No doilies or wallpaper, and only en suite bathrooms, here!

What is that title about? At Brewster House Bed & Breakfast in Freeport, Maine, we're advocating truth in advertising!

A week or two ago the California Association of Bed & Breakfast Inns (CABBI) released the results of a study, asking travelers their perception of staying at bed and breakfast inns. The results revealed some interesting myths about staying in B&Bs. This link is an article listing the findings, and the myth-busting replies.

The list includes decor, shared bathrooms, breakfast seating arrangements, curfews, and whether or not children or pets are allowed. But are these really problems? We know some guests who prefer separate tables for each group of guests, and others who love the interaction of a single dining table. Some like a more modern style of decor, while others revel in the historic accuracy of period decor.

Stepping back a bit from the results, it really looks like the concern isn't so much what the travelers say about the B&Bs, but what they don't say. That is, they seem to be concerned that they just don't know what they are going to get when they choose a bed and breakfast.

In truth, our experience indicates that bed and breakfast inns are as varied as their locations and the personalities of their owners. Some are themed around the surrounding area or its history, like one we know in an old bordello, or railroad cars, and others are very formal, in keeping with the mansions in which they are located. Some are quite casual, reflecting the attitude of the innkeepers, and some are less so.

In these days when the internet provides the opportunity for inns of all kinds to put their best foot forward, showing accurately what the guest can expect when they stay at that property. In fact, there really is no excuse for not showing the prospective guests exactly what they can expect, whether it is wallpaper or paint, doilies or not, separate dining or family style, etc.

With all that in mind, we want to make it clear what you will find when you come visit Brewster House. We invite you to look through our web site, explore the photos of the rooms, look at the virtual tours, and really see what we have to offer. Here's what you'll find:

• No doilies or wallpaper, and no patchwork quilts. Our rooms are painted (we have no wallpaper) with soothing colors - some relatively bold, some softer, with coordinating paint in the baths. Most of the beds have rich, designer, comforters, though a few have designer quilts. We do have antiques in the house, mixed with more modern furnishings, as well.


• We have no shared bathrooms. All our rooms have baths in the rooms (that is, the bathroom is entered from inside your guest room, and not shared with other guests). In our two bedroom suites the bath is a pass-through between the two bedrooms, so it is shared by members of your own party, not with other guests.


• You do not have to sit with strangers at breakfast, and dietary restrictions can be accommodated. We think our dining room has the best of both worlds. It has individual tables (most are for two, one is for four), so you sit with your own party, but the other guests are not far away, in case you would like to have a friendly conversation with them. We serve a set breakfast each morning, usually alternating between a sweet dish one day and a savory dish the next. We routinely ask about dietary restrictions, and can nearly always select something from our repertoire of breakfast dishes that will meet your needs.


• We have no curfews. Each guest is given a room key which opens their guest room, but also opens the guest entrance to the house. Thus, while our check-in time is from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (and we can make arrangements for late arrivals, if needed), guests who have checked-in have no curfew and can come and go at any time using their room key for access to the house.


• Not only for couples. It is true that most (by a good measure) of our guests are couples. However, with our two bedroom suites, we also often have either a group of four traveling together or a family, staying with us. Maine does not allow lodging properties to refuse accommodation on the basis that the guest is accompanied by children. In compliance with this requirement, we welcome well-behaved guests of any age. We do ask that guests with children be considerate of other guests, and supervise their children at all times, being aware that most of our guests are here to enjoy a quiet, romantic, getaway, often as a time away from their own children.

Each bed and breakfast makes its own decision whether or not to allow pets. At Brewster House we have a number of guests who are allergic to animal fur and are very sensitive to the presence of animals. Consequently we do not allow pets. However, there are excellent boarding facilities nearby, as well as other properties who do allow pets.

Whether you are traveling to Freeport, Maine, or anywhere else, you can almost certainly find a bed and breakfast where you will be welcomed like an old friend, with comfortable surroundings, a wonderful breakfast, appropriate levels of privacy and all the help you need for recommendations of restaurants, activities and directions. Look for a B&B for your next getaway!

Spring Has Finally Sprung!

Amid some early spring drizzle and last weekend's last-gasp-of-winter dusting of snow, Freeport has arrived, fully gilded, in Spring!

Here at Brewster House, the hyacinths are in full bloom, the tulips are now fully out, and the daffodils are getting beyond their peak. The trees are budding, the birds are singing, and it is time to open up the windows and let the springtime in!

It's also time we were finishing up our winter projects, and getting things ready for the start of the season - and that's just what we're doing, too!

This week the fireplace units were installed in three of the queen rooms on the second floor, and they are having their propane lines installed as I write this. A few finishing touches, and the mantels and new armoires will be installed, and they'll be ready for use.

This, along with the new third floor carpets, new paint in the hallways and a couple of the guest rooms, new bed linens in one room, and updated bath fixtures in most places, has been a makeover that we think will really make Brewster House an enjoyable place to visit.

Once everything is complete, we'll be having new photos on the web site, so please stay tuned!

Flavors of Freeport: A Taste to Return To

Last weekend's Third Annual Flavors of Freeport is in the books, and a wonderful time was had by all we could see!

The weekend began with the always-popular Chef's Signature Series and Libations Gala. Three hours of tasting the food samples, wines, Maine vodkas, beer, desserts, candies, Whoopie Pies, and more, all from local farms, restaurants, beverage distributors, bed and breakfasts, tea rooms, distilleries, candy makers, etc. Betty Reez WhoopieZ took first prize for her display, and Petrillo's restaurant won the best food, both by votes of the people attending.

Saturday began with Lifestyle Demonstrations throughout the day and a Block Party with music, balloons, etc., in the late afternoon and evening. Both nights also featured music in more intimate settings.

A slide show of the events is located on the Flavors of Freeport website.

If you missed this year's event, start making plans now to be here for the Fourth Annual Flavors of Freeport in 2011!

Back Home Again... After a Long Drive

From our earlier posts, most guests and readers know that we took a long vacation to attend the Professional Association of Innkeepers (PAII) annual conference in Texas and drive across the country to visit family and friends. We arrived home safely two days ago, and thought we would post an outline of our travels, for those who are curious (or care to travel vicariously).

Because of the passing of Ruth's mother a couple of weeks before we were scheduled to depart, she was in Oregon attending to family matters, so Scott held the fort at the B&B. We're grateful for the understanding of the guests who were here during that time - between a 12 hour power outage, and solo breakfast prep and service, it was not the "normal" Brewster House experience!

On March 4, Ruth flew from Oregon to Washington, D.C., and Scott drove from Freeport, Maine to Washington, D.C. (passing from Maine through New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia), arriving just in time to meet Ruth's plane. Yay! There we spent a couple of days visiting with dear friends in Northern Virginia. We left Virginia, heading for the PAII conference in Texas, and spent the first night at a B&B in Jackson, Tennessee. We didn't mention to the owners that we were B&B owners ourselves, as we find that some seem uncomfortable hosting other innkeepers.

After a good breakfast in the morning, we drove to Austin, Texas, via Arkansas. It was a long day, made longer by the downpour we experienced in the Dallas area, where visibility was extremely limited, and traffic on the freeway was moving at less than 20 MPH. However, we arrived in Austin safely, ready for the conference.

The conference was four days. The first day was primarily for aspiring innkeepers, so we arrived that evening. Tuesday Ruth attended food-related workshops, and Scott attended one technical marketing workshop, and presented on selecting Guest Management Software at another. Wednesday we needed to run some errands, so played hooky in the morning to run errands and visit the Texas capital in Austin, then returned for more workshops in the afternoon. Thursday there were morning sessions, followed by afternoon workshops, and Scott again presented, this time on managing online reputation, at an afternoon workshop. We enjoyed great food at a Texas barbecue place one night, and a Tex-Mex restaurant the next. Mmmmmmm!

Leaving Austin, we went south to San Antonio to see the Alamo and the celebrated Riverwalk. Both were really impressive. Then it was on up the west side of Texas (oh, my, this is a big state!) toward El Paso and points north. We discovered that the speed limit in West Texas is 80 MPH (!), but there is nothing out there, so if you run short of gasoline, it can be over 100 miles between stations. Whew, we made it!

We continued through a corner of New Mexico and into Arizona, where we spent the night in Tucson. We had contacted a B&B owner there, but it was her high season, and there was a three night minimum stay, so she recommended a small suites-style hotel, which we found to be very nice.

The next morning we were on our way north through Phoenix to Williams, Arizona (on the historic Route 66!). We spent the evening browsing the cute shops in Williams, and in the morning, our B&B host, Del, at Grand Canyon Bed & Breakfast, recommended that we drive directly to Grand Canyon Village, make dinner reservations at the El Tovar Hotel, then go see the Canyon. That's what we did, and it really paid off! We had a great day seeing the south rim (the north rim was closed seasonally) and hiking along the edge of the majestic wonder. When we returned in the evening, we noticed that people who had not made early dinner reservations were waiting almost three hours for their seating.

Next morning it was off early, heading west into California, where we arrived at our daughter's home in Morgan Hill, and visited with friends and family (including our son) for a couple of days. After a nice visit, we were off to Oregon, to Ruth's mother's house, where we did some cleaning and packed up some items in a U-Haul trailer. We saw Ruth's brother and family, then drove to the Seattle area, where we visited with Ruth's sister and her family for a couple of days.

It was time to turn toward home, so we drove through Idaho and into Montana, stopping in Bozeman for the night in a rainy drizzle. We awoke the next morning to a light snowfall, but by the time we got in the car, it was a full-fledged blizzard! As we drove onto the freeway and headed up to the mountain pass, we could barely see. We were very concerned as we climbed to the summit, but over the pass the snow turned to rain, and we had a nice, but rainy, drive through Wyoming to Rapid City, South Dakota.

We stayed in a wonderful old motel, the Big Sky Lodge, run by Jay & Alicia Culbertson, overlooking the city. Next day we planned to visit Mount Rushmore, but the fog was so extreme that we could barely see our car in the parking lot. After waiting a couple of hours to see if it lifted, we decided to drive on to Sioux Falls, SD for the night.

We were heading for Minnesota next, but Scott had never been to North Dakota, so we drove north into North Dakota, where we witnessed the extreme flooding south of Fargo, then turned southeast to drive to the Minneapolis area to visit Scott's brother and his wife for a couple of days. During that visit we enjoyed the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the science museum.

It was on to Michigan (Scott's boyhood home state, and home of his alma mater, Michigan State University - go Spartans!) via Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, to visit our other daughter and her family for a few days. Scott even had an opportunity to play golf with our son-in-law, while Ruth and our daughter enjoyed the grandsons.

Our last stop was in the Syracuse, New York, area, to visit Scott's sister and her husband. Next morning we were on the road home, in a torrential downpour, fighting wind and rain all the way home. We saw lots of the flooding in the northeast as we made our way through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.

We arrived home, grateful to have arrived safely, and also for the wonderful family and friends, old and new, we were able to see along the way. Now it is time to get the house ready for Spring and the upcoming season. We have lots of new things in store for our guests this year!