The first time I stayed at a bed & breakfast was when my wife and I went on our first anniversary vacation weekend. We knew we wanted to go away, we just were not sure where or what we wanted to do. A colleague of hers showed her a book of bed & breakfasts' around the United States. She brought the book home to me to take a look to see what I thought about going to one of them for our anniversary. With zero experience (at the time) and zero knowledge of bed & breakfasts' I was a bit skeptical. Do I really want to spend my weekend staying in someone's home? The more I read about the bed & breakfast lifestyle, the more I became intrigued, until finally my wife got hooked and we booked a bed & breakfast in upstate Vermont.

I can honestly say it was a great time. The bed & breakfast owners treated us like royalty, waited on us like we were a king and queen, and the food (that was included in our purchase price) was simply unbelievable. Since then my wife and I have been to two other bed & breakfasts, one in Williamsburg, VA and another in upstate New York near Seneca Lake. Although the concept of each bed & breakfast were similar, they were different in a variety of ways. For instance in Vermont at breakfast and dinner (both of which were included) we sat at our own table in the adjoining restaurant.

In NY and VA we ate a big table with all of the other guests. In VA the owners took care of everything, well them and their kids. In NY and VT the owners ran the place but also had help to get rooms ready and keep the place clean. In VT we had our own outside entrance to our room as if the room was our own house. In NY and VA you had your own bedroom in the same house with the other guests. Regardless of whichever style you choose, if you have never stayed at a bed & breakfast you should.

Each one was wonderful and you really felt like you were part of the owner's family while you stayed there. I would recommend first pick a place where you know you would really like to stay. Do you like the mountains? How about the sun or a tropical island? Once you understand what you really want to do, then look up the bed & breakfasts in the areas that you have targeted and start reading up on them. Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book stores have a variety of books you can look at without purchasing to obtain this information. You can also go to your local library or look for a bed & breakfast directory online. Once you have the location and have it narrowed down to one or two possible bed & breakfast choices, start pricing them out and see if they are in your budget.

I will tell you that they are a bit pricier then a normal hotel room (some of them anyway). However verify what kind of amenities you get for your price. Most come with breakfast, otherwise it would just be called Bed & get out of my house in the morning.

You get the point. Some also serve dinner and offer afternoon tea & snacks. Find out what you get for your money. It will definitely help with your decision.

About the Author:
Mr. Tucker is the senior editor for Vacation Nation, an online vacation resource where you can learn about various destinations and travel tips.