bula Moon has much to offer with award winning wineries such as Chalet Debonne’ Vineyards and Rolling Hills Vineyard nearby, a freshwater pond for seasonal outdoor swimming, five acres to stroll or to plan a wedding or renewal of vows. You’ll also awake to the rich aroma of fresh coffee brewing and the sounds of songbirds outside your window. The best experience of Bula Moon Bed and Breakfast is the homemade breakfast, of course. You can have your choice of enjoying a hearty breakfast of muffins, croissant breakfast sandwiches, biscuits with gravy and more in the great dining room, or in your room at your leisure. Breakfast begins at 8 a.m., but if you want to have an early start on your day, you can request an earlier meal. Bula Moon will be your favorite vacation in Ohio for years to come; Deb and Dale are awaiting your arrival.

Effie’s Place Bed and Breakfast is named for a prior owner who lived in the house until 1965. The current innkeepers wanted to remember Effie and the work she did to improve the home, so Laurie and Keith named the B & B in her honor. Conveniently located between Ohio’s three metropolitan cities of Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton, Effie’s Place Bed and Breakfast is your romantic vacation in Ohio for two. If you want the most romantic experience, reserve the Denver Suite featuring a whirlpool built for two with a mural painted by a local artisan. It also has a separate sitting room to watch the sunset or sip a glass of merlot together. Depending on the weekend, you may be able to immerse yourself in one of the music festivals or other local festivals in Wilmington. Your romantic vacation in Ohio starts and ends with Effie’s Place Bed and Breakfast, where you will feel like you’re home, but not quite.

Spend some time planning for your next romantic weekend vacation in Ohio. You know you both deserve it! Leave the kids, the cell phone, PDA and your boss at home so both of you can enjoy a couple days together in peace and quiet. Discover a new vacation in Ohio for two!

You’ve prepared yourself for the perfect vacation. You’ll be staying at a five-star hotel in a tropical paradise, complete with all of the luxuries you’d expect, and maybe a little something you didn’t expect: bed bugs. Even in the fanciest hotels, bed bug infestations are anything but rare.

So how do you tell if your hotel has bed bugs, and is there anything you can do about it? Make sure you know the answers before you take your next vacation. You need to be able to recognize the signs in order to keep from bringing these annoying pests home with you.

Itching

The first thing you are likely to notice if there is an infestation is the itching. You will feel the itch before you are able to see any rash. These bites usually itch worse than mosquito bites. Bed bugs bite while you are sleeping, and there is a chemical in the bed bug’s saliva that helps dull the pain so that the bite doesn’t wake you up. This way they are able to feed until they are completely full.

A rash usually develops at the site of the bite anywhere from one hour to several days after the person has been bitten. It usually starts out as a single red bump, from a single bite. A few days later, more bumps will erupt. This is because when the first bed bug returns to feed again, he brings a bunch of his buddies along with him.

A bed bug rash will continue to itch for days after it first appears. It doesn’t heal very quickly, and could be swollen for weeks.

Telltale Smell

If there is a heavy infestation of bed bugs in the hotel room you may notice an offensive odor that is both sweet and musty. The odor may be more noticeable near the headboard, under the mattress and on upholstered furniture. If you notice this smell when you enter your hotel room, find another hotel.

Preventing Bed Bugs at Home

Bed bugs are very difficult to get rid of, so be careful not to take them home with you. If you end up getting an infestation in your home, you’ll most likely need a pest control service to exterminate them, and you might even need to replace your mattresses and furniture to get rid of them.

Don’t let bed bugs ruin your dream vacation. Make sure you know what to look out for and if you see signs of bed bugs, find another place to stay.

In California, you will be submersed in the wonder and beauty of a state that could take you an entire lifetime to fully experience. California has everything to offer, relaxing sunset walks along the beach, insightful museums and wondrous art galleries and fine dining. The most amazing wonder of California in my opinion is definitely the endless vineyards and ancient wineries of the Wine Country. Whatever your desire or pleasure, you can indulge for a fantasy weekend at one of California’s Wine Country bed and breakfast inns. There are many gorgeous bed and breakfast country inns located on quiet creeks in the midst of lovely gardens and vast vineyards in the heart of the Wine Country valleys. Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are the most popular areas of the wine country and have a plethora of wonderful and relaxing things to do and see.

Amongst many attractive aspects, Sonoma Valley boasts an excellent production of Pinot Noir, Cabernet Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and quality Chardonnay. Only 45 minutes north of San Francisco, A Sonoma Wine Country weekend tour features over 200 wineries, with scheduled grand tastings and enjoyable wine auctions. The Sonoma Valley vineyards supposedly were planted as early as 1824 which spans a history of almost 200 years. While traveling through the heart of the Sonoma Wine Country, stay at The Shelford House Bed and Breakfast Inn, hidden away in a scenic vineyard between Healdsburg and the amazing Mendocino coastline, it is an extraordinary feit of Queen Anne style Victorian architecture. This is one of the many wine country bed and breakfast inns offering relaxing vacations, romantic getaways and honeymoons and don’t forget to follow a Sonoma wine trail to instantly travel back in time to when the wineries were first conceived over 100 years ago.

For a romantic and relaxing getaway in California’s wine country, come explore and enjoy Napa Valley and the surrounding vineyards and wineries. The Napa Valley, world renowned as a wine and tourist spot, is located approximately one hour north of San Francisco. When visiting Napa, challenge your golf game on one of Napa’s pristine golf courses featuring beautiful greens and rolling fairways. The wineries here are quintessential representations of the Napa Valley. There is also a huge sense of responsibility towards the environment. There are 41 Napa wineries that are utilizing solar energy which is promising for our future. Sample your way through the Napa Valley vineyards and winery estates and stay in a gorgeous bed and breakfast country inn that fits your mood perfectly. The vineyards are a sight that will never be forgotten. and all of the small towns throughout have their own unique personality and characteristics. Throughout the entire area of wine country you would find more than 13,000 acres of vineyards and wineries that are primarily family owned and operated.

It is a perfect wine country bed and breakfast vacation to unplug and forget your daily worries, the Wine Country always has a cure for what ails you with each sip of delicious pinots, merlots, and chardonnays. Take a day, a week or a month to discover all that Wine Country cities have to offer. Visit all of the different cities of the Wine Country and book a variety of b&b’s to grasp the full experience. Mountains and the ocean, redwoods and river, the valleys and the vineyards, california’s wine country has it all. So plan out your trip, book some bed and breakfast inns and see one of the most astonishing parts of the world.

Matt Ludwig

Marketing Director

The bed and breakfast directory.com

Bed and breakfast resorts and inns in Arizona are highly popular because they provide a relaxing, quiet, and cozy atmosphere. They create the perfect ambiance and surroundings for a number of different occasions including weddings, honeymoons, anniversaries, or any romantic getaway. The following are a few suggestions to help you select the perfect bed and breakfast for your next getaway.

Locale

The majority of people choose to stay at a bed and breakfast because it provides an intimate and secluded environment. Do you want to stay near the city or out in the country? Chances are you can find an upscale B&B just minutes outside city limits. Bed and breakfast inns out in the country can also offer luxurious lodging and a myriad of outdoor activities.

Website

These days, many B&Bs have websites, especially since booking hotels online is extremely common; browse through to find all pertinent information about the inn. You should also be able to see numerous pictures of both the inside and outside. Determine if the décor and environment of the inn is what you want. Remember, the point of going away to a bed and breakfast is to get some rest and relaxation away from all the pressure and stress from home, so choose something unlike your surroundings at home.

Amenities

While you can expect a full breakfast from a B&B, you will need to check to see if they provide lunch and dinner meals as well and if they are included in the price. Check to see if they offer daily housekeeping, a private restroom, a Jacuzzi, a fireplace, and any other amenity you may want during your stay.

Activities

Most Arizona bed and breakfast inns offer a television in each room and movies available to check out. See what other activities are offered as well or if they have a social room or cocktail hour. Most will have outdoor activities, weather permitting, such as horseback riding, fishing, or hiking tours. During the winter, they may even offer skiing at nearby ski resorts.

Family

A bed and breakfast may not be the best place to stay during a family vacation; many bed and breakfast rooms are actually adults only, so be sure to check out the policies before making a reservation.

The first time I stayed at a bed & breakfast was when my wife and I went on our first anniversary vacation weekend. We knew we wanted to go away, we just were not sure where or what we wanted to do.

A colleague of hers showed her a book of bed & breakfasts’ around the United States. She brought the book home to me to take a look to see what I thought about going to one of them for our anniversary. With zero experience (at the time) and zero knowledge of bed & breakfasts’ I was a bit skeptical. Do I really want to spend my weekend staying in someone’s home?

The more I read about the bed & breakfast lifestyle, the more I became intrigued, until finally my wife got hooked and we booked a bed & breakfast in upstate Vermont. I can honestly say it was a great time. The bed & breakfast owners treated us like royalty, waited on us like we were a king and queen, and the food (that was included in our purchase price) was simply unbelievable.

Since then my wife and I have been to two other bed & breakfasts, one in Williamsburg, VA and another in upstate New York near Seneca Lake. Although the concept of each bed & breakfast were similar, they were different in a variety of ways. For instance in Vermont at breakfast and dinner (both of which were included) we sat at our own table in the adjoining restaurant. In NY and VA we ate a big table with all of the other guests. In VA the owners took care of everything, well them and their kids. In NY and VT the owners ran the place but also had help to get rooms ready and keep the place clean. In VT we had our own outside entrance to our room as if the room was our own house. In NY and VA you had your own bedroom in the same house with the other guests.

Regardless of whichever style you choose, if you have never stayed at a bed & breakfast you should. Each one was wonderful and you really felt like you were part of the owner’s family while you stayed there.

I would recommend first pick a place where you know you would really like to stay. Do you like the mountains? How about the sun or a tropical island? Once you understand what you really want to do, then look up the bed & breakfasts in the areas that you have targeted and start reading up on them. Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book stores have a variety of books you can look at without purchasing to obtain this information. You can also go to your local library or look for a bed & breakfast directory online.

Once you have the location and have it narrowed down to one or two possible bed & breakfast choices, start pricing them out and see if they are in your budget. I will tell you that they are a bit pricier then a normal hotel room (some of them anyway). However verify what kind of amenities you get for your price. Most come with breakfast, otherwise it would just be called Bed & get out of my house in the morning. You get the point. Some also serve dinner and offer afternoon tea & snacks. Find out what you get for your money. It will definitely help with your decision.

Travelling in strange countries is exciting but not having a good sleep at night can spoil the daytime activities. Careful preparation of your accommodation needs is essential to try to minimalise lack of sleep and I suggest a reasonable time is given to this well in advance of your trip.

Scotland is a country in its own right. It is not part of England or Wales although it shares the same island and is part of the United Kingdom. It is a beautiful country with a variable climate and the seasons are well defined. Winters are not nearly as hard as they were 50 years ago and our roads are kept in superb condition during snow and icy conditions.

Much of the bed and breakfast/guest house accommodation is regulated by the Scottish Tourist Board or the alternative name of visitscotland.com. Businesses have to be a member of this national organisation and are charged fees in accordance with business size. Visitscotland send assessors to every property at least once a year to assess the quality of the business. Usually bed and breakfasts have between 1 - 3 guest bedrooms which are part of the family home. Visitors who like to glean local knowledge enjoy such stays as there is often good contact with the owners. Guest houses normally have more than 3 rooms and the owners do not always stay on the premises although most do.

Visitscotland introduced a star rating system a few years ago and this is now being adopted by England and Wales to stop the confusion of stars, crowns, diamonds etc. The rating system works from 1 - 5 stars with 1 being the lower end of the market and 5 being the top end. This also applies to hotels where the inspection system includes kitchen but it does NOT include kitchens in bed and breakfasts or guest houses. All sorts of excuses have been given to me for not inspecting kitchens but I find them implausible as I think the kitchen is important - I would go as far as saying it is more important than the ensuite (a bath or shower room attached to a particular bedroom). It is important visitors know that kitchens are not taken into account when visitscotland make their assessments.

Once you have browsed for and found your choice of accommodation email the business if possible then you will have direct contact with the owner. Many websites do not give much information so this is the time you ask questions. Is the room on a main road? Is there adequate private parking? Are there many stairs? Do you have pets? (for those who do not like domestic pets) What are the breakfast times? Is there a choice for breakfast? (some places have a set breakfast and others only give continental breakfasts) Is there a lounge? How far from the town are you? What is there to do in the evening? The list is really endless but the more you know the more your stay will be enjoyable for you.

Personally I would choose a bed and breakfast or guest house which has a good website and answers many of the questions and is not afraid to have a small video or slideshow to show you what to expect. Nowadays it is easy for a computer illiterate such as myself to make something and many people do appreciate the effort no matter how amateurish it is.

So the choice is down to the traveller. Between 1 - 5 stars, bed and breakfast, guest house or hotel and be aware price does not always mean quality - an error many of us make.

Happy holiday in Scotland.

Delhi, the capital of India is located on the banks of river Yamuna. From time immemorial, it has had its share of travelers and revelers. Due to recent economic upturn and the growth of the Indian economy, there has been a steady increase in business tourism and therefore there is a dearth of decent accommodation in Delhi.

The Delhi Government estimates a shortage of approximately 30,000 rooms for visitors for the Common Wealth Games 2010, therefore the Union Ministry of Tourism has launched the Bed and Breakfast Scheme. The features of this Bed and breakfast scheme are that the Government requires home owners to provide additional rooms for use as a bed and breakfast accommodation in their private residences. The Delhi Government offers the home owners a grading system depending on the facilities made available. The license to open a Bed and Breakfast is given after police verification and grading is complete. Currently the Bed and Breakfast are graded into Silver and Gold Category. The home owners who are willing to augment their income and provide their extra rooms for tourists can avail of this facility. The tourist stays in the owner’s house and learns the customs and culture of the country and therefore takes back with him rich memories and experiences, which cannot be gained from staying in a hotel.

The owner augments his income and gets to meet new people from different culture and background and the tourist gets to experience the lifestyle and culture of other nationalities. This is best suited to families who want to stay and see/explore how other cultures/ nationalities live and to gain an insight into the cultural heritage of that country.

Are you interested in a very relaxing vacation that will take your mind away from your work, your children, and your normal life? I think we all could use a vacation that is so relaxing that we forget about all the things that are going on back home, but it is not as easy as it once was to have this type of vacation. However, with the bed and breakfast accommodation becoming more popular you can achieve a type of relaxation on your vacation that you would have never dreamed of. Here is how to have the most relaxing vacation you have ever had.

First, you will want to book the entire trip yourself. Make sure you pay the extra $15-$20 per airline ticket to get the flexibility of changing your flight dates if you decide to stay a couple extra days or something happens that was unexpected. This will save you a lot of money if you do have an unexpected emergency or if you decide you are not ready to come home just yet.

Second, book a bed and breakfast on the beach. It does not matter where, just make sure it is on or very near the beach and the time of year is going to give you great weather for your vacation. There is nothing more relaxing than the ocean air, the sound of waves, and the sun shining down on the water. You will love being right next to the beach in a cozy place that feels like you are staying at grandmas house.

Last, go on vacation without a plan. Too often we want to shove all kinds of activities into our vacation when all we really need to do is go and relax. Going without a plan will give you the chance to relax on the beach if you want, take in a few sites if you decide to, and take the owners advice on where to eat and where to go to have fun. Besides they live there so they probably know better than you do anyway.

These are the keys to enjoying the bed and breakfast accommodation experience that will give you the relaxing vacation you need. Imagine a week or two nuzzled right up next to the beach with the sound of waves putting you to sleep at night as the cool ocean breeze blows gently through your bedroom window.