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<br />Bed t L Breakfest
<br />rom Maine to California, Americans are discovering
<br />the pleasures of this traditionally British institution.
<br />by Norman T. Simpson
<br />merica is being swept by
<br />bed-and-breakfast fever.
<br />Along well-traveled high
<br />ways, in quiet country
<br />.villages and in the
<br />center of bustling towns —bed-and-
<br />breakfast inns and homes are popping
<br />up all over the country; California alone
<br />boasts more than 450 accomnnodations.
<br />There are establishments custom-
<br />made for bicylists, hikers, skiers, city
<br />folks seeking tranquillity and antique,
<br />history and architecture buffs.
<br />Just a few years ago, the term "bed-
<br />and-breakfast,” or "B6B," was as
<br />sociated almost exclusively with Brit
<br />ain: it evoked an image of the thrifty
<br />English fiousewife who tucked away a
<br />few extra shillings by renting out her
<br />two spJ^ bedrooms and offering a bit
<br />of breakta."' ‘^odny, however, the B&B
<br />establishmort" n' no longer solely a
<br />British institution. has become an
<br />American phenotTienon.
<br />On this side of the Atlantic, the
<br />definition of a B&B accommodation is
<br />elastic, stretching to include everything
<br />from small private homes with a cou
<br />ple of extra bedrooms (resembling the
<br />British original), to imposing mansions
<br />with chandeliers and parquet floors, to
<br />rustic lodges overlooking a lake or the
<br />sea, to country inns and small hotels
<br />that offer a complimentary breakfast
<br />along with room service. A far cry from
<br />a distant cousin, the "tourist home" of
<br />Mornings at a BQB lodging may begin
<br />with homemade muffins, a bow! of
<br />fresh fruit and hot tea or coffee.
<br />the 1920's and 1930's, which was
<br />notorious ’ for its threadbare carpets,
<br />skimpy towels and creaky beds, the
<br />B&B establishment is, at the least,
<br />comfortably and attractively furnished.
<br />In some cases, it may be opulently out
<br />fitted, featuring such luxuries as
<br />Jacuzzis, hot tubs, breakfast in bed
<br />and shoe-shine service.
<br />The main distinction between a
<br />B&B home and a B&B inn is not sim
<br />ply one of size, although the inn usu
<br />ally has more bedrooms and at least
<br />one common room reserved exclusive
<br />ly for guests. It has more to do with at
<br />mosphere: a home, where guests
<br />share the living and dining rooms, full
<br />of personal souvenirs, bibelots and
<br />photographs, with the host family, is
<br />obviously more intimate. Innkeepers,
<br />on the other hand, often live in
<br />separate quarters, and are not always
<br />accessible to their guests.
<br />One fortunate result of the B&B
<br />movement has been the renovation of
<br />a number of lovely, capacious old
<br />buildings. Beautifully restored homes
<br />and inns, many of them on the Na
<br />tional Register of Historic Places, can
<br />be found in such disparate places as
<br />southern California, Colorado, Maine
<br />and New Jersey. Dilapidated houses,
<br />whether they are Victorian piles or
<br />Federal town houses, are prime can
<br />didates for bed-and-breakfast conver
<br />sion. More eccentric structures, such
<br />as former mills, factories, schools, hos
<br />pitals, barns and carriage houses, have
<br />also been made into lodgings.
<br />Inside, it is not unusual to find
<br />canopied or four-poster beds, marble-
<br />topped chests, handmade quilts,
<br />braided rugs and family portraits; if you
<br />are lucky, you might even end up in a
<br />room with a v^orking fireplace. Hand
<br />some reproductions of antiques grace
<br />the rooms of some B&B establish
<br />ments. and a few places are filled with
<br />the real item, complemented by orien
<br />tal rugs and fine objets d'art; their
<br />opulence is reflected in higher rates
<br />Most homes and inns, however, fea
<br />ture furniture best described as "early
<br />attic"-interesting if well-worn relics
<br />obtained by the family at auctions, flea
<br />markets and antique stores.
<br />in many B&B homes, guests share
<br />a bathroom. However, )ust as innkeep
<br />ers have become more responsive to
<br />the American public ’s preference for
<br />privacy, many B&B proprietors have
<br />added private baths to the guest
<br />rooms. There is a segment of inn-goers
<br />who don't mind sharing a bathroom,
<br />myself among them.
<br />The breakfast part of the B&B equa
<br />tion is usually continental-meaning
<br />juice, breads or rolls, and coffee. This
<br />term, however, is open to interpreta
<br />tion. You may be served orange juice
<br />that is frozen or freshly squeezed, or
<br />you may be offered a choice of juices
<br />and fresh fruit. A couple of slices of
<br />toast may follow, or you may be pre
<br />sented with a spread of home-baked
<br />breads, sweet rolls, croissants, muf
<br />fins, popovers - you name it-accom
<br />panied by jam, sometimes made from
<br />fruit harvested in the yard. Freshly
<br />brewed coffee and a choice of a dozen
<br />** *Advt'nture Road January/Ft^bruaty 1365 13
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