Currently writing from a B&B in Kirkwall, and we stayed in one in Inverness last night.
Why do the proprietors at these places always seem to enjoy their work and their lives? And so much more than hotel staff? Perhaps because they are self-employed. Despite no manager to please, they seem to do quite well at decent hard work, and are well disposed to it.
26 August 2014 at 21:51
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I would advise any non-British who visit this country (if possible and convenient) to stay in 'Bed and Breakfast' accommodation, and not an hotel - because (and obviously I am generalizing from my personal experience) the people who run B&Bs are such decent and pleasant folk that it is an enhancement to any holiday.
Although they presumably make a living from it, the cost of staying in a B&B is so modest for what it entails, and the breakfasts are usually so delicious and lavish, that I think it is mostly a wish to meet a range of people and give them an enjoyable experience that motivates B&B owners. At any rate, they always seem to enjoy chatting and finding-out about their guests.
To stay in an hotel is usually an experience of alienation - bleak, impersonal, mechanical - whereas to stay in a B&B is often to have your belief in the goodness of individual people enhanced.
Perhaps this is one reason (in addition to its natural beauty) why Keswick is such a wonderful holiday place - because its accommodation provision is dominated by scores of individually owned B&Bs; each with a different character reflecting the owner's.
But I have been in B&Bs in several and wide-spread parts of Britain, and they share this homely and human quality.
Small is beautiful!
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Note: On the whole the best B&Bs are those that do nothing else - B&Bs attached to pubs or bars are a lot less good, on the whole - and those attached to other businesses like farms may lack focus and attention to detail.
"Bed and Breakfast - small is beautiful"
1 Comment -
Currently writing from a B&B in Kirkwall, and we stayed in one in Inverness last night.
Why do the proprietors at these places always seem to enjoy their work and their lives? And so much more than hotel staff? Perhaps because they are self-employed. Despite no manager to please, they seem to do quite well at decent hard work, and are well disposed to it.
26 August 2014 at 21:51