Bed and breakfasts are small, personal lodging establishments offering all the comforts of home, often with a unique flair. Those who despise crowds or huge resorts will absolutely love the intimate feel of a B&B. The owners and managers take great pride in providing a comfortable stay, friendly conversation, and over-the-top breakfasts —both in service and food.
During our 2022 Best Of Travel Awards voting season, we asked you to tell us about the very best bed and breakfasts so we could recognize the beautiful establishments and their hard-working employees. The winners and finalists all offer impeccable guest service in their quaint homes and inns, each with its own interesting story and individualistic style. Here are the 9 best bed and breakfasts in the United States.
(Photo Credit: Fossum Studios)
1. Sophie’s Gasthaus (Winner)
New Braunfels, Texas
Sophie’s Gasthaus is the winner of this year’s best bed and breakfast! This boutique B&B offers the finest lodging in New Braunfels, conveniently located downtown. The six guest rooms are warmly decorated in modern yet comfortable themes. Each one includes Wi-Fi, a minibar, and cable TV. The upgraded rooms include sitting areas and/or balconies, and the one-bedroom apartment even includes a fireplace and kitchen.
Beyond the rooms, the main floor of Sophie’s Gasthaus offers chic lounging and dining areas for guests to relax and mingle. The charming outdoor setting has a villa-style outdoor pool, lovely garden landscaping, and a fire pit to enjoy evening cocktails around.
Pro Tip: Sophie’s Gasthaus is a lovely private setting for events, including everything from weddings to birthday parties.
(Photo Credit: Christian Gianelli)
2. Smithton Inn 1763 / Historic Smithton Inn
Ephrata, Pennsylvania
The Historic Smithton Inn is located in the heart of Amish country, in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. This colonial home was built in 1763, and the bed and breakfast embraces the history of the home while incorporating modern luxuries and decor. They designed each individually decorated guest room with comfort as the key focus. Each room comes with plush robes and has a cozy pillowtop bed outfitted with traditional quilts, a welcoming fireplace, and a quiet sitting area. Some suites also include a jetted tub or extra-large rain shower, or guests can splurge for the three-bedroom cottage, complete with a living room and kitchenette.
The thing that really sets the Historic Smithton Inn apart from the rest is the incredible breakfast awaiting guests each morning. Rejuvenating Colombian coffee, teas, and fresh orange juice complement the selection of freshly baked breads, muffins, and homemade granola. Hot entree selections include high-end delicacies, like cinnamon-apple baked French toast, sausage and cheese mini-frittatas, Italian crustless quiche, and strawberry amaretto stuffed French toast.
Pro Tip: As an added bonus, the Inn also operates Weathered Vineyards, an onsite wine bar offering food and drinks Friday through Sunday. There is live music on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as specialty wine pairing events on Sunday afternoons.
3. Galena Inn
Galena, Illinois
The Galena Inn (formerly named Victorian Mansion) is in a historical home, built in 1856, on a quiet street in Galena, Illinois. Galena was the hometown of President Ulysses S. Grant, a close friend and guest of the original owner. In 1869, President Grant gave his farewell speech to the town from the Inn’s main balcony prior to taking office in the White House. Today, guests can learn about the history of the home and even stay in the room where President Grant used to sleep.
The Galena Inn provides colonial-style rooms and suites with antique decor, a nod to its historic past. However, each uniquely-named room is equipped with modern luxuries, including Egyptian cotton bedding, for a relaxing stay. The exterior of the property includes deluxe guest amenities, like an exquisite English garden and hot tub spa. The owners take great pride in providing a delicious and fulfilling breakfast for their guests, ensuring they’re fully energized as they explore the town.
Pro Tip: The Galena Inn is ideal for couples or adult family members. Note that in order to preserve the peaceful nature of the bed and breakfast, it does not allow children under age 12.
4. The Gastonian Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
The Gastonian Savannah is a AAA Four-Diamond boutique inn built in 1868 and a dream couple’s getaway destination! The bed and breakfast is no stranger to being recognized as one of the world’s best; TripAdvisor also crowned it as one of the Traveler’s Choice Top Romantic Hotels multiple years running. This Savannah, Georgia B&B embodies Southern hospitality and charming, luxury accommodations. The property’s two adjoining Regency-Italianate-style mansions feature 17 suites, each bestowing lavish antique decor, like clawfoot tubs and classic chandeliers, along with modern amenities.
The Gastonian takes the breakfast part of B&B to another level. Of course, the Inn serves cooked-to-order gourmet breakfasts, but for the ultimate romantic breakfast-in-bed luxury, we suggest the silver-tray in-room service. In the afternoon, enjoy mingling with the other guests at the complimentary happy hour reception, which includes wine and hors d’oeuvres. To finish the day off, desserts, coffee, and cordials are offered late evening.
Pro Tip: There are stairs on both the exterior entries and interiors of the home. Please contact the bed and breakfast prior to making a reservation to discuss accessibility options.
(Photo Credit: Hilltop Manor)
5. Hilltop Manor Bed & Breakfast
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hilltop Manor Bed & Breakfast provides the perfect relaxing setting on the edge of Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas. Bordering the national parkland, this luxury bed and breakfast is a 1910 Craftsman manor set on 5 landscaped wooded acres, which include a waterfall and peaceful magnolia grove. The outdoor stone fireplace provides the perfect setting to relax and take in the sprawling landscape views.
The Hilltop Manor chic suites all feature beautiful furniture and thoughtful decor, and a few include a jacuzzi tub and a private fireplace. Guests can choose where to enjoy their scrumptious homemade breakfast in the morning: in their private suite, in the elegant dining room, on the front porch overlooking the waterfall, or packed to go so they can get a jump on the day’s explorations.
Pro Tip: The Hilltop Manor is only 2.5 miles away from Bathhouse Row, a National Historic Landmark dating back to 1832. The area also has plenty of antique shops and restaurants to enjoy.
(Photo Credit: Lark Hotels)
6. The Cliffside Inn
Newport, Rhode Island
The Cliffside Inn is one of the top luxury bed and breakfasts in Newport, Rhode Island. Situated in a Victorian manor built in 1876, this home was originally owned by Maryland Governor Thomas Swann for his family’s summer getaways. Presently, the thoughtfully restored boutique inn features 16 charming guest suites. Each uniquely decorated suite meshes bold modern decor with luxury while maintaining the classic architecture of the home. The rest of the Inn features antiques, beautiful bay windows, a library, and a wraparound porch.
The Cliffside Inn provides guests with a gourmet breakfast each morning, but it doesn’t end there. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with complimentary wine and cookies so they’ll immediately feel at home. Each afternoon, the Inn also hosts a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception so you can socialize with the other guests. We recommend sipping your cocktail while exploring the beautifully kept garden or sitting around the fire pit area.
Pro Tip: The Cliffside Inn is in the heart of Newport’s Historic District, providing convenient and walkable access to the area’s scenic Cliff Walk, beach, shopping, and restaurants.
(Photo Credit: Oliver Parini / The Woodstocker B&B)
7. The Woodstocker B&B
Woodstock, Vermont
The Woodstocker B&B is a colorful adults-only bed and breakfast across the road from Ottauquechee River in Woodstock, Vermont. The home embodies the rustic Vermont feel, full of farmhouse decor, exposed wood, and antique touches. The nine bright, individually decorated rooms and suites with private bathrooms and pillow menus offer free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs with DVD, CD, and MP3 players. Some have sofas, sloped ceilings, claw-foot tubs, and/or heated floors.
The Woodstocker B&B serves cooked-to-order breakfasts for each guest in the kitchen, on the deck, or delivered to their suite. Complimentary locally sourced snacks are also available around the clock near the inn’s cozy library.
Pro Tip: The Woodstocker B&B is walking distance to all of the independently owned shops in Woodstock. We recommend spending an afternoon perusing the shelves at Vermont’s oldest bookstore, the Yankee Bookshop.
(Photo Credit: Captain’s House Inn)
8. Captain’s House Inn
Chatham, Massachusetts
The Captain’s House Inn is set on a romantic historical 2-acre property in beautiful Chatham, Massachusetts. The Greek Revival-style mansion was built in 1839 and includes a carriage house, cottage, and stables surrounded by whimsical English gardens. All of the plush rooms and suites feature fireplaces, TVs, and Wi-Fi, and some add four-poster beds, whirlpool tubs, and mini fridges. The decor is made to feel like the guests are truly at home, with personal touches like stocked bookshelves and classic, Northeastern-style decor.
The Inn provides a full complimentary breakfast, as well as afternoon cream tea and indulgent evening snacks and beverages like port and sherry. Guests are welcome to spend their day on the property enjoying the expansive and comfortable gardens which feature numerous sitting areas. Or try your hand at a game of croquet.
Pro Tip: The Captain’s House Inn is centrally located on Cape Cod, providing a perfect home base to explore some of Massachusetts’s most historic towns, including Provincetown, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard.
(Photo Credit: Old Central Firehouse Bed And Brew)
9. Old Central Firehouse Bed And Brew
San Angelo, Texas
The Old Central Firehouse Bed and Brew is a quaint lodge in San Angelo, Texas, with a unique twist on the traditional bed and breakfast concept. The firehouse was one of the first in San Angelo, constructed in 1929, and operated as such through 1976. The present-day owners purchased the property in 2017 and renovated the upstairs into a bed and breakfast. They focused on preserving the original firehouse charm while incorporating modern decor and comforts. Each of the six king-bed suites provides slightly different luxuries, ranging from a kitchenette to a jetted tub.
The Old Central Firehouse is quick to point out they’re not a bed and breakfast, they’re a bed and brew. Instead of serving a hearty, warm breakfast in the morning, they provide an array of light breakfast foods and serve a happy hour with snacks and beer each afternoon.
Pro Tip: The Old Central Firehouse Pizzeria & Taproom, a must-try for tasty pizza and beer Tuesday through Saturday, opened in 2020 and is located downstairs.
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