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Tuesday, July 25, 2017

North Wildwood Bed and Breakfast

North Wildwood Bed and Breakfast
Candlelight Inn, North Wildwood, NJ

The Cranky Old Man has his mind changed.
I don’t like Bed and Breakfast Inns.  I’ve been to maybe five, and though pleasant enough, I have always had disappointing experiences.  Bed and Breakfast Inns…at least the ones I’ve been at, are generally old restored large houses decorated flawlessly with older antiques and knick knacks.
I love older restored homes and I love antiques and knick knacks.  Why then would I then not like B+B’s?
The people who buy and restore these B+B’s tend to be a little anal about their home and their possessions.  They need customers to admire their home and possessions so they can collect enough revenue to afford their home and possessions, and to use their home and possessions as a large tax break.
It is a nice deal; buy a beautiful home, decorate it with antiques and knick knacks, and have it paid for by customers and tax breaks.  It is a great deal especially for people who love to decorate and love old homes and possessions.  The only drawback to this nice deal seems to be having to host customers, many who do not properly appreciate your lovely decorations and antiques.  These owners, who rely on customers to pay for their lifestyle often, in my experience, do not treat their guests as guests.  They treat them as a necessary evil.
When I travel and spend lots of money, I really do not like feeling like an intruder, I want to feel like a treasured guest.  I don’t like walking in and immediately being told when I can come home at night, what I can touch (nothing) and how special everything is in THEIR home and “Please be careful while in the house."  They tell you how to dress for breakfast, they sometimes seem to follow you around and in general do not make you feel welcome…at least that has been my experience on several occasions.
So; when Mrs. C told me she made reservations for this last weekend at a B+B in North Wildwood, NJ, I was not very enthusiastic to say the least.
When we registered at the Candlelight Inn in North Wildwood, NJ this Friday, http://www.candlelight-inn.com/ I was not a happy camper.  We were greeted by Michael the co-owner with his wife Wanda.  He showed us around the house and pointed out all the interesting features of this beautifully restored Victorian home.  The home was lovely as usual, it was decorated beautifully as usual and was furnished with antiques which made you feel as if you stepped back into 1905...except there was a bathroom in every unit, TV with cable, air-conditioning, and Wi-Fi all at no extra charge.
I was not given one rule to follow.  Michael apparently assumed that we would have enough class to not jump on the bed and scratch our names in any of the antiques.  There was a fridge in the hall filled with complimentary water and soda.  On the dresser were two cups and a decanter of  sherry, along with two chocolates.
Our room
There was always coffee available, and at five in the afternoon they put out cookies and wine.
As a cranky wise guy, I commented, that cookies are nice, and that my favorite, if he didn’t mind was oatmeal and raisin.  I was told jokingly, that I get what I get.
At five, we went down stairs for some wine and a cookie along with the other guests and Michael greeted me with a special plate,
“I made these oatmeal raisin cookies just for you!”
“Wow, that is very nice, I also have some other requests.”
“Sorry, your one wish has been answered.”
“Damn, if I knew that I would have asked for more than a special cookie.”
Mrs. C gave me an elbow and told me I’d better eat all of those cookies.  I did not need the elbow, they were very good.
To sum it up, Michael and his lovely wife were gracious, fun, helpful and at all times made everyone feel special and appreciated as guests.  The Inn is beautiful, breakfast delicious and there were several unexpected amenities.  
I now have a different appreciation for Bed and Breakfast Inns and will definitely return to the Candlelight Inn soon.
Rocking on the porch
Thank you, Mike and Wanda!

21 comments:

  1. I'm not a B and B person either. I've heard stories and many like the ones you cited. I want a hotel, my own room and I don't need the cookies or the wine. I'm happy you finally had a great experience in a B and B.

    Have a fabulous day. ☺

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  2. I'm not a fan of the B&B's either. They typically feel exactly as you said and I always feel like I'm walking on eggshells being in one. This B&B sounds amazing. Great choice Mrs. C! Happy you enjoyed your stay.

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  3. It's nice to hear a positive review about a B&B....I have always found them slightly uncomfortable.

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  4. I've never stayed at a B&B but I have a feeling they'll be in my future when Mrs. C. retires in a few months.

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  5. I've only stayed at one B&B that wasn't corporate, so maybe they wouldn't be classified as such. The one I did stay at, where the owner also lived there, I found her to be an insufferable snob. She kept asking us questions like where we were going to go for dinner and where we were going hiking. Every answer I gave, she replied that wasn't a good choice and we should go to XYZ instead. We ignored her recommendations and loved the places we went.

    I've noticed since, that she replies to each criticism on Trip Advisor very ungraciously!

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  6. Wow, what a pleasant change of experience! Sounds like a first rate establishment. Never done a B&B exactly for the reasons you mentioned, now I know of at least one I would patronize.

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  7. We haven't been regular customers of B&B's, but the 3-4 times we've stayed at one, we've really enjoyed it. Maybe we've just been lucky. . .

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  8. It looks gorgeous from the pictures. I've only stayed at one B&B in Charleston, SC, and they were really nice. It wasn't one of the fancier ones, so maybe that helped. Glad you finally had a good experience, and refrained from jumping on the bed. ;-)

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  9. Glad you finally had a good B&B experience!!

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  10. I enjoy B&B style of lodging but never faced the picky ones you had experienced earlier. The ones I enjoyed in were not high end. I kind of enjoy sharing breakfast in a family setting with strangers. I know--weird. Was never offered wine though which sounds fun. So glad you had a good experience and hope you do go back.

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  11. Well, that sounds like a very nice getaway. I have tried a B&B but I am not social enough to really enjoy them. I prefer the anonymity of a hotel.

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  12. If i ever do get the chance to stay at a B&B, i'm certainly going to check out reviews to see if they are snobby or not. Snobby would ruin the whole thing.

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  14. I'm glad you finally had a good B&B experience. Your previous experiences don't sound good at all, particularly being told not to touch, like you were five years old and clumsy. That would annoy me too.

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  15. Mrs. C found a good one, I guess! Glad you enjoyed it. Don't make that a habit, or you'll have to put a banner on your blog that says, NOW LESS CRANKY!

    I don't think I'd enjoy it, except for the chocolates! I'm not a people person. You could give me just a bed, and just breakfast, and leave me alone for the night. Nothing fancy, nothing friendly, all I need is a place to sleep and something to eat.

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  16. We used to stay in B&Bs. Now we're more inclined to Airbnb.

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  17. I'm glad your latest discovery restored your faith in B&Bs.

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  18. My husband and I have stayed at several BnB- we often use the diamind collection on BnB .com and have found only 1 that was corporate run that we spent alot of money to stay at that was a little disappointing - it lacked the owner involvement- the bathroom needed a repair and they had to put in a requisition for it - it was not completed at the end of our stay and there was no number which to speak to anyone - you take the same chance at a hotel if the mngt is not good- i will be checking out this BnB as we visit there often

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  19. We've had some good experiences at B&B's. We stayed at one in Helena, Arkansas that was amazing.
    That sounds like a good one too.

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  21. I've never stayed at a B&B, but I'm glad you had a good experience. All I know about them is that Raymond on the TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond" was afraid he'd have to hand in his man card after being talked into staying at one by Debra.

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