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To B&B or Not to B&B

Bed and Breakfasts aren't just great big Victorian British cottages run by kindly but nosy little old widows anymore. The B&B concept—a handful of rooms run as an inn by a family in their own home—has spread throughout Europe

B&Bs are a dime a dozen in Ireland
These days, it seems everyone's hanging out a "Bed and Breakfast" shingle. In Ireland in particular they can get to be so thick on the ground whole communities seem to be composed of nothing but B&Bs.

In Italy, the category is even called "bed-and-breakfast" (or, rather, a "bet-hand-brrrek-feest"); in France it's a chambres d'hôtes (shaamb-doat).

With said widespread, uh, spread, there's no guarantee you'll get that protoypical kindly older couple and mansion of huge rooms loaded with chintz and doilies, charmingly creaky wooden floors, and a sumptuous breakfast spread at a communal table that will leave you needing to crawl back into your canopy bed for a nap before you head out for the day.

These days as many B&Bs are installed in modern city apartments or isolated farmhouses as in grand old homes in town, and many no longer even feature the resident-owner. Usually, however, a friendly, family, home-like atmosphere prevails.

There are sometimes drawbacks to the B&B, however. With a hotel, you are guaranteed a certain degree of anonymity: you just ask for your key at the desk and then are left alone. This is often the opposite of a B&B, where chitchat is considered part of le charme—but sometimes, you just don't want to make small-talk with the owners and other guests.

Also, at a B&B there's often a curfew, either stated or implied—after all, you wouldn't want to wake that kindly older couple up at 2am when you stagger back to your room, now would you?

They sometimes require breakfast or half or full board, private baths are rare (but getting less so), but the service is almost usually friendly and personable. Incidentally, never take board (meal) requirements unless you can't avoid them, as is often the case in resorty places like spas and beaches (especially in season). Eating in a local restaurant is usually a better bet and offers more variety night-to-night.

On the other hand, a B&B can be a great opportunity to meet some local folks and really get an inside scoop on the culture.

Best of all, B&Bs are usually 5 to 15 percent cheaper than hotels, and can be very cozy. For a certain kind of trip, I enjoy B&Bs immensely (for a taste, read my award-winning essay on the subject, Bed, Breakfast, & Beyond in Ireland ).

Finding the perfect B&B

As usual, the best resource is almost always the local tourist office, which almost always keeps a complete list of all bed and breakfast outfits in town and, in the best cases, includes that list on its Web site...with links. That said, here are resources to help you find B&Bs across Europe and in specific countries.

Note that there's a thin line (often just which set of local standards, requirements, and legal complications the owner wants to deal with) between a B&B and rental rooms.

General Booking Sites

France

Germany

Ireland

Italy

Portugal

Switzerland

The U.K.



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This article was last updated in June 2006. All information was accurate at the time.



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