In a place like Vegas, there are not a lot of options. You’re staying in a hotel and you can easily bounce from one to another.
How about other places, though? Do you prefer the anonymity and privacy of hotels, or do you like the more personal touch of a small inn, like a bed and breakfast?
I can go either way, but I’ve stayed in two B and B’s in the same city over the past several years and really enjoyed them. I liked meeting other guests there, hanging out and yakking, sharing info and travel tips; and of course I liked the full breakfast and other amenities.
I’m heading for another one, in a different city, in late May or early June.
They’re certainly not for everyone. Breakfast is usually served at a set time or time period, and you are bound to run into other guests in the hallways, parlor, living room, etc. while in your night clothes. You don’t get room service, although there is often a concierge.
There may or may not be a pool and jacuzzi available, and it’s a good idea not to make too much noise if you’re coming in late at night.
But I don’t mind. I’ve gotten used to them and haven’t really had any bad experiences.
To me it’s all about price and convenience. I can live in fairly crude conditions as long as the price is right and it’s convenient. Of course there are the given factors that it is safe, clean, and quite.
I love b&b’s. It’s generally a much more home-like and personal experience than a hotel. The hosts can usually tell you anything you want to know about the area, restaurants, etc.; many have sample menus from nearby establishments, whereas many hotel clerks have not a clue. OTOH, if you’re a smoker, you are almost always SOL in a B&B. (This is of course a plus for non-smokers; you will almost never smell smoke residue in your room.) You also won’t have a pool, a workout room, room service, on-site restaurant and other common upscale hotel amenities.
These days many B&Bs have private baths; if not, you just have to be sure you have a robe to wear on your way to the bathroom. It’s not unlike spending the night with a distant cousin.
MLS–yes, that sounds completely accurate, from my experience. The one I’m going to in about a month allows smoking outside but not inside the rooms, and that’s fine with me. They do have a pool and jacuzzi since it used to be a motor lodge.
I stayed in a couple of them in San Diego and the staff members were very knowledgeable, caring, and friendly. One had some in-room and some detached baths (it’s a very old house and that’s the design), but all were private.
Certainly I could have stayed in a cheaper motel or hotel, but I’ve been to Vegas enough times to realize that I no longer want to listen to drunken idiots in the hallways or screaming kids by the pool. Not that I’m against kids at all, but they tend not to stay at B and Bs.
Oh, yeah, that’s another thing that’s good. Rarely any children; if there are, they are usually well-behaved. Some b&bs won’t permit children under a certain age. I like children, too, but when I’m on vacation I want to be able to get peace and quiet.
The only less than satisfactory experience I’ve had was one that was very lovely, but was really in the middle of nowhere, and there were literally exactly two places to eat within a reasonable drive. Both were awful. The hostess seemed a bit surprised that I was asking her about a nice place to have dinner in the neighborhood. Really nothing wrong with the lodging, though.
Another thing you have to be careful to do is to advise your host of any foods you absolutely hate. I cannot tolerate peppers, for example, and any number of otherwise yummy gourmet breakfast items include them.
I like both, and for me, each serves its own purpose.
My husband and I often take off for weekend getaways in the area. If we’re heading to a city (most likely San Francisco) then a hotel is where we’ll end up staying. And we’ve stayed at some really fantastic ones all over that particular city.
If we’re heading out to Napa or to the coast or the Redwoods, then a B&B is our lodging of choice.
And then other times, we’re doing neither. We’re lugging our “castle in the woods” out to fend for ourselves and enjoy the sheer bliss of doing next to nothing save watching the campfire and drinking a beer.
Usually our trips to the city are expected to be adventurous; dinner, late night pub-crawls (where will we end up? Thank the stars for cabs!), followed by either breakfast or a trip to the crab stations for a sandwich the next morning, though not always.
When we do B&B’s in the area (or outside the area), we tend to feel a little more relaxed, laid back, romantic, all that stuff. And I agree, I love chatting with the owner, enjoying breakfast, meeting other guests, relaxing in the jacuzzi under the stars, then retiring to a big fluffy bed in a room with a fireplace. It’s all just so wonderful.
So, I guess it’s just what we’re in the mood for or what we have planned for a particular weekend that decides whether we stay in a hotel or a B&B.
I prefer hotels over B&Bs, although the latter can be quite nice if they’re hotel-like with regards to bathrooms and such.
MLS commented that it’s not unlike staying with a distant cousin. Perhaps that’s why B&Bs feel uncomfortable to me…I’ve never been too comfortable being a houseguest, even with close friends and relatives.
I prefer hotels for the most part, I like the anonymity of hotels. **pasunejen[/b[ described it perfectly, I feel too much like a houseguest at a B&B, although I do think many of them are lovely, and in theory, I like the idea of the individuality of B&Bs.
We went on a vacation to Salem, MA, a few years ago and found the perfect compromise – the Salem Inn (something funky was going on when my browser tried to load that web site, but it’s really very nice). It’s big enough to be a hotel, but it’s not a chain and the rooms and parlor and other appointments were simply lovely, more like what one would find in a B&B, and the service was very personable (but without the close quarters aspect that puts me off my feed at most B&Bs). Has anyone else found any good lodgings that seem to be halfway between the hotel and B&B?