Someone’s home
I enjoyed the sunroom of the Gables Guest House in Oxford, where there was plenty of tea
and an abundance of helpful guide books to browse. June, 2017
“Whenever you go on a trip to visit foreign lands or distant places, remember that they are all someone’s home and backyard.” — Vera Nazarian
I love staying in bed and breakfast inns, especially if the hosts live in or very near the home where the guests stay. I don’t go for the pricey or frilly ones, just the type that seem clean and comfy and friendly. I tend to be more mindful of my own presence in such places; quieter, less wasteful of resources and more deferential than I am in the impersonal setting of a large hotel.
I think it takes a special sort of person to be a successful innkeeper. The ones Jeff and I met over the years have been professional yet friendly, offering travel hints that only locals tend to know about. Something about sitting at the table of the person who has cooked a delicious breakfast helps me feel a bit more at home, wherever I happen to be.
My hostess at the B&B where I spent my first two nights at Oxford told me of a lovely village, Burford, in the Cotswolds. I hadn’t read about it in any tour books or heard it discussed as a “must-see” destination, but she told me how easy it was to catch a bus there from right outside her door. It was a wonderful place to spend the day, and I enjoyed every minute. I likely would never have seen it without her helpful instructions. I’m sure I’ll eventually share some of the photos I took there on this blog.
On that same trip to England I had my first experience with an AirBnB home just outside London, and am now eager to try it again sometime. Just as the internet has enabled other kinds of online connections, new travel opportunities are possible for us, offering a different window through which to see a famous or lesser-known destination. It’s true that one usually saves money traveling this way, but the real attraction for me is the chance to have a one-of-a-kind introduction to a place that is, first and foremost, someone else’s home.
Have you visited any lovely bed and breakfast inns lately? Feel free to tell us all about it. We might just show up there sometime, and we’ll tell them you sent us!
This post was first published seven years ago. Last month, I went back to Burford for the first time since 2017. Some things had changed, but much had not. In fact, I ate at the same charming cafe located in the lovely church building there, and enjoyed the work of local artists on display.
The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: Cotswolds, enjoy, friendly, happy, home, hospitality, inns, joy, perspective, relax, touring, travel, vacation, visiting
Defeat Despair 
I love B&Bs!
Lately, however, the AirBnBs have so many fees and taxes that I often find it’s less expensive to get a hotel. But, that could be due to picking places that are more private. I think taking a room in someone’s house may still be cheaper. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on for future travels!
Thanks for reminding me of that!
I hope our paths can intersect again soon!
Yes, those Air Bnb fees have gotten ridiculous, haven’t they? But I find considerable variation in them from place to place and I can’t quite figure out why. I definitely avoid the ones with unreasonable “cleaning fees,” especially when some places don’t charge that at all. Reminds me of those eBay sellers a few years back who would charge ridiculous amounts for “shipping and handling” just to avoid paying the percentage charged on cost of goods. I hate hidden charges. I like lots of transparency in everything, but it seems more and more rare in every aspect of life these days, even in relationships.
Good morning, Julia! I have a week off vacation planned for this month, and some Delta credits to use up before mid-October. Naturally, I plan to use some to visit my parents, but I’m looking forward to discovering some new place to explore, too. I’ll keep you posted, if there’s any tea involved!
Please do! We can have a “virtual cup” together.
Hi Julia- here’s an update on my Delta credit use: I went to St. Martin! My dad’s cousin goes there every year for about a month, and writes about it and sends photos. I finally just had to see it, and had just about enjoy credit to fly there for free! It was certainly a get away, and we went in the off- season (hurricane season, but we had some rain and no actual storms). The short hike up the hill for fresh croissants and baguettes each morning was just as delightful as Sally had described, and the views were just as inspiring! Renting a car from her favorite rental agency and driving the VERY hilly and winding roads was just as thrilling, too!
I am SO glad I went!
So it sounds as if you must have spent some (or all) of your time on the French side of the island? We never rented a car there because the public transport (on the Dutch side) is so good and cheap, or at least it used to be, and we could easily walk around the sights of the French side, which I definitely preferred. Is the little cafe called “Le Vie en Rose” still there? Yes, I’m glad you got to go. Have you ever been to Martinique? If you like the French side of St. Martin, you’d LOVE Martinique!
Hi Julia, yes there is a Le Vie en Rose in Marogot. I didn’t stop, but it looks like I missed out, as I just looked it up on Google Maps.
I’ve not yet been to Martinique. I enjoyed St. Martin so much, I would be interested in considering that – or even just returning to St. Martin.
We did go to Sint Maarten, also, but I’m glad we stayed on the French side, as it is less crowded and was so delightfully peaceful.
From my memories of two different trips to St. Martin, it seems to me that there is much less of interest there than in Martinique, which has the Pompeii-like volcanic ruins. And I remember thinking that Martinique had more of a French ambiance, but perhaps that was because we spent at least half our time in St. Martin on the Dutch side of the island. Of course, all this was many years ago, and much may have changed since then.