6 Reasons to Skip the Hotel and go Straight to your Local BNB

In college I went to school in horse country in Kentucky, and I would always drive past this little bed and breakfast to get to school. They were everywhere in Georgetown, but I never stayed in one. Granted, I was a broke college student who could barely afford a chick fil a sandwich, much less spend a night in any kind of hotel or bed and breakfast. I would always drive past that little place and wonder about the people who were staying there. I imagined they were probably very old, very rich and had a whole lot of extra time on their hands. One thing I never imagined was that one day I would trip and fall totally in love with everything Bnb.
I went to Maine this summer on a girlfriend trip with one of my best friends (click on the photo below for the post on my Maine trip) and I have to admit, it is one of those places that gets under your skin. I loved Bar Harbor the most. I loved the balmy, breezy nights, how friendly the people were, and the fact that the whole town is nestled inside one of my favorite national parks: Acadia.

What I didn’t love is where we stayed. We stayed at this Days Inn: Problemo Numero Uno, and we dropped our stuff off on day one and headed straight out to the park. Before you think we are cray cray for booking the Days Inn, our thought process was: spend less money on the hotel and more on activities. We thought wrong. When we came back we quickly realized we were not the only inhabitants of the room. There were BUGS everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I went to take a shower, opened the curtain and was greeted by a mammoth daddy long leg, who apparently wanted a good scrub down as well. I came out of the bathroom screaming like a banshee only to find my roommate in the corner screaming because a giant moth had just landed next to her head on the pillow. And with all that screaming none of the rooms next to us called the police, so don’t ever scream for help at the Days Inn – AIN’T Nobody Comin’. Long story short we didn’t end up staying at the Days Inn, we hightailed our booties far away and NEVER looked back. But I swore to do a better job the next time I booked a room in Bar Harbor: and that’s when I found Stone Throw Cottage, and I was converted to the Bed and Breakfast lifestyle.

I am a hotel girl. Heck, I practically live in them, but when I booked my Parents trip to Bar Harbor, I had visions of daddy long legs haunting my memory. So it was an easy choice, when I saw Stone Throw Cottage on Trivago, I booked it right away… Which brings us to reason number 1 of why you should stay in a local Bnb:
#1) It’s not all about the Bottom Line: I booked the wrong date. I clicked enter on my NON REFUNDABLE reservation, and it popped up, “You are confirmed for October 30th at Stone Throw Cottage.” My heart dropped, as I immediately fumbled for my phone to call the Inn. I had booked my parents reservation a week later than their fall break. Jerry the innkeeper answered, and I practically shouted in his ear, “I am freaking out, I just booked a room for my parents and I booked the wrong date and it says non-refundable and.. and.. and”. He stopped me mid blabber and said, “It’s totally fine! I have done the same thing before when I booked a flight for my daughter, what dates do you need?” Do you want to know what would have happened if the same thing had happened with a chain hotel? I can tell you right now. It would have been as it said, “Non-Refundable, No Dates Exchanged.”
#2) Bnbs are Often Just as Flexible as Hotels – and Sometimes More: I often live my life flying by the seat of my pants, never knowing where I will be in the next hour, day, week… minute. So when my parents asked me to fly up to Maine and meet them I just jumped on the plane. What I didn’t know is where I would be staying. The room I had booked my parents only had one bed in it, and we weren’t sure if the cottage would have any more rooms available. So I was fully prepared to sleep in the Walmart parking lot in the backseat of our rental car. We decided to ask once we got to the Bnb, and Jerry was amazing, and saved the day YET again. He gave us another room without a question for a discounted price. He even moved my parents to a more expensive room, so that we would be right across from each other. Now if we had come during peak season, it may have been a different story. I may have made my home in the Walmart Parking lot, but it wasn’t, and we had personalized service that we would have never found in a hotel.

#3) The Attention to Detail: Can I just say.. I am a sucker for style, and this place was oozing with it. It was adorable in every way, from the reading nooks to the hand painted sinks, and the unique antique pieces in every room. Please pause while I swoon again just from thinking about it. There was a “princess” tub with hand painted tiles that shook my world… It just shook it right up.

#4) The Breakfast. Duh.: Breakfast is easily my favorite meal of the day, and that only was enhanced at the Stone Throw Cottage. Breakfast was served every morning in the dining room, which promised to have a crackling fire, unlimited coffee, and good conversation. Jerry whipped up a new gourmet breakfast every morning like it was the easiest thing in the world. The first day we had lemon souffle pancakes with a blueberry compote. The second day was just as mouthwatering when we had monte cristo sandwiches served on a bed of fresh Maine Jam. You can easily find hotels with breakfast included, but breakfast is an experience at a bed and breakfast, and you will find more than just eggs and bacon. Bed and Breakfast owners pride themselves on creating unique meals that wow your taste buds and keep you coming back for more. You aren’t going to find that at a hotel chain.

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#5) The Price Tag is Not as Bad as you Think: I know what you have been thinking this whole time as I spout out phrases like, “Hand painted tile,” and “Gourmet Breakfasts.” You must be thinking Cha-Ching… there goes my retirement savings on a fancy smancy bnb when I could be saving some serious bucks whilst staying in the bug-ridden Days Inn… Let me tell you: It wasn’t bad. I was actually surprised. We went in the off season, so the cost was really reasonable, and the price was competitive with the hotels in the area. During peak season the rooms at Stone throw Cottage range anywhere from $185 to $225 a night. The prices drop off in the off season and you can score a room anywhere from $115 to $155. Which includes breakfast, unparalleled service, and a jacuzzi tub in every room. Cha-ching! You just hit the jackpot, so put away your bug spray folks and prepare to be pampered.
#6) It Feels Like Home: For those of you that know me you know that I travel for a living, and if there is one thing I appreciate, it’s that feeling of “home.” I love being at home maybe more than anything. It’s that warm fuzzy feeling of absolute comfort. Where you can walk around in your comfiest socks, with no makeup on and just enjoy your space. I felt that feeling at the Stone Throw Cottage, and I can say with complete honesty that I have never felt that in Hilton or a Hyatt. As nice as some hotels are, they have never given me a feeling of warmth and ease to just feel at home. Everything about the Stone Throw Cottage gave me that feeling, and that was the best thing about it.

I never thought I would say it but 10 for 10 I would choose to stay at a bed and breakfast over a hotel. The Stone Throw Cottage was an absolute dream, and has converted my hotel refined derriere into a Bnb lovin’ queen. I will definitely be back and so should you! If you don’t go for the buttery soft sheets then go for the pancakes. For the love of all that’s holy just go for the Pancakes. And take an extra bite for me;)