Sometimes you just need to get away. But have you ever returned from a vacation thinking that you need a vacation from your vacation? Maybe a short (or long) stay at a Bed and Breakfast Inn is what the doctor ordered. Imagine being invited graciously into someone's home, sleeping in a well-appointed bedroom, amenities at your fingers, and waking up to a fabulous breakfast, the smells wafting to your bedroom beckoning you to the table. That spells relaxation to me.
B&B's come in all sizes and shapes. From cozy cabins, to elegant Victorian houses, to dude ranch bunk houses, to boats in San Francisco bay. And the best thing is there is a real person there, an Innkeeper, a person whose sole job is to make you, their guest, feel comfortable. Now doesn't that sound better than a desk clerk sliding a non-descript key or keycard across the counter?
Breakfast is the next best thing. Because each of these inns has a person in the kitchen ready to help fuel you up for your day. You could opt for a Danish and a cup of coffee, but if you're going to be out exploring, walking, taking in the sights of your chosen destination, you'll have so much more energy when you've eaten well.
Each innkeeper has their own personal touches to add to breakfast. Stuffed French Toast, egg and vegetable strata's, homemade breakfast pastries and more are lovingly piled onto the breakfast table, along with fresh fruits and juice and hot coffee and tea. Some inns pride themselves on foods from their local region, like Huevos Rancheros in the southwest, to pigs in a blanket everywhere, to blueberry pancakes in the northeast.
Pamela Lanier has made a nice cottage industry out of finding and listing B&B's from all over the world. Her websites, TravelGuides.com and LanierBB.com have over 38,000 properties listed all over the world. In addition, Pamela publishes guidebooks and cookbooks. Her "Complete Guide to Bed & Breakfasts" is comprehensive and easy to use.
A few years ago, she noted that she had quite a number of recipes collected from the inns she lists, so a cookbook was born. And another, and another and NOW her latest, "Cinnamon Mornings and Chocolate Dreams." Pamela and her staff have tested each recipe, and helped to standardize the measurements and procedures without hurting the uniqueness of each chef's contribution. It's quite diverse and shows a profile of each inn with their recipes.
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