Bed and breakfast thawing out

Today as one looks down our driveway at the bed and breakfast and sees the melting snow turning into water and flowing down to the curb, it certainly would seem that spring is on its way.  Although we are certain that we will likely see more accumulating snow yet this winter season at the Inn, it is also nice to see some patches of earth and the actual driveway underneath the layers of snow that have compacted over the past weeks.  Hopefully our extreme cold weather is over for another winter season and we can move on to look forward to the growing seasons not too far off from now.

West Michigan sunshine and warmer weather today

Even though today’s weather is just a sampling of what is yet to come this week, it sure is nice to have sunshine and warmer weather today in West Michigan.  After what has been a very cold streak here in the Saugatuck area of Michigan’s lakefront, it sure does put one in a much cheerier attitude to have such nice weather.  It only goes to show what an impact mother nature can have on one’s mood and outlook for the day.

Valentine’s Romantic getaway weekend in Michigan

This weekend is probably the weekend that most couple getaways occur being the weekend prior to Valentine’s day.  But we like to encourage our guests to consider making any getaway in the month of February a romantic getaway as it is the month of cupids, hearts, chocolates, roses and fine dining.  I’m sure our romantic couples coming in this weekend are all thinking of their romantic weekend away but we encourage any others considering coming during the next few weeks to explore our many romantic packages as any time is a good time for romance.

Pleasant sunny drive through West Michigan for B&B guests

Guests of our bed and breakfast were asking at breakfast where they should go for a nice pleasant sunny drive to see the sights of West Michigan without having to get out of their car too much.  We saw them later on today and they commented that they had a very nice time just driving around exploring the Saugatuck and South Haven areas as well as some of our beautiful country side.  But the interesting thing is that due to the extreme cold, they really did not feel up to exploring too much by foot or anything that required getting out of their vehicle.  Which was perfectly fine with them.  So it goes to show that you really can make the best of your day no matter what the weather might bring for any given day.

Lots of dining options in our small Michigan town

It often times surprises our bed and breakfast guests when they realize just how many dining options are within walking distance of our Inn.  Salt of the Earth is a great gourmet restaurant that is a great find even if it were in a large city.  We also have a diner, the only authentic Mexican restaurant in the surrounding area, several fast food options, Cranes pie pantry restaurant and down the road is What Not, a great locals hangout with many dining specials.  On top of these, this year, two new eateries will be open within walking distance of the bed and breakfast.  Quite astounding for a small little Michigan town!

Cold winter week in west Michigan, but warm weather soon

I realize that it is still the middle of winter here in the Saugatuck area of West Michigan, but it sure would be nice to have a little bit of warmth right about now, even if just for a day!  The next couple of days we will likely stay in at the bed and breakfast as much as possible since the forecast is for us to have some our coldest days of the year here.  But it is also in our forecast to have a “warm up” this coming weekend, so at least the B&B guests coming for Valentine’s weekend will have a bit more comfortable weather.

Movie day in Holland Michigan for us

It isn’t often as an Innkeeper of a bed and breakfast that one is able to squeeze in time to see a movie, so when we do it is a real treat.  Today after breakfast and cleaning the rooms, we ventured away from the bed and breakfast to Holland Michigan to grab a late lunch and take in a movie at one of the theaters located in Holland.  It is always difficult to resist the popcorn bucket but we managed to do so by eating right before the movie.  Still, the smell of popcorn being eaten by other movie goers made it awfully tempting.

Super bowl weekend partying for bed and breakfast guests

Today marks one of those days of the year when a lot of the country nationwide is celebrating the super bowl weekend.  Today as we checked in several of our bed and breakfast guests into their suites it was apparent that our Inn guests are no different than the rest of the country today.  Many of them have brought food, beverages and such in anticipation of celebrating and watching what most of the nation is watching…the super bowl.

South Haven Michigan Icebreaker Festival

This weekend is the winter festival weekend of nearby South Haven’s Icebreaker weekend.  An annual Michigan tradition, it is a great excuse to getaway to experience West Michigan in the winter time, especially in such a beautiful Lake Michigan setting.  Many activities are a part of the annual weekend, including ice carving competitions, chili cookoff, theater events and more.  We will definitely be recommending it to our bed and breakfast guests of this weekend and will be attending it at some point ourselves as we do enjoy seeing the amazing ice sculptures each year.

Romantic Victorian bed and breakfast versus new 4G data phone

It some times strikes me of the irony of my life as the Innkeeper of a romantic victorian bed and breakfast here in Southwest Michigan.  One the one hand we are surrounded by reminders of the 19th century by the decor of the bed and breakfast and suites in the Inn.  On the other hand, just yesterday we upgraded to new 4G data android phones that are a lot like carrying around a mini computer to manage your life for you.  It truly is amazing when you think of the technology our society has seen since the not so long ago age when Harvey Kingsley occupied the Inn.