Lodging

Welcome to the Chimes Bed and Breakfast

If you’re looking for a place to get away from it all, even being a tourist, the Chimes Bed & Breakfast is for you. This little jewel of a B&B is tucked away just three blocks from St. Charles Avenue in the Garden District, a neighborhood seemingly worlds away from the crowded French Quarter and Canal Street. Even if you’re a business traveler, just have a seat with your laptop and a cool beverage in the courtyard, and see how your work experience shifts from “ugh” to “ahhhhh.”

Of course, if you want even more of the New Orleans experience, all you have to do is walk three blocks to Magazine Street, where you’ll find a wealth of cafés, restaurants (La Petite Grocery is a must-stop) and antique stores. Or, walk to the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, and take a leisurely ride to the hustle and bustle of downtown.

A lush courtyard waits outside your door

All five guest rooms have private entrances that face a lush courtyard and range from cozy to a two-story loft in a carriage house. Rates range from $99 to $160 (except during certain special events, such as Mardi Gras), and include taxes, Wi-Fi, off-street parking and a lavish breakfast.

With such a sweet escape, you might just consider staying when the time comes to go home.

Chimes Bed & Breakfast 504-899-2621
1146 Constantinople St., New Orleans, LA 70115

Photos courtesy of Chimes Bed & Breakfast

More New Orleans-related information:
Hotel Monteleone, Literary Landmark

From Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Calistoga's Pink Mansion

Willliam Fisher, Founder of the Calistoga Beverage Company, would be rolling in his grave if he heard the news that his famed water company was closing their Calistoga location this week. Fisher, along with his good friend and Calistoga’s town founder, Sam Brannan, were well known in the Napa Valley back in the 1800’s. In fact, Fisher built his home, now called the Pink Mansion, on land given to him by Brannan back in 1875.  I recently had the pleasure of sleeping in the Pink Mansion Master Suite.

One of the benefits of living in the San Francisco bay area; I can drive an hour and be in the romance-filled Napa Valley. A wee bit further up Highway 29 and I find myself in Calistoga.

This particular trip had me staying at The Pink Mansion as a guest of owners Toppa and Leslie Epps for Calistoga’s Winter in the Wineries Passport Weekend. For $40, guests are entitled to special wine tasting events in the Napa Valley. Corkage will be waived at participating restaurants and discounts are offered on several Calistoga lodging properties.

I stopped by Twomey Cellars and picked up a $50 2007 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir and then drove down the road to Castello di Amorosa where I was able to have a $15 tasting for free thanks to my Passport.

Winter Wine Country Bargains

Mid-week in the winter is one of the best times to visit Napa Valley. The summer crowds have left and the local vintners and chefs have time to actually visit with guests. Wine country winter weather is often mild and some of the best lodging bargains can be found.

Pink Mansion Master Suite

At The Pink Mansion, “Tempting Tuesdays” means one night in a deluxe Master, Honeymoon or Carriage House suite in addition to dinner for two at the JoLe* Restaurant. Don’t forget that wine and hors d’oeuvres are included at the Pink Mansion, as is a gourmet breakfast. *A $70 value with taxes, gratuities and alcoholic beverages not included. $295 Winter Special Package Rate Tuesdays November 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010.

With all of the money you’ve saved on your room and dinner at JoLe, consider an in room massage from Special Occasion Massage.

The Pink Mansion is pet-friendly and charges $25 daily for rooms that have an outside entrance.

The Pink Mansion (707) 942-0558 or (800) 238-7465

1415 Foothill Blvd. Calistoga, CA 94515

Photos courtesy of Nancy D. Brown

Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast in Louisville, Ky., is an historic farm house that's welcomed Abraham Lincoln, Frank James and Kentucky Derby winning horses.

Almost every bed and breakfast claims to be historic. But to deserve that distinction, an inn needs to be more than just old. It needs to be well known or important.

With previous guests that include Abraham Lincoln; Frank James, Jesse’s older but equally brutal brother; and Kentucky Derby winning horses (don’t worry–they slept in the barn back when the property was a horse farm), Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast in Louisville, Ky., is  worthy of the superlative.

Built in 1796, this restored Kentucky horse farm blends modern amenities (like WiFi, tellyvision and indoor plumbing) with decor from the 1800s. Bashford Manor also combines old and new with its sustainability practices, such as supporting hydroelectric power, focusing on local foods and hosting green events.

Its sweeping back porch with a large mural of the manor is just one highlight from the large common areas, which also include a parlor, dining room and solarium.

Breakfast options include eggs, meats, pastries, quiche, breads and cereals.

Expansive sitting rooms abound at the Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast in Louisville, Ky.

Guests have their choices of three rooms (the West, East and Traveler’s Bedrooms), each with it own bathroom, as well as sleeping in the first floor’s Library Suite, which is available upon request. The Traveler’s Bedroom is where Frank James spent Derby Eve in 1889; the following day he bet $500 on an unknown horse named Spokane that won the Run for the Roses.

Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast is just nine miles away from Churchill Downs, where James had his big payoff and some of the manor’s previous tenants, such as Azra in 1892, won the Kentucky Derby.

The manor is also just a short drive from another National Historic Landmark, Locust Grove, which was established in 1790 by William Croghan, the surveying partner of George Rogers Clark, founder of Louisville and Revolutionary War hero.

Additional services (for an extra fee) at Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast include dry cleaning, flowers, laundry and massage.

Sleep in an 1841 full-size spindle bed in Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast's West Bedroom.

Call Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast at 502-295-9005 for its current rates.

Photos courtesy of Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast.

Bashford Manor Bed & Breakfast
2227 Bashford Manor Lane
Louisville, KY 40218
502-295-9005

1896 O'Malley House

The 1896 O’Malley House is smack in the middle of New Orleans, an area called Mid-City, which is known for great food, music and culture. Nearby is City Park, as well as Mid-City Lanes Rock ‘N Bowl, a favorite spot for music and entertainment.

Its location also makes it extremely convenient to other popular areas of the city, as it’s only a half-block to the streetcars on Canal Street—which can take visitors to the French Quarter and even the fairgrounds (home to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival). Visit during Mardi Gras, and you can see the Endymion parade roll right past the house.

The Colonial Revival home was completely restored in 2000 and upgraded post-Katrina. The eight rooms are furnished with antiques and reproductions, have Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs with DVD players, and most bathrooms include Jacuzzi tubs with showers. Every morning, a generous breakfast with fresh-roasted New Orleans coffee is served. When you return to the bed and breakfast after a day of sightseeing, you can relax with complimentary soft drinks, beer or wine, while you re-energize for the evening.

Average rates are $135 to $155 per night based on double occupancy, however summer rates can be as low as $99 per night.

Canine host, Cody, keeps a blog to inform visitors of upcoming events, and adds to the fantastic service at the B&B.

1896 O’Malley House 866-226-1896
120 South Pierce St., New Orleans, LA

Photo courtesy of 1896 O’Malley House

More New Orleans-related information:
Hotel Monteleone—Literary Landmark

Winter at the Candlelite Inn

Do you want to enjoy a relaxing, romantic getaway in scenic New Hampshire this December?  The Candlelite Inn Bed and Breakfast, located in scenic Bradford, New Hampshire is offering two packages this December.

On December 4th – 6th, enjoy the Harney and Sons Holiday Tea Tasting and Inns Tour. Guests of the participating inns will travel between three different inns for informational tea tasting of 10 teas. At the end of the tea tasting, guests can visit the other inns for tours, more tea sampling, and snacks. A portion of the ticket sales will benefit the NH Food Bank.

The packages includes lodging for the two nights with a delicious holiday breakfast each morning of your stay, as well as two tickets for the tea tasting and inn tour, a 10% discount on dinner at an area restaurant and a special gift upon departure. Package rates start at $348 plus tax per couple.

For a relaxing and romantic New Year’s Eve getaway, consider the New Year’s package at the Candlelite Inn. The promotion includes bedtime sparkling cider, chocolate covered strawberries, flowers and an in room gift, as well as a holiday breakfast with dessert each morning, and afternoon into the evening warm beverage with holiday sweets. Two nights are required, and the package is $99 above room rates.

Candlelite Inn
5 Greenhouse Lane
Bradford NH 03221
888-812-5571

Room rates $129 to $205

Photo credit: The Candlelite Inn

The Red Clover Inn

Are you looking for a relaxing ski retreat with no need for a car?  The Red Clover Inn in Killington, Vermont, is offering a free shuttle promotion for those travelers taking Amtrak’s Ethan Allen Express train.  The shuttle travels from the Rutland train station to the Inn, and also to Killington and Pico Mountains.  When you book now, you can also get 10%-15% off lift tickets purchased through the Inn.

The Red Clover Inn is an upscale bed and breakfast with two separate buildings – an 1840s Inn and an adjacent Carriage House.  There’s a Great Room with mountain views and a fireplace, as well as a flat screen TV with DVD player, books, and games.  Rooms also include breakfast for two and afternoon tea.  There are a variety of different room types available – from a standard classic room with a queen bed and private bath, to the largest rooms (located in the Carriage House) with a king-sized bed, private bath, double Jacuzzi, gas fireplace, TV/DVD, a deck or balcony, and room for a roll-away bed.

In addition, the Red Clover Inn also has an on-site restaurant and a tavern that uses local farm ingredients.  Guests can enjoy either the more casual menu of the tavern, or a fine dining experience at the restaurant.

The Red Clover Inn
P.O. Box 276
US Route 4
Killington, VT 05751-0276
Phone: 802.775.2290

Photo credit: The Red Clover Inn

Scenic drive. West coast. Luxury boutique hotel. We’re talking about Santa Barbara or Monterey, California. Right? Wrong.

Kapitea Ridge, Hokitika, New Zealand

Kapitea Ridge is located on the west coast all right. And, it takes a scenic drive to get there. But this luxury property is in New Zealand—the west coast of the South Island to be exact.

Situated on a hill with a view of the Tasman Sea, Kapitea Ridge is located between Greymouth and Hokitika.The lodge’s sophisticated decor, colored in a dramatic combination of reds and blues, includes a collection of New Zealand art. Outside seating areas are surrounded by a voluptuous garden where globes of pink and lavender rhododendron blooms provide a pastel summer scene. Six en-suite guest accommodations range from an intimate room on the first floor that looks out into the garden to a deluxe ocean view room with a super king bed.

During my stay, the sound of waves crashing onshore wafted through the open balcony door in my ocean view room. The bath came equipped with heated towel racks, de-misting mirrors and a power shower of rain-collected water. I also appreciated the upstairs computer area that was well-supplied with homemade cookies, coffee and a selection of teas.

Conservatory, Kaiptea Ridge

A gourmet breakfast comes with the room rate. Served in the garden conservatory, or outside if the weather permits, breakfast selections include a buffet of breakfast cereals, fruits and baked goods, followed by a hot egg dish complemented with bacon, grilled tomatoes and field mushrooms. A flat white (my favorite New Zealand coffee) or various coffee and tea selections complete the meal.

Guests gather in the early evening in the downstairs lounge, or out on the patio, to share the day’s adventures over a glass of New Zealand wine. Later, a soak in the garden hot tub provides a relaxing end to the day.

Kapitea Ridge was my headquarters for visiting the Punakaikai Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Paparoa National Park. In Hokitika, I checked out the thriving arts and crafts scene. But I could have been happy walking the trails at Kapitea Ridge before collapsing on a lounge chair in the garden with a good book.

If you’re looking for romance or relaxation, this is the place.

Kapitea Ridge
Chesterfield Road, SH6
Kapitea Creek, RD2
Hokitika, New Zealand
Tel 0064 3 755 6805

Review by Donna L. Hull, My Itchy Travel Feet
All photos by Alan Hull Photography

From Nancy D. Brown of What a Trip

Beazley House on the Bed and Breakfast Holiday Tour

What a perfect way to start the holidays and check out some of the Napa Valley Bed and Breakfast inns that are featured on this December 5, 2009 tour. I’m a fan of Napa Valley and I like staying at bed and breakfast inns. My birthday falls in January, a perfect time to escape to romantic Napa and cozy up to the fire, preferably with a cup of hot chocolate and homemade cookies in hand. 

I’ve stayed at the Four Sisters Inns, Blackbird Inn , St. Helena’s Wine Country Inn and the romantic 1801 First  Inn, yet I haven’t visited any of the inns featured on this Holiday Tour.

Tickets are available for purchase online at $55 per person and include a wine reception featuring a Napa Valley winery, paired with a taste of the Napa Valley. Transportation to participating B&B’s, as well as entertainment are included in the ticket price.

Participating Napa Inns:

• 

  Cedar Gables Inn

  Arbor Guest House

• Beazley House
• Candlelight Inn
• Cedar Gables Inn
• Churchhill Manor
• Hennessey House
• Hillview Country Inn
• Inn on Randolph
• McClelland Priest
• Napa Inn
• Old World Inn
• The Inn on First

Photos courtesy of Beasley House and Cedar Gables Inn.

What are your favorite Bed and Breakfast Inns?

Rock Hall Bed & Breakfast

Are you looking for a relaxing two-day stay in the Southern Berkshires?  Luxury Bed & Breakfast Rock Hall, located in Colebrook, Connecticut, is offering a promotion for the holidays.  Guests who book a two-night stay at the B&B can cut down their own Christmas tree at a nearby Christmas tree farm with their choice of Blue Spruce, Balsam, and Frazier Firs ranging from four to twelve feet.

In addition, for Hanukah, Rock Hall will be serving gourmet mini latkes with homemade applesauce made from apples that were grown right in Rock Hall’s orchard, and will light a menorah every evening starting December 11th.

Rock Hall is a resort style bed and breakfast, with a swimming pool, billiard room, movie theater, 23 acres of hiking trails, tennis courts, and orchards.  On-site spa services, horse-drawn carriage rides, and horseback riding can be arranged separately.  Guests who’d like to ski on their vacation can go to nearly Butternut Mountain or Ski Sundown (12-18 miles away).

Even the breakfast, a mainstay at all bed and breakfasts, is a gourmet feast, with home-cured gravlax, frittatas, artisinal breads, and cheeses.  Rock Hall is, however, an adult-only B&B – due to the antiques, children under 12 are not permitted.  It’s a great getaway for parents looking for a weekend away – it’s only 2 1/2 hours from Manhattan and Boston.

Rock Hall Bed & Breakfast
19 Rock Hall Road
Colebrook, CT 06021
860-379-2230
$190-$425 per night

Photo credit: Rock Hall B&B

The Mountain Home Inn is relentlessly romantic.

Some things are worth repeating.

I’ve lost count how many times my husband Dan and I have retreated to the Mountain Home Inn, a magical place on the top of Mount Tamalpais, about a 30 minute drive from the Golden Gate Bridge.

For our anniversary last month, we pawned the kids off with our friends in Bolinas, and headed up the hill to one of our favorite Northern California getaways.

Life is just better up there. The air is dewy and rarefied, perfumed with the scent of pine, redwood, and ocean.  On clear days the view is staggering — mountain slopes give way to the sparkling San Francisco Bay, 1,000 feet below. At night, sitting out on a private deck,  you feel like you can touch the stars in the inky black sky.

In rain or fog, the inn is cozy, comfortable, and blissfully romantic. Many rooms and common areas have fireplaces. Some are equipped with Jacuzzi tubs. The MHI, with its redwood decks and interior supports made from massive tree trunks, is the essence of rustic chic.

We’ve sampled many of the rooms here including the most luxurious, but this visit only one of the smallest rooms was available — Room Three with a queen bed, and no extras besides a small, private deck. We were also warned that we might not be able to use all of the common areas, due to a wedding that was taking place there that night. We went for it, anyway. Heck, when someone offers to take your four- and two-year-old overnight, you jump on it!

The room was indeed tiny, but it also intimate and cozy. The well-positioned deck that looked southeast down the mountain was the clincher. Since we weren’t sure of the dinner service situation, we decided to go DIY, and brought wine, champagne, Red Hawk cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, fruit, proscuitto, coppa, and a baguette. To be so far away yet on top of it all in this little private space was divine.

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast of eggs and cheesy grits, we set out on the mountain trails — some of the best start right outside the door of the inn.

The Pelican Inn, a slice of Britain in Marin County.

After a rigorous hike, it was time for a bit of refreshment, so we headed down toward Muir Woods/Beach and stopped for a pint at the Pelican Inn, a sister property to the MHI. This is a little slice of Britain in Marin County. This English pub looks as though it was lifted straight from the Mother Country — dark and comfy with low ceilings, and a dartboard on the inside, and surrounded by lovely manicured gardens.

It always amazes me that there are places like these that are a mere half an hour from my home in San Francisco, yet that transport me somewhere else completely and rejuvenate my soul.

Photo credits: Dan Dion and Lisa Dion