Cedar House has been featured in the Palm Beach Post, the Charlotte Herald, Birmingham-England’s Post, the Orlando Sentinel, and Southern Living magazine. In a field of over thirty Bed & Breakfast inns, a poll conducted by the St. Augustine Record ranked the Cedar House the best inn for both 2008 and 2009. In addition, it has been voted one of the top 15 “Most Romantic Hideaways and Best Weekend Escapes in Florida.”

Lodging prices vary by season, but in the off-season it is possible to book a room at Cedar House for as little as $139 per night. That, of course, includes personal service, luxurious accommodations, and a lavish gourmet breakfast served on elegant china and lace. If you think about it, that is approximately the price you’d pay at a fair to middling hotel that offers, at best, a mediocre continental breakfast.

Now permit me to get down to the most important thing about this inn: the owner, Cynthia Humphrey. At the time of this writing she has only been the grande matriarch of the place for about six months, but she definitely hit the ground running. Contrary to most B & Bs, the place is attracting at least as many young adults as senior adults, and close to 70 percent originate within 100 miles of St. Augustine. Imagine what will happen as word spreads.

Perhaps the most fitting word to describe Cedar House is celebratory. Cynthia spent ten years planning events for the Ritz-Carlton so she came in with an invaluable skill set in that field. She loves to go the extra mile in helping people celebrate birthdays, reunions, family gatherings, vow renewals, and weddings. She described a family event in which they took over the entire inn for a pajama party. What a blast! And in her first six months at the House she has assisted in 30 weddings. I don’t mean wedding receptions, I mean weddings. The lady is amazing.

Now for the little touches that distinguish an exemplary inn from a good one. The staff at the Cedar House provide top drawer service, including little bonus extras that take guests by surprise. There are always fresh home-baked cookies sitting out and a favorite seems to be the coconut, oatmeal chocolate chippers dipped in Ghirardelli chocolate. Breakfast is an elegant, sumptuous two-course event and if you were to stay overnight for twelve nights, you would not eat the same thing for breakfast twice. Signature dishes include Apple-Pear-Pecan Bread Pudding drizzled with maple syrup and cinnamon butter, Cheddar-Artichoke Souffle with a mixed sausage grill, or perhaps Banana Royale which features homemade banana bread stuffed with bananas foster and topped with whipped cream and crushed praline. These are not your mama’s Bisquick flapjacks.

What would make your birthday or anniversary special: a deluxe personalized cake, roses and St. Augustine chocolates, a quaint horse and carriage ride, or maybe a fabulous gourmet picnic? Cynthia wants to make any special day one you will remember forever. Better get ready-you’re bound to hear more good stuff about this bed & breakfast, and it will be well-deserved.

Bed & Breakfast Inn Pros

o A friendly, available host – By definition, B&B inns have a host or owner who is happy to greet you and make you feel welcome. They are usually willing to offer suggestions for activities, restaurants, and other items. Since the host is usually a local, they can offer more insights than you may find in tourist literature. In other words, you’ll feel like you’re staying at someone’s luxury home, rather than just another guest at a large hotel.

o Distinctive Setting – Your B&B room is likely to be very distinctive, and designed just for you. It is a luxury room created to fit the surroundings, and won’t be identical to other rooms at the inn, unlike large chain hotels or motels where all rooms are identical.

o More Activities – Your B&B likely provides TVs, private porches, a social room, games, a spa, and other amenities to help you relax and enjoy your stay there. They often supply food during other meals besides breakfast on site as well. If you are out in nature such as in the Northern mountains of Arizona, the Arizona bed and breakfast will provide outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, skiing, and horseback riding. Each B&B inn provides activities unique to the area.

Overall, a bed and breakfast inn has a homey feel to it, and offers a customized vacation for you and your fellow travelers. Through the help of a friendly host, you can acquaint yourself with the local area and have a personalized, relaxing vacation. For your next vacation find a bed and breakfast within your budget, and enjoy the amenities not offered in other lodging facilities. It can be your home away from home!

The Buttonwood Inn is in a small New Hampshire town called North Conway, but nothing about their breakfast is small. They may begin with some Pumpkin-Walnut bread or Apricot-Orange scones, Maple Cinnamon rolls, Blueberry-Walnut Crumb Coffee Cake, or warm Fruit Crisp with granola, accompanied by cool, fresh fruit topped with raspberry sauce. That would be enough breakfast for me, but the chef is just getting warmed up. Next comes a savory dish like Mushroom-Sausage and Cheddar Cheese Strata, Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese and Chives and a side of roasted Red Bliss Rosemary potatoes. Then comes the sweet entrée: Baked French Toast Casserole with Pecan and Wild Maine Blueberry topping. Or Light Yeasted Belgian waffles under fresh blueberry sauce. Hail to Buttonwood.

Mission Oak Inn of Henry, Illinois offers some wonderful breakfast dishes like French Banana Crepes and fabulous Blueberry Pancakes, but it was their dinners that snapped me to attention. How about a Pizza of roasted chicken, onion, and cheese atop a dreamy creamy sun-dried tomato sauce? Or tender meat medallions served in a cream, brandy, maple and mustard reduction? Or grilled salmon on fresh greens with original sauce and topped by bacon, green onions, parmesan cheese, and walnuts? Or pork tenderloin marinated in apple cider, grilled, then smothered with homemade apple/peach chutney?

Then I happened to catch Jane of the Hawk Valley Retreat on the phone. When I asked about her most popular dishes, her voice became secretive and sultry and she led me lovingly down the list: German Baked Apple Pancakes, Baked Peach French Toast, pancakes with a brown sugar/strawberry compote, Green Onion and Spinach Cheese Quiche with hash brown crust, and Eggs Benedict with her own secret Hollandaise sauce recipe. The names of her entrees didn’t bowl me over. But as she described every detail, every ingredient and spice, I knew cooking isn’t just fun for her, it is a luscious adventure. There’s a difference. Jane is a master of simple baking.

Like many of these top inns, the chefs at the Bloomsbury Inn use only fresh local farm products. I never expected a South Carolina inn to be full of such scientifically talented people. But they’ve experimented with hundreds of dishes, and the creativity of their top picks boggles the imagination: hot apple soup, poached pears and baked peaches with toasted peanut butter rolls, creamed eggs in a puff pastry, baked cinnamon-raisin French toast, toasted bacon-pecan bread, homemade biscuits with chocolate gravy, peppered praline bacon, and their own version of Eggs Benedict: a delicate crème sauce over croissant, wilted spinach, peppered ham, avocado, and poached egg. Exquisite.

Sue of the Harbour Ridge Inn in Osage was not about to be outdone. She emailed me with her choices, and I appreciated the personal attention. Sue serves fruitinis in martini glasses with a white chocolate mousse base on which she slices banana. Then she pours in Chambord-soaked strawberries with a dollop of whipping cream and a mint leaf for garnish. She does the Bloomsbury Inn one better by nesting her Cinnamon-Raisin French toast atop a whipping cream custard base accompanied by sausage loaf and delicate poached pears in red wine and orange juice. Another popular French toast starts with fresh grilled pineapple slices, country ham, sliced cheese. Add sourdough bread soaked in French toast batter, grilled and served with a strawberry-jalapeno pepper jam. She also makes egg casserole to order with choices of fresh stuff like roasted red peppers, leeks, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, spinach, diced ham, cheeses and fresh basil and dill. I was impressed. Nice email.

The Judge Porter House in Natchitoches (where?), Louisiana it not to be missed. The first course at the judge’s might be peach or apple dumplings, bread pudding with warm maple sauce, Peach Crisp baked with a coconut-pecan topping, Apple Brown Betty topped with vanilla yogurt, pecans, and cinnamon, or Berry Puff Pastry stuffed with fresh berries, drizzled with raspberry sauce, and topped with whipped cream. The second course may include delicious pancakes, waffles or French toast, but I featured those things in other reviews so let me emphasize the egg dishes. One baked egg dish features eggs with savory mushrooms and crème Francais cradled in Black Forest ham crisps. Another favorite is Southwestern egg mixture baked in individual ramekins and topped with hearty salsa. Then there’s the Queen Anne Quiche, but the chef was very hush-hush about it. Guess you’ll have to visit the judge’s to check it out.

The two most attractive things Bed & Breakfasts offer are cozy, top rate lodging and terrific breakfasts. Check out these terrific inns for the best breakfast ever.

Debra Fortosis is a professional travel agent. You can book travel on her user friendly website. She can even help you easily launch your own turnkey e-travel business.