An historic home
We chose this B&B because of its central location and because of the largely favourable reviews we had read, and on the whole I have to say that we were in agreement with these. This is a lovely house with bags of character. It is over 100 years old (which I know is old by US standards, although our own home in London is the same age and we think nothing of it!) According to our host, who welcomed us, it was once home to a madam who ran a string of brothels in the area, though I note there’s no mention of that on their website – perhaps they think it might deter some visitors?
Anyway, we had a very comfortable night’s sleep in the pretty Hummingbird Room on the first floor. The room is a reasonable size despite being their smallest and cheapest, and had all the facilities we needed. The stairs though are quite steep so if you think this might be an issue for you, request the only downstairs room, Gram’s Room.
Breakfast was good too – cheese muffins with delicious chilli marmalade (yes, really!), fresh melon and blueberries, raisin pancakes and crispy bacon. The only sour note was introduced by our hostess who, although very friendly, spent rather too much time complaining to the whole room about a recent slightly unfavourable review on Trip Advisor. The message was clear – a better review was expected from us!
But it's fair to say that review was hyper-critical. And generally I would say we were happy with our choice. The location can’t be beaten – only a few minutes’ walk from several restaurants, yet really quiet. The owners are very helpful with ideas for places to eat and routes to take. And the shady garden must be a real plus if visiting at the hottest time of year and/or staying longer than the one night we spent here.
Unique Quality: Look out for the oh-so-friendly cat, Midnight (photo 2). I took my early morning coffee out on the porch and he joined me there – a lovely way to start the day.