How to Choose the Perfect Bed and Breakfast

A bed-and-breakfast stay can be a nice alternative to your typical hotel or motel lodging. As these lodgings come in all shapes and sizes-and settings-a key part of the experience is deciding what's important to you and choosing accordingly. Here are some suggestions.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Get your priorities in order, which will make choosing the ideal place much easier. Is a private bathroom essential; on-site dinner dining important; remote country setting crucial?

2. There are a number of sites and groups with plenty of Bed and breakfast listings and descriptions on them, including the Professional Association of Innkeepers and the American Bed and Breakfast Association.

3. Use an online "mapping" service to better understand the location of the possible lodgings. Sure, most Bed and breakfasts will claim to be quiet and serene, but is there a freeway or train track nearby that could impact your serenity?

4. Take a good look at the possible room types in the inn, when possible. If privacy is key to you, sometimes an "out-building" or cottage away from the main inn is a good choice.

5. Do an online search for user comments on Bed and breakfasts for first-hand feedback on previous guests' experiences. While these aren't always completely reliable, they can be extremely revealing about a place's strengths and weaknesses.

6. Even more reliable is asking any friends or family for a good recommendation if they have been to the locale you're visiting. They're more likely to know your tastes and whether or not you might like a particular inn.

7. Don't hesitate to call the innkeepers if you want to find out more about an inn. Most Bed and breakfasts don't have a swimming pool, so one question for a warm weather getaway might be whether or not there is a swimming area nearby.

[odinseye]

on 10/22/2009 awesome advice thank you very much!