Bed and breakfasts verses hotels

I stayed in a nice chain hotel for a conference recently. The hotel experience reminded me of all the reason to stay in a B and  B or a country inn rather than a chain hotel.

A small bottle of water sitting on the desk was $6. A cello-wrapped toothbrush, small tooth-paste tube and 2 oz. of mouth-wash was $7. Wi-fi was pricey. Parking was expensive. There was a connection fee for long distance phone calls plus 150% surcharge. Services were efficient but impersonal. Vending machines were over-priced. Breakfast was continental.

When you just need a comfortable place to spend a night a hotel can provide that. But when you want to make a memory, celebrate a special occasion, or enjoy warm hospitality in a unique romantic setting, a b and b  or country inn is a better choice than a hotel  that is just like 500 other hotel.

Our souls need “magic” (for lack of a better word). We need special places that provide unique memories. I visited with a dear friend with terminal cancer (unless we get a miracle) last week. We reveled in memories of a motorcycle trip we made in 1983 to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Even at our ” advanced age”, we could remember daily details from 28 years ago. Yet there are years of my life that I have to struggle to conjure up any memories. We need to do unique things at special places.

Inns like Whitestone Country Inn ( and 1000s of other bed and breakfasts or country inns) offer a completely different experience, each one hosted by an innkeeper that is there to anticipate your needs. When I need a place to sleep I will stay in a chain hotel again. But when I want to celebrate life’s special occasions and be able to remember the event I will choose a bed and breakfast or a country inn.  Paul