On the Supremacy of the Bed and Breakfast

by Paul Brady on

I’ve been staying in a lot of hotels. Some nice ones, some not so nice, most owned or at least operated by a corporate parent. There’s a anonymous familiarity about them all, which is comforting or unsettling, depending on my mood.

I’ve also crashed with some friends on this road trip, sleeping on a recliner in a living room in Detroit and an air mattress in an extra bedroom on Staten Island. That’s fine-and a fine way to save some scratch.

But it took about three minutes at the Whistlewood Farm in Rhinebeck, New York for me to finally realize that the bed and breakfast is the world’s greatest form of lodging. Please hold your arguments until I lay out mine!

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The size: There are just seven rooms at Whistlewood, which means my host, Maggie, knew who I was the moment I set foot in her home. We’d already spoken on the phone and arrival was like meeting a new friend in person for the first time: a little awkward, but with hope for a fine future.

The freebies: I will not be nickel-and-dimed and I know it. The blueberry crumble pie? Free. The lemon-poppy seed cake? Free. Wireless internet? Free. Tea, coffee, pretty much whatever else? Free. “Make yourself at home” is the request? Oh, thanks, I will!

The farm: There are horses here, roaming their paddocks, playfully inquisitive about visitors. There are chickens running around. A woman in a big straw hat is pruning rose bushes. There are exactly zero “porters,” “valets” or “customer service representatives.”

The countryside: So this one doesn’t go for every B&B but the birds here make a racket. It is hard to stress over an email thread from the office when there are birds chirping and flitting around the back yard, picking up caterpillars to feed their chicks.

The breakfast: Obviously the ultimate consideration. At Whistlewood, the spread is enormous. Eggs from the farm’s own chickens, bacon, sausage, French toast, pancakes, fresh fruits salad, yogurt, English muffins, quick breads and muffins, juice and enough coffee to sate an Italian village. Would you like seconds? Go on, just help yourself.

In sum: The best service, everything’s included and it’s insanely relaxing: Sounds like the world’s best lodging to me. Don’t you think?

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5 reasons you should use AirBnB

by Elizabeth Seward on

I lived in New York City for over eight years. I spent many months out of those eight years traveling. With expensive rent due in each month I was away, I quickly mustered up the temerity necessary to regularly relinquish my apartment to a subletter from Craigslist. Craigslist did the trick well enough to keep me afloat and mobile all of those years in NYC, but Airbnb.com is better. At least for subletting arrangements. Here’s why:

1. Airbnb has profiles. Instead of opening up your house to, or crossing your fingers and staying with, total strangers, Airbnb has a profile system for users that allows you to take a closer look. You can read friends’ recommendations of users and you can check out reviews other folks they’ve worked with from the site have left. Granted, you’re still hosting or staying with complete strangers, but being able to scope their photos and interests will at least give you a better idea of who you’re going to stay with or host.

2. Airbnb pays you. If you read the above paragraph and thought, “Well, couchsurfing.com has profiles, too”, you’re right. Couch Surfing does have profiles. But with Airbnb, you can actually rake in some dough. List a room or two in your house, or the entire place, for whatever amount you want per night. And people pay to come stay with you–people who you get to look over and approve as guests first.
3. Airbnb allows you to be a guest. If you sublet through craigslist, you’re a subletter. If you travel using Couch Surfing, you’re a couch surfer. But if you accommodate yourself while traveling with Airbnb rooms, you’re a guest. Each host is different, but you can at least count on breakfast, clean sheets, and clean towels.

4. Airbnb is a good place to make real-life friends. You can also make friends using the popular sources I’ve been citing, like Craigslist and Couch Surfing, but why not make some more?

5. Airbnb backs you up. They might not be obligated to protect you when things go wrong, but they have practices in place that will help out along the way. From setting up a security deposit to having staff readily available to mediate any situation that goes sour, Airbnb just feels a little more reliable to me.

[photo by Elizabeth Seward]

Business travel in the new economy

by Mike Barish on

I happen to love business travel. It’s allowed me to visit exotic locales such as Delhi, India and Schenectady, NY. It’s helped me accrue airline miles that I’ve used for personal trips. And it hasn’t cost me a cent since my corporate card handles all the dirty work. But recently companies have started to encourage their employees to find cheap alternatives to the normal perks of business travel.

In a recent piece in the New York Times, Joe Sharkey points out corporate travel managers are actually starting to recommend that traveling employees stay with friends or family rather than book hotel rooms. Or, if a hotel is absolutely necessary, they are suggesting that coworkers share rooms. Can you imagine waking up next to Fred from Accounting who loves telling you about his Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Well, you may have to get used to it.

I can completely understand companies attempting to rein in travel expenses. Maybe they’ll make adjustments to the list of preferred hotels and eliminate some of the pricier boutique accommodations. Perhaps they’ll ask employees to share rental cars. But asking people to crash at their friends’ houses or share hotel rooms? That’s tacky and inappropriate.

Look, these are tough economic times. People are losing their jobs. Companies are going out of business. By no means am I condoning a completely irresponsible abuse of business travel. But when you travel for business, you are inconveniencing yourself. You’re leaving the comforts of your home, as well as your family and friends, behind. For that you should be compensated and accommodated. So, while I’m willing to stay in the Holiday Inn Express instead of the Ritz Carlton, I’m not willing to share a bathroom with anyone with whom I will have to share a cubicle the next day. Because Fred’s IBS stories are bad enough experienced secondhand.

Up the Seine Without a Paddle: Pros and Cons of Houseboating in Paris

by Martha Edwards on

Last year, weary from hostels and trains, I met my mother in Paris. Though we’re not ideal travel partners, she was footing the bill so I couldn’t refuse a stay aboard a houseboat on the Seine River that she had rented. It was impeccable–the summer home of a wealthy businessman and his gorgeous girlfriend–and though boats can be cramped and uncomfortable, this one was amazingly luxurious.

Here’s what’s great about staying on the Seine: Though the boat was permanently moored, the location couldn’t have been better — we were right across from the Tuillerie Gardens. The boat itself was amazing. And we didn’t have to spend too much money on restaurants, since we had our own kitchen. Plus? The look on peoples faces on the tour boats as they motored by us–enjoying wine and good food on the top deck–was pretty priceless.

Here’s what’s not so great about staying on the Seine: Said tour boats cruise the river all freaking night, using flood lights to illuminate the city and loudspeakers to explain what attractions are passing by. And the smell on the river was … um … ripe at times. The were also a group of people who actually lived under the stairwell near the boat, not to mention people fishing in the river constantly (and, if you’ve seen the Seine, you’ll know it is not a fishing river.) We feared the fishers were actually nearby restaurant owners, hence another reason to enjoy having a kitchen.

All in all, it’s a nice stay if you can get it. Though at 2000 EUR for a week, I’d be hostelling it if it wasn’t for mum.

Aqua Hotel – Miami, FL

by Adrienne Wilson on


Big tourist flooded cities have few secrets left to be revealed and as far as I am concerned, Aqua, a boutique hotel sitting a block off of South Beach on Collins Ave is one of them. (Sssh – Don’t tell.) I’d read about the hotel last year sometime in a USA Today piece and made special note to stay during my next trip to Miami. Upon my arrival I was greeted by a tall gentleman who claimed they’d been waiting for me there.

“You have?” I asked.

Whether he was just throwing out some cheeky hospitality line from a manual or not it truly felt as if they had been waiting for me. It is low season for most businesses in the area and the hotel felt pretty quiet which is what probably led him to giving me a free room upgrade. Thanking him kindly with the key to my sweet Miami suite, I made my way to the back where my intimate tropical piece of paradise awaited. Simple, sleek, spacious and cozy easily all describe the room the before me. The interior design was beyond inviting. I wished I could stay forever.

The amenities are many. Complimetary WiFi, television, pool, kitchen, microwave, refrigerator, huge closets, continental breakfast and easy access to almost anything in South Beach’s art-deco area make Aqua a sure sale. Very reasonably priced for location, clean and superior service from all the staff will have this place hummin’ during in prime tourist season and the perfect escape in the off-season. Rates vary so check them out online or call for more information. You’ll be glad you did.

Aqua is located at 1530 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Ph. 305.538.4361. www.aquamiami.com