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Tags: Bed and Breakfasts / Philippines Hotels / → All Tags
Filipino B&B Brings Organic Living to the Next Level
We sometimes spend time talking about off-the-beaten-path locales, and we're positive you can relate to daydreaming about getaways that make it feel like you've actually, well, gone away. Call us crazy, but fighting for pool space with families and tanned singles doesn't scream "vacation" as much as it resembles the hotel version of a mall. For the more ambitious travelers wanting to go off-grid for a short while, the Philippines is a destination that may not immediately come to mind, but that doesn't make it any less worthwhile—the opposite, actually.
We discovered Sonya's Garden, a lush bed and breakfast, when a local led us into Tagaytay, a small city not far from Manila. The website uses descriptions that are too easily thrown around by most island hotels and resorts: "private paradise," "exotic," "idyllic." Yeah, we've heard it all before. Hyperbole or not, Sonya's is still a comfortable, clean, and actually quiet place to spend your holiday; if you've traveled to the traffic and business congested center of Makati City, you know how valuable this is.
Tags: Road Trip Hotels / Hotwire / Kimpton Hotels / Spa Hotels / Motel 6 / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags
The Best And Worst of Our American Road Trip
Do not attempt these stairs after a few drinks: the Hotel Monaco Baltimore
Greetings from soggy London! After six weeks, 20 states and 7000 miles, our US road trip has finally come to an end and we are back in the city of grey. Hopefully we’ll be back to test your speed limits soon; until then, we’ll be wowing London with our awesome t-shirt collection (one for every state) and shouting “USA, USA” at every opportunity. How glad to have us back they must be.
Tags: Celebrity Hotels / Richard Gere / Hot Hotelier News / Hotel Openings / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags
Good Luck Trying To Book a Room at Richard Gere's Hotel
Just as all normal folk would and should be, we were highly excited at the prospect of sleeping with Richard Gere when we first got wind of his plans to open up an eight-bedroom bed and breakfast above his restaurant at the Bedford Post Inn in New York State.
So when we spied on the website that the B&B (the Inn part of the title) was already in its soft opening period, we thought we’d try and go along. The only problem – there were no prices advertised, and the website didn’t take reservations. No matter, we thought; we’ll just call.
Tags: HotelChatter Reviews / Dublin Hotel Reviews / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags
Kilronan House Welcomes Guests with Drunk Cards
On a trip to Dublin recently, we decided to be brave and rent a car. We also decided to shack up one night at a B&B. When we arrived at the Kilronan House in Dublin and didn't see the valet—free parking was a selling point—we pulled our rental into the adjacent driveway. A man from the business that owned said adjacent driveway came out and started screaming while we patiently explained our sitch. Then our concierge/valet/white knight Cormac came out, politely smiled at the screaming man while ignoring his nastiness and parked our car. Talk about service with a smile.
We followed Cormac into the white-pillared Georgian-style bed and breakfast, which blends in nicely with the townhouses on the street. At check-in, we got the rundown of the area and some maps. Cormac also handed us "drunk cards," wallet-sized pamphlets of the B&B with its address prominently displayed, because he knows that even when out-of-towners stay at a classy joint like this, they will inevitably get forget-your-name drunk in Temple Bar.
Tags: Celebrity Hotels / New York Hotels / Yoga Hotels / Richard Gere / Hotel Openings / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags
Richard Gere's Got a Bed & Breakfast, And Yoga Is Only $20
Looks like someone took Nights in Rodanthe a little too much to heart: Richard Gere has opened his own Bed & Breakfast an hour outside of New York City in Bedford, NY. Called the Bedford Post Inn, the vintage house and barn with 8 guest rooms is the first step Gere and his wife are taking towards fulfilling their dream that the place "will be a magnet for like-minded, powerful souls to come together to save the planet—or at least to chat about big-picture ideas over veggie burgers."
Gere, a Buddhist, has even cleared the attic to make way for a serene "yoga loft," which opened in late 2008 along with the Bed & Breakfast's restaurant, Moonbat, focused on on local ingredients and the slow food philosophy.
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Primrose Valley is a Proper Cornish Cutie
Cornwall will be raking it in this summer. Not only are the Brits going hard for the whole staycation thing (even though it still costs way more to stay in the UK than it does in Europe, and the weather ain’t exactly on a par), but it’s just been named top UK destination by a survey commissioned for Travelodge as well.
Not that we’d necessarily recommend you stay in a Travelodge if you make it down there (and well done if you do, because you’re looking at four hours and counting on the train), because the point of Cornwall is that it’s cute and tiny.
One of the most obviously charming places is St Ives. Its chocolate-box setting and extraordinary light have made it a big deal for artists (though the branch of London’s Tate Gallery there isn’t much cop).
Tags: Bordeaux Hotels / Bed and Breakfasts / France Hotels / Wine Country Hotels / → All Tags
A Bed and Breakfast in Bordeaux Sans Breaking The Bank
With some of the priciest wines in the world, famous restaurants and deluxe hotels, a trip to the wine-producing region of Bordeaux can be an expensive proposition. Now at least you can put more of your money towards tasting fine wines by staying at the colorful and cheap Auberge de la Commanderie in the picturesque hamlet of St. Emilion.
L’Auberge de la Commanderie is situated right in the heart of the village on the main road of Rue Guadet, and thankfully has its own private parking lot so you can avoid hunting for a space amidst the hoards of tourists that come to visit the UNESCO World Heritage certified town in summer.
Tags: Bed and Breakfasts / HotelChatter Reviews / Upstate NY Hotels / → All Tags
A Lovely Getaway, Complete With Llamas
Recently, we went over the river and through the woods to what your grandmother’s place would be like if your grandma had an awesome 70-acre estate overlooking the river, complete with a spa and llama farm.
The Buttermilk Falls Inn and Spa in Milton, NY is a 13-room, upscale B&B on the Hudson River that offers a really great (and romantic!) getaway just 70 miles outside of New York City, particularly in the fall, just as the leaves or turning, or in the spring, when you can take advantage of the property’s nearby hiking trails.
On our visit, we stayed in the Juniper suite (pictured above), a room with a king-sized bed, fireplace, two balconies, whirlpool tub and, sadly, one poorly placed curtain-less window directly in front of the toilet. But that’s about the only disparaging thing we have to say about this place—a place who’s owners are so darn thoughtful they provide guests with free bread to feed to the ducks that hang out in the small river that flows through the property.
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Hotel Fights Museum Over Who Gets to Use Accused Murderer's Name
Oy. This world.
Lizzie Borden, the Massachusetts Sunday school teacher who was accused of murdering her mother and stepfather in 1892, committed her (alleged) famous crime in a home in Fall River, Mass.
That home is now a lucrative bed and breakfast (no, we don't know why anyone would want to stay there either) named after the lovely Lizzie herself! It features historical tours and a giftshop, essentially functioning like a museum. Unfortunately, someone up in Salem, Massachusetts wants to start up an official Lizzie Borden Museum (using her name and all)...and that's not gonna fly with the B&B owner.
Tags: Mexico Hotels / San Miguel de Allende Hotels / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags
San Miguel de Allende Hotel Guide: Casa Luna B&B
Once again, HotelChatter contributing editor Tim Leffel is moving around Mexico, checking out the hotel scene in the colonial heartland. If you have a question about where to stay in Guanajuato or San Miguel de Allende, hit us on the tipline, or just comment below, and we will do our best to get you some sort of answer. Enjoy.
The two luxury San Miguel de Allende hotels we profiled earlier present an elegant, toned-down side of Mexico, intentionally draining out some of the vivid colors and bold folk art motifs. Casa Luna B&B goes in the opposite direction, figuring if one angel statue and blood red wall are nice, then a dozen of both must be better.
If you're the type who wants a real sense of place to be evident in every nook and cranny, then Casa Luna is the colonial Mexican experience of your dreams. In two restored 300-year-old buildings--one on Pila Seca and one on Quebrada a block away--you find 15 fantastic themed rooms outfitted separately with saints, cherubs, metal star lanterns, stamped tin mirror frames, antique headboards, and plenty of color. Hey, there's even a Frida Kahlo room.
The result is a mix of style and whimsy, with much of the original architecture restored and the new additions blending in seamlessly. Most of the rooms have fireplaces, some have a private terrace, and the hearty breakfasts are a big hit. The original Pila Seca building has a group whirlpool in a courtyard and the Quebrada building has an outdoor lap pool. The American owner and her bilingual staff can arrange most any excursion and they host cooking classes at a ranch outside of town.
Rates run $140 to $160 double for a room or $260 for a suite, all including breakfast and taxes.
Tags: Australia Hotel Reviews / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags
Pericoe Retreat B&B is a Real Retreat Away From Sydney
Drive inland nearly 300 miles north-west of Sydney and you'll find the town of Dubbo, and with it, one of the nicest sounding bed and breakfast accommodations we've seen for a while. The Pericoe Retreat gets full marks just for including the word "retreat" in its name, because that's what a holiday out on the land should be like, we think.
A recent Sydney Morning Herald review was very enthusiastic about Pericoe. It's a purpose-built B&B with four suites, a swimming pool and a tennis court, and according to the reviewer:
It is a benchmark by which other B&Bs should be measured: unpretentious elegance; down-to-earth hosts; meticulous attention to detail; and it's free from the usual B&B vulgarity. No chintz, no excess, no kitsch - just good taste.
Added to that, it has reasonable rates at around A$200 (US$180) per night with breakfast included, and the price varies a little for weekends or weeknights and over holiday periods. Of course, even that is not so cheap for a place relatively in the middle of nowhere in Australia, but if you're looking for a break from the big smoke then it's a good choice.
One fact that we think shows how many agree it's a good choice is that Pericoe doesn't bother advertising much--90% of their bookings come direct through the website and they think much of that is word of mouth. Well, here's the words from our mouth, too.
[Photo: Quentin Jones/SMH]
Tags: Tori Spelling / Tori and Dean / Chateau La Rue / Bed and Breakfasts / → All Tags
The Real Owner of Chateau La Rue Speaks Out and Wants To Host You For the Night or Two
As we were dumbing the pain of a Monday after a holiday weekend with a bottle of red wine, we received an amazing email that changed our lives.
No, it was not from Ms. Jennifer Wilson who is dying and would like to transfer all of her money into our bank account. Nor was it from a close friend who was concerned about either our sex life, our weight or our mortgage.
It was in fact an email from the true proprietor of Chateau La Rue and her name is not Tori Spelling. It's Patricia King, who we've mentioned before on this site and who even made an appearance in the first season of Tori and Dean: Inn Love.
Now, that Tori and Dean have chosen to lead a life of selling french fries and posing for the tabloid rags, Patricia is bringing Oak Creek Manor back (the name of the place before it was named after Tori's dog.) She writes:
You are correct, Tori and Dean will not be running Chateau La Rue any longer, but I, the true proprietor of Oak Creek Manor am accepting reservations for Friday December 14th, on.
The Inn will maintain most of Tori and Dean's new room colors, but will return a couple of rooms to their original splendor which matches the architecture: Colonial.
Oak Creek Manor is a beautiful B and B situated on 8-acres, with a pond running through it, private patios, and 3-fountains.
Rates run from $150-$295 per night. Please let me know if you would like any further information.
In our red wine haze, we considered sleeping where Tori and Dean (but mostly Dean) slept but our husband might divorce us on the grounds of mental cruelty. Still, there's hope for you die-hard (and no doubt still single) Tori Spelling fans to sleep amongst the halls where Tori once walked.
Email oakcreekmanorATadelphiaDOTnet for reservations.
Related Stories:
· What Now for Tori Spelling's Chateau La Rue [HotelChatter]
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