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If you were to stay in a Bed and Breakfast

15 years ago

What would you expect to have in your room?

Hubby and I just opened a B&B on the North Fork of Long Island, NY.

Thanks. any and All comments will be appreciated.

Comments (9)

devorah
15 years ago
I am not a great B & Ber but here is my list

I always hope for a private bathroom

I want a place to put the 20 odd pillows one often finds on a B & B bed

I think having a guest book "diary" is great. I like to read what others have written and often find suggestions for restaurants or activities

Most of all, I want things spelled out for me e.g. what time breakfast is, what I can expect to find on the menu, any special rules about hot tubs and that sort of thing.

Sometimes some brochures are nice.

I like a phone and a phone book
cat_herder
15 years ago
When we choose a B&B, it's because we want a restful experience. Most important thing to me is a small fan (for white noise), a small, dim light for reading a book at night while the DW is asleep, and most important, luxiurious high thread-count sheets and a really nice down pillow - better than one I would have at home. That ALONE makes it a special and more relaxing night's sleep. I've found that a really great pillow at a b&b makes me come away thinking it was luxurious. My advice, splurge bigtime on the pillow and sheets.
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My friends father started this pattern; it turned out he had gangrene in his foot and it was too painful for him to move about. He was still at home and had severe arthritis and so when he merely complained that he was tired and in pain, it seemed not unlogical he was staying in bed. In reality, he didn't want to be put back in hospital so he decided to keep his problem a secret. He was able to bathe himself, etc and at close to 90 the family felt he should make his own choices about staying in bed all day or not. He ended up being faced with amputation. As long as you have him completely checked out, then once in a while a day in bed is okay especially if the weather is inhospitable. BUT for a number of health reasons, most days he should be up and about a fair amount of his day, even if that is in the middle of the night. Circulation, neurological issues, breathing and many more common old age issues are best handled when the senior citizen is up and moving about. On nice days, he can lounge outside with a blanket and a comfy lounge chair in the warm sun and fresh air. Watching TV, taking a ride in the car to buy a lottery ticket, going to a burger joint for some fries, going to a playground to watch children play are all great ideas to keep him alert and moving about without tiring him out. I believe that wanting to stay in bed is generally a result of geriatric boredom, loneliness, sadness from the loss of a spouse or close friend, and the difficulty in planning and executing even a short adventure are all common causes. If Dad or Mom is ambulatory getting them an older dog is a super idea. A healthy dog in the twilight of their years is a gentle companion and your parent has a friend he saved from being put down due to old age. A dog is a great reason to get out of bed and get outside each day. If you say but Dad would be heartbroken if his dog died, I would challenge that. An attitude that your parent is actively and unselfishly contributing to his community gives him a sense of belonging. My mom adopted a senior Golden retriever in her late 70's. Both walked slowly and carefully. Both ached a little and saw things a little fuzzily but they enjoyed their meanders down the walk, the other people they met along the way, especially the children in the neighborhood and the dogs who lived there and they loved sharing their snacks throughout the day and curling up together on the sofa. Mom was terribly sad when her dog passed away but the happiness that they shared almost up to Mom's passing far outweighed the loss. So in a nutshell, if the medical check up shows no serious medical reason for a day in bed, then why not. But two or more consecutive days in bed are not healthy for the senior parent. It opens them up to greater pain from arthritis, exacerbates their respiratory issues, and allows their brain to slow down and their memory and focus to get 'sleepy'. It may seem easier to let them make that choice, and boy, can they dig their heels in but I always say, whether its your dog or your dad, sometimes it has to be tough love because its the best choice. Those people living longer are the busy ones and the ones whose days intertwine with others, even strangers, children in the park and a doggy buddy.
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Comments (19)
OH....and did you fall off your porch in front of anyone? No, my only witness was the cat whose escape out the front door I was trying to prevent when I fell. He just kept going and didn't even ask if I was okay. Alisande,,how long has it been since you have had a tetanus shot? They are good for 10 yrs. I'm pretty sure it's been less than 10 years, but definitely more than five. Five is the deciding number following an injury. My DH knew someone who died of tetanus after somehow getting injured from a cast iron frying pan, of all things. Have you tried any nasal/sinus rinses for your nose? Yes, I use a neti pot. I just realized I've had this same one for 27 years! This is the first year I've been using it with distilled water. Plus you got a tick bite last month, wasn't it? Heavens--how could I have forgotten about the tick bite?? I got another bite after that, earlier this month. This latest one was a nymph, so small I couldn't tell it was a tick until I looked at it under a strong magnifying glass. I'm still dealing with tick issues. Based on symptoms like night sweats, which I have every night, and others, I'm fairly certain I have Babesiosis. Babesia is a parasite that invades the red blood cells. It is not familiar to most of the medical community, but it has invaded the Red Cross blood supply in the northeast, which is a serious concern and indicates how prevalent it is in our area. Tests for it are not only wildly expensive (my doctor ordered them, but I was quoted $3,000) but unreliable as well, so unless another way is found to deal with the problem it is likely to get worse. Babesiosis is related to malaria, and the treatment includes a drug related to quinine. This, too, is wildly expensive ($1,030 for a small bottle), so I'm going to try a Chinese herb the folks at LymeNet recommend as an alternative. Anyway, my immune system was already battling this, or something like it, when the chest cold (?) came along. I was already dragging; now I feel dragged out. :-) One more thing about the ticks: It's increasingly clear that the deer tick situation bears more than a passing resemblance to a plague. Yet we have no vaccines, no cures, not even a consensus on how to treat it. Medical science is really going to have to step up to the plate. They seem to have their heads in the sand, and want the public to stick theirs in too.
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Boy, things sure can go sideways in a hurry. I think the question was would you not return just because of the sock/sneaker issue. With a possible caveat of owner attitude and action there's no way a dog taking a sock (or a shoe) would in and of itself make me not return. Other intangibles would have more impact than a dog grabbing something. To say whether the rest of the stay was enjoyable is irrelevant. Like or dislike food is irrelevent. Weather is irrelevant. Dirty bathroom is irrelevant. Bedbugs would also be irrelevant! The question was whether a dog (puppy or not is irrelevant too!) stealing a shoe or sock would in and of itself make you not return and I wouldn't not return just because a dog took a sock! That simply would not make my decision. As I was reading and saw the website comment that perked me up. I thought for a second that may be a consideration, but after thinking a bit, why should it? That's a separate issue and would only be a rationalization to say your site says, and then say you wouldn't return because of a sock. If you said you wouldn't return because the dogs were to be out of the guest area and weren't that's different, but again, the sock issue is separate. I'd investigate a few things ahead of time before staying at a B&B, such as do the rooms lock. I keep some "somewhat valuable" things and don't want them stolen. If I know an animal roams then I know the possible consequences, but would just expect a proper attitude and response from the owners. I'd think it was funny personally and as I said wouldn't not return, in fact, I'd probably bring a pack of socks for the dogs next time I went there! Everything BTW applies if it's a sneaker too, but for that I'd fully expect to be reimbursed. I'd probably hope a credit or compensation would be offered for the sock issue too. Same thing if something fell, haven't you heard of accidents? If it's clearly from poor maintenance, I don't think the concern would be whether you return. Accidents happen. FWIW I usually carry pet treats with me when I'm going someplace with critters. And often they come looking for more! You're far braver than me to have the dogs around. I would be worried about the liability issue. Granted that's what insurance is for but the headaches associated could be incredible. Gentle or not, any animal can and will bite in certain circumstances. The first time a dog bites is always the same comment, they've never bitten before. And just knocking someone over or something... but that's me. I've seen too many trivial lawsuits over stupid things. And I have been bitten before by dogs that have never bitten before. But I still love animals and would appreciate having them around. I think it would add to the fun. Note to self, bring extra socks next time I travel! Oh, and I guess with this group I'd better give the disclaimer I'm not saying they have dirty bathrooms, bedbugs or anything like that, I'm making a point. Just as I was hitting submit, it hit me. I need to withdraw the owner attitude caveat. That's irrelevant to the question too. Even *if* you said you snooze you lose, even if you said YOU TRYING TO POISON MY DOG??? None of that would be relevant! The question STILL is would you not return *just* because a dog took a sock/shoe! The answer is a resounding no. Owner attitude is separate and may be a reason to not return but doesn't affect the dog/sock issue. If I felt mistreated, that's not the dog's fault. So that even makes it more clear to me. Hope business is going well. Give the dogs a biscuit (or a sock) for me!
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Comments (26)
Yeah, 20k was what I figured and that would not be enough to both live off of and pay the loan off to buy a place. I can't afford B&Bs but did stay at a couple of small inns for work, and three B&Bs back in England (don't worry W, they had private baths!) and I didn't find them any more socially intrusive than a chain motel and in many cases less so. All were clean and quiet and I didn't interact at all with any other guests other than noticing them getting breakfast at the breakfast bar in one place, the others were just rooms. Knowing what I do about milennials though, cost would definitely be a factor, and wanting to travel with kids and activities for families to do together would be their thing. B&B aren't generally geared towards that, more for singles and retired folks. I know we never stayed at one when I was growing up, but my parents did occasionally on their retirement travels. In my travels during my single days, I tended to rent cottages or camp, as in both cases I could do my own food. If you can't afford a B&B room you can't afford to go out to eat a lot either. That's why campers are so popular in my state, used ones can be picked up for a song and there are many campgrounds. That might be an even easier way to pick up some extra money, run a small campground. The little local campground is where the working class spend their weekends. And yes, the cohort of folks who can afford a nice B&B are shrinking and I don't expect that market to expand. I only plan on working 10 more years though. I can get jobs in the tourist industry locally to start, but that doesn't solve my problem of no longer being able to afford to visit my ancestral family home on a regular basis, and tend to my mother's grave. I might be better off buying an eventual retirement cottage and renting it out to pay the expenses until we can afford to live there. I supposed I could contract that out with someone up there. I just mused that running a B&B might be a way to kill two birds with one stone, get me up there quicker and get me working for myself. WSY18, just because you are not aware of something doesn't mean it doesn't exist, particularly perhaps under your price range. My friend was a nurse living alone in London at the time. The apt. also had a heater in the living room that you had to feed with pound coins to keep going, and a hot water tank in the kitchen that you also had to put coins in to get hot water for the dishes, etc. My friend kept a coin purse with her and had to meter her need for heat and doing dishes. She only had heat for a few hours in the evenings before she went to bed. My friends in Edinburgh couldn't afford heat in their big flat either, although they had a bathroom in the apartment. Their advice when you got chilly was to put on a jumper and have another cup of tea. All are married now with homes with heat although it has been my experience that the Brits are more tolerant of chilly homes since heat is so expensive. After my friend got married, she and her husband graduated to being house parents at a college in a tiny flat and then eventually they moved to Perthshire where they have a house with TWO bathrooms if you can believe that! But the down side of that is we both can no longer afford to travel to see each other on either side of the Pond.
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stargazzer
15 years ago
I would want my bed made up with sheets and no bedspreads. I stayed at a Raddisson Hotel in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprise to find them on my bed. You can wash every item except the pillows between guests. Among those many pillows they had 2 bed pillows, 2 body pillows with zippered slips and 2 small pillows. All pillows had slips that could be easily washed between guest. Some of the other hotels are doing this also. It felt clean and fresh. BTW, the top sheet was a little heavier than the bed sheets and had a blue binding on the hem as did the pillows. I also told the maid just to make my bed, no need to replace every thing each night. She took away towels that I laid in the bathtub and left the rest. Oh, they also had a comforter in a duvet, all on the bed was white. And in a B&B you could place scarves or something on the back of chairs and change those between guests. I don't like to lay my head on cloth upholstery in hotels or B&Bs.
stargazzer
15 years ago
It's me again. I didn't read cat's post. Our posts shows the difference in people's taste. I buy WalMart's cheap sets of sheets, around $30 I think. It's hard to say why I prefer them, the have more body, texture, a slick feel to them, not how to explain it. I like them as well as any expensive sets I have had. And keep in mind some people are allergic to feathers. I hate hotel pillows, fat lumpy things. They can actually put me in a bad mood when I go to bed. LOL
User
15 years ago
A luxurious bed. Comfortable, soft mattress pad. Lots of different sized pillows in soft cases. Everything smells fresh, like they've been air dried outdoors.

A bedside pitcher of ice water and real glasses.

A TV that's slightly raised so I don't have to look between my husband's feet to see it.

A table and chair near a window with a small coffee maker.

A refrigerator with an ice bucket and clean wine glasses.

Literature explaining meal schedules, what there is to see and do in the area (with contact numbers and prices, if possible). Lists for couples and for kid activities. Recommendations for great seafood restaurants and water activities, especially on Long Island.

Internet connection.

Large, white, absorbent towels.

In the bathroom: a small basket of essentials that may have been forgotten.
azzalea
15 years ago
Lots of good ideas above.

This isn't specifically 'in' the room, but one B & B where I stayed did the best thing. It was early evening (Sunday, so there was nothing much to do around--everything was closed), we were in our room, relaxing, watching TV, when the aroma of baking brownies started to creep under our door, enticing us downstairs. We'd been told to feel free to raid the kitchen for snacks when we arrived. Well, the hot brownies were there, on the kitchen table, beckoning everyone staying that night. We had a lovely time, munching on brownies and chatting with the other guests. I doubt we'd have taken that opportunity, but for those wonderful, fragrant brownies.

We enjoyed the guest journal, too--fun to read all the different entries.

I also like to find info about the surrounding area--either in the room, or at the desk. And a small local gift (pretzels in Lancaster County, for example) is always lovely.
rivkadr
15 years ago
Most of my experience with B&Bs has been in the UK, but here's my list:

- a good comfy bed
- a private bathroom! And with warm water, please :)
- good towels
- a TV is nice, but not necessary
- a list of local restaurants, and local things to do
- the rules of the house

I guess you probably can't have a tot of whiskey available like they did in the one Scottish B&B that I stayed at, but it's sure worth thinking about ;)
eileenlaunonen
14 years ago
Ive been a B&Ber for years...Privacy and not a involved owner....great breakfast in the morning (homemade muffins etc)...Plush towels...big enough to cover your body when you get out of the shower and enough towels...A couple of bottled waters on the night stand...Ive been to a few who have lite music and wine & cheese out in the parlor between 6-7...which is a really nice touch. If there is property...pockets where lounge chairs for reading and quite time is a nice touch. I live on Long Island...where are you and whats the name...Ill pass you around alot of friends and I come out East Ending often. My hubby and I seriously thought of doing what youve done...Im jelous! Good Luck!!
FayeN1969
10 years ago
No television in the room please! If I want to spend time watching the boob tube I would stay at home. Comfortable chair and lamp for late night reading.
Private bath is a must with a cozy comfortable bed. Everything spotlessly clean, again, if I want to see dust, I will stay at home. Ideas of things to do and see in the area.
Last B&B we stayed in, provided complimentary bottle of wine that we enjoyed while sitting beside the pool.

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