Beyond Bed & Breakfast

By Tanya M. Williams

Ahhh, the B&B. Small, locally-owned, quaint, and familial – these independent alternatives for lodging provide cozy accommodation and homemade, often family-style breakfasts. And yet, for those who are accustomed to the activities and amenities of larger hotels and resorts, staying at a ‘simple’ bed and breakfast can seem like a sacrifice. No more. These thirteen properties offer all the comfort and intimacy of the B&B as well as such perks as cooking classes, spa services, environmental education, yoga, meditation, and numerous outdoor activities. From Juneau, Alaska, to Gulfport, Florida, these establishments are going beyond the basics and winning the hearts of resort-goers everywhere.

The Alpine House

Centrally located in the town of Jackson, Wyoming, this twenty-two-room Scandinavian-style country inn is an outdoor-lover’s dream come true. A short drive from both Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, the property provides a comfortable home base for exploring the parks as well as the quaint ski town. Owners and former Olympic athletes Hans and Nancy Johnstone offer guests a variety of winter ski packages, from alpine skiing at Jackson Hole, to cross-country lessons and excursions, to a full backcountry ski experience in the magnificent Tetons. Every morning, guests are treated to a chef-prepared hot breakfast, with a new sweet and savory selection offered each day. Apres-ski (or hike, or shop), the inn’s Viking Bar offers wine, beer and espresso drinks. And if a drink doesn’t do the trick, a dip in the outdoor hot tub, a sit in the Finnish sauna, or a full-body massage should help you sink a little deeper into their cozy beds.

Arbor House, an Environmental Inn

Organic cotton robes, natural linens, recycled timber, skylights, recycling bins, and healthy breakfasts are but a few of the environmentally friendly components found at Arbor House. This award-winning inn, located minutes from downtown Madison, Wisconsin, and a stone’s throw from the UW Arboretum, is renowned for both its environmental commitment as well as its historical location. Built in 1853, the Plough House is Madison’s oldest house and was once the original inn. Its five rooms are individually decorated, each incorporating characteristics of the past with modern day eco-conscious amenities. The newer Annex, a sustainably designed building, offers three guest rooms with organic mattresses, natural furnishings, and two-person whirlpool baths. In addition to scrumptious breakfasts, guests are treated to an afternoon cocktail hour as well as evening dessert. The inn provides bicycles for getting around town and offers a complimentary one-hour canoe pass for nearby Lake Wingra. In addition, guests can take advantage of on-call massage therapy or the in-house sauna. Curious how to make your own home more environmentally friendly? Proprietors John and Cathie Imes are environmental consultants as well as innkeepers. If you can’t catch them, check out the resource center, which is stocked with books, pamphlets, and other resources to make your home and your community a greener place.

Auberge Beaux-Rêves et Spa (Sweet Dreams Inn and Spa)

Longing to leave the country for a little rest and relaxation? Want to brush up on your français? Sweet Dreams Inn, located just north of Montréal in the mostly bi-lingual province of Québec, may be the place for you. Nestled in the charming town of Ste. Adèle, on the banks of the Mulets River, Sweet Dreams Inn offers guests a complete menu of basic spa services, thirteen bright cheery rooms, and an invigorating outdoor hydrotherapy circuit. Start with a soak in the riverside hot tubs; then move to the sauna for a cleansing sweat. Follow that with a cold rinse in the outdoor rain shower (a barrel overhead collects rainfall) and start all over again. Spa treatments include massage and reflexology, facials, a seaweed wrap, and full body exfoliation as well as manicures, pedicures, and waxing. The inn serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers packages inclusive of meals and treatments. If you can pull yourself away, the area is rich in year-round outdoor activities – from horseback riding to snowmobiling to downhill and cross-country skiing. But with gas fireplaces, down comforters, jet tubs, and river views beckoning, no one would blame you for staying in. Indeed, you may never want to check out.

EdgeWater Farm Bed and Breakfast

Located on one of the many peninsulas that form the coast of Maine, EdgeWater Farm provides charming rooms in a 19th century home surrounded by a four acre organic farm. The labor of love of owners Bill and Carol Emerson, EdgeWater treats guests to homemade breakfasts each morning (often featuring fruits and vegetables from the farm), as well as tours of the property, and information about organic farming. With apple trees, berry bushes, and a whole host of vegetables and perennials growing all around, guests are ensured a feast for their eyes as well as their bellies. Besides exploring the farm, guests also have access to an indoor swimming pool, outdoor hot tub, and a Benedictine Labyrinth – the walking of which is said to help deliver insight into important questions and decisions. In addition, the Emersons have plans to offer winter ‘retreat-style’ budget accommodations for writers, artists, and other creative types. Just ten minutes from several beaches, West Point fisherman’s village, and a number of nature walks, the B&B is well situated for exploring the immediate area, not to mention Portland, which is less than an hour southwest. If you go, don’t miss Popham Beach State Park – one of the few beaches in Maine where summer waters are warm enough for swimming, and the beach is a wide expanse of golden sand.

A Hill House Bed & Breakfast Inn

Tucked between the picturesque Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains on a hill overlooking Asheville, North Carolina, A Hill House welcomes guests with a giant wraparound porch, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and a sitting room complete with fireplace. Just minutes from downtown, this sunny, 1885 Victorian features eight elegantly appointed rooms, wine and cheese socials every Saturday night, and scrumptious gourmet breakfasts each morning. Pampering and indulgence is the specialty here, and from the chocolates on the pillowcase to arranging an in room massage or breakfast in bed – owners Bill and Terry Erickson go out of their way to ensure your comfort and enjoyment. The individually decorated rooms – furnished with both antiques and original pieces and featuring cozy amenities like fireplaces, terry robes, and jetted tubs – make staying in a tempting option. If you can tear yourself away from the bottomless cookie jar, Asheville is rich in galleries, holistic health shops, and vegetarian friendly restaurants. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Blue Ridge Parkway is just minutes away, while rafting, kayaking, and canoeing trips on the nearby French Broad River can be arranged through the B&B.

Lakeside Hideaway Cottage B&B

Looking for a place to hole-up with your best pals or dearest relatives? Lakeside Hideaway Cottage offers guests a two bedroom, one bath abode complete with stocked kitchen, gas grill, and outdoor hot tub. Located just across the street from Lake Travis in Spiceville, Texas (thirty-five miles northwest of Austin), Lakeside Hideaway provides a private, home-away-from-home atmosphere in close proximity to swimming, fishing and picnicking. And, for some true R&R, the cottage is operated in conjunction with Lakeside Healing Center Spa, located just 1/2 mile down the road. This full service spa offers an array of exotic treatments from the Balinese Lulur full-body exfoliation to Chakra Energy Balancing, as well as traditional massage, pedicures, and facials. Don’t want to leave the house? A massage therapist will gladly come to you. For those in search of a truly rejuvenating stay, yoga, Tai-Chi, color and sound therapy, and nutritional counseling are but a few of the specialized sessions that can be arranged to help you reconnect with others, as well as yourself.

Milliken Creek Inn

In the famous words of Mahatma Gandhi, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” owners and visionaries Lisa Holt (a former LA yoga teacher) and David Shapiro (a former jazz keyboardist) are applying that soulful philosophy to the operation of The Milliken Creek Inn in Napa, California. The luxury fourteen room B&B, constructed by Buddhist contractors, promotes sensory pleasures, healing massages, and introductory hatha yoga classes.

Tranquility permeates every nuance of the inn’s atmosphere, from the three acres of gardens with koi ponds, fountains, and bamboo groves fronting the Napa River to the in-room amenities of flip-a-switch fireplaces, spa tubs for two, and decks with treehouse/garden/and river views.

Guests check in to the soothing sounds of Milliken Creek’s very own jazz CD and sweet dreams abound after the aromatic rose petals-strewn-across-the-bed votive candlelight turndown service. French country breakfasts with farmers’ market organic produce are enjoyed in the privacy of your room.

Spa director Pete Sebbelov, a former accountant turned massage therapist/aromatherapist after a cervical cancer diagnosis thirteen years ago (which she cured holisitically), has created a spa menu of everything you’ve ever wanted in a rubdown. Unwind with aromatherapy, couples, Thai, Soothing Stones, or Four Hands massages. Or indulge in the Milliken Creek signature treatment, Trio, combining massage and reflexology for the head, hands, and feet. Massages are offered in guest rooms, outdoors at the riverside cabana, or in the spa room.