The perfect b&b

[elspeth]

I've just been away for the weekend - only as far as York, so only about 20 miles, but it was still a weekend away... anyway, I've discovered what has to be the best b&b I've ever stayed in. I'm quite excited about it, I fall into a category of travellers you might describe as cheap but demanding - I don't want to pay much but equally my needs while I'm away are simple and I expect them to be done well. The owners of this b&b managed to exceed everything on my normal wish list for holiday accommodation. It was:

Immaculately clean and tidy.
Beautifully decorated in neutral colours, no ghastly flowery wallpaper, and no dreadful insipid watercolours on the walls.
One of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in.
A well-designed en suite shower room which had been professionally fitted - not a botched DIY job like you often see in b&bs or tired fittings as in many hotels.
A shower that worked easily and consistently, and a constant supply of hot water.
A single room that was big enough to walk round without bruising myself on the furniture.
Well-fitting curtains.
Fully insulated and sound-proofed rooms, so it was both warm and quiet, and you couldn't hear the people in the next room breathing.
Excellent diabled access (I don't need it myself but I appreciate it as a mark of a considerately designed building).
Within easy walking distance of the city centre, with off-street parking for those who needed it.
A lounge with a very comfortable sofa which you actually felt welcome to use (so many hotels manage to make me feel like a nuisance just by their atmosphere if I want to sit with a book for a couple of hours if it's raining or I just don't want to go out for a while).
Friendly, welcoming, polite, helpful, well-informed hosts.
And lastly, the best breakfasts I've ever had in any hotel/b&b/restaurant. Simple but beautifully cooked and presented, such as smoked salmon served with scrambled eggs on a toasted muffin - not a complicated dish but done so well you could only be impressed.

I could go on... it really was far and away the best accommodation I've ever stayed in. I've been to worse places for a lot more money - all of the above was costing me £34 a night... really, it makes me wonder what so many hotels and b&bs are thinking when they fit their premises and consider their service levels, certainly relative to their prices. None of the above is difficult, but everything I could possily want in accommodation while travelling had been considered and thoughtfully provided. This b&b is so good they don't do any marketing but still manage to have every bed filled 96% of the year and at least half occupancy for the other 4% - which, is, I think, the mark of a really good establishment. Any business that can do that kind of trade just from word of mouth and repeat customers has to be doing something right... so why is it so hard for so many businesses?

[thalbergmad]

https://www.capewrath.co.uk/

This is my favourite.

1. Incredibly friendly owners.
2. Large and comfortable rooms.
3. Reasonably priced 35-40 squids per night.
4. No need to lock you car as there is NO crime.
5. They do not care if you come in at 4.00 o clock in the morning smashed out of your brain.
6. Fresh kippers for breakfast.
7. Scenery that is beyond beautiful.
8. Well stocked and cheap bar.
9. The waitresses are well fit.
10. Even me mate "Mental Martin" can get in the shower.

Absolute heaven.

Thal

[elspeth]

It looks gorgeous... I was thinking of going to scotland this year, that may well be a strong contender for somewhere new to visit!

The b&b I talked about above is https://www.bootham-gardens-guesthouse.co.uk/

[thalbergmad]

That looks a great place for the money Elspeth.

If you is going to Scotland, i will list some of my fave places to stay.

https://www.thecaledonianhotel.com/

https://www.sligachan.co.uk/

https://www.lovatarms-hotel.com/history.asp

https://www.wilfarm.co.uk/

Don't stay in Fort William. It is a dump.

Thal

[pianistimo]

when i read your message - i stopped on - comfortable bed (i cannot put this in quotes because they are disabled - is nils stopping me from quoting the bible anymores - even after i said i was letting it go?) 

anyhew - if you have ever slept on an uncomfortable bed - i think it should be number one.  but, of course cleanliness is the first thing you see.  but, i mean - what if it is clean and the bed is too small or too soft. 

what i like is ambiance - too.  i like sconces better than halogen lights blaring down in several directions.  i suppose some b and b - cater to women and some to men. 

ps i happen to love smoked salmon and tomatoes and basil on bagels with cream cheese - but with eggs and muffin would be good, too.  maybe some champagne?

[thalbergmad]

Elspeth,

Only the first 3 of my suggestions have bibles in each room.

Always a good sign of a respectable house.

Thal

[pianistimo]

the last have kippers and squid?  in ice buckets?  20-40 a night?  this makes me think you woke up on a ship.

[elspeth]

Don't stay in Fort William. It is a dump.

Isn't it just! I've only spent an hour there but it was more than enough even though I didn't really make it beyond the station... last year I was staying with my sister in London, then got the sleeper train overnight from Euston to Fort William, and then straight onto the steam train all the way up to Mallaig - I was staying in Morar, just a little down the coast. The beaches there are glorious, but I have to say it wasn't my best photographic trip ever. My best Scotland pics came from a trip to Skye about three years ago. Definitely need to improve them...

My favourite city in Scotland is Glasgow, I have some friends there but apart from that I've found it to be one of the most welcoming cities I've been to. Luckily I have a good ear for the accent...

[elspeth]

anyhew - if you have ever slept on an uncomfortable bed - i think it should be number one.  but, of course cleanliness is the first thing you see.  but, i mean - what if it is clean and the bed is too small or too soft.

Probably the worst bed I've slept in - although probably also the most interesting - was a 'hotel' in London. I went down with friends to be in the audience of a TV show, when we were all impoverished students and got the cheapest hotel we could find... there were four of us in the same room sleeping on two sets of wooden bunkbeds. They were even more uncomfortable that sleeping on a camping mat on the floor, but it was worth it just for the graffitti which covered the bed frames! Most of the time spent in the hotel was spent reading and adding to the graffitti, because the bed was too uncomfortable to sleep on, never mind the dubious stains on the mattresses, and frankly anything to take your mind off the state of the alleged bathroom was a blessing! Ugh...

maybe some champagne?

You have expensive tastes! I'm a permanent disappointment to my mother because I don't like champagne. Although the salmon bagels I definitely agree with!

[ahinton]

You lot make me sick!

Homesick, I think that is...

I'm glad that my wee country still offers such enjoyments...

Whenever I stay in any kind of hotel room where there happens to be a Bible present (usually tucked away under the local telephone directory or some such in a bedside table drawer), I cannot help but ponder why it is that no one appears to have stolen it already (but perhaps that is an unworthily cynical thought on my part - and no doubt Susanistimo will judge whether or not it is so)...

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

5. They do not care if you come in at 4.00 o clock in the morning smashed out of your brain.
6. Fresh kippers for breakfast.

However idyllic the establishment concerned may be, the prospect of these two things in such close proximity as 04.00 and usual breakfast time seems to me abit like what I imagine the finest rib of well-hung and aged Aberdeen Angus from the Duke of Buccleuch's estate, cuit à point, would be to the average vegan (if indeed there even is such a thing as an "average" vegan...)

Best,

Alistair

[ronde_des_sylphes]

I think my favourite b&b at the moment would have to be the one I went to on the basis that a) it looked nice and b) (more importantly) it had a Steinway grand - and when I went there I was asked "do you want to come back in two months time and give a recital?"

[pianistimo]

i have never seen a bed and breakfast with a steinway.  but, i am sure they must be out there.  gives me an idea.  bed and breakfasts for music lovers.  you get free meals if you play piano.  we should make a chain of them so we can travel the world for relatively small amount of money.

elspeth, my tastes match the last highest grade of whatever experience comes my way.  the good things is that once you learn to match recipies or atmosphere - you can replicate in your own home and not have to go anywheres.  but, of course - this is kind of lazy.  i saw a magazine design of a spa and copied it into my music room.  it has a relaxing feel to me when i walk into it.  i painted this design around the entire four walls (connecting the blocks). it is a black greek looking connected square that looks like this:

[elspeth]

Where's the b&b with the Steinway? That might well be justification enough for a visit... a piano was probably the only thing I missed in the b&b I was at over the weekend!

I have to agree about the finer things, though - champagne just isn't my taste... especially when I'm travelling. I don't ask much when I'm away but what there is has to be as good as possible... as I said earlier, cheap but demanding, which can often make me a very awkward customer!

[wishful thinker]

Where's the b&b with the Steinway?

I run a B&B as it happens, but we don't have a Steinway.  I considered it, but went for a Yamaha C3 instead (instead of an old Steinway that is).  You are all more than welcome to play it if you would like to 

By the way, we are Four Diamond rated by the tourist board.  The ratings requirements are very specific about what facilities are required (the list is vertually endless from shaving points and quality of linen to choice for breakfast etc) so if the places that you have stayed are below par then they must be unrated or very low (i.e. one diamond) rated.  Grotty B&Bs with nylon sheets will not get a rating at all these days.

We are not catering for the "cheap and cheerful" end of the market, nor would we want to (after all it is our home that we invite people to share), but the cost of providing what we do, from finest Egyptian cotton lined to the choice of breakfast, doesn't come cheap.

I am not trying to advertise (hence I give no weblink) but just trying to give you the provider's perspective.

I could not provide the facilites and service that I do for £34 unless it was per head for 2 or more sharing.

[elspeth]

I know it's not easy - hence why I appreciate the good b&bs that I find! Yours sounds terribly civilised, I must say.