Make a January escape

Feeling the back-to-work, post festivities blues yet? We know a few of us on the BedandBreakfastworld.com team are feeling the dark evenings and cold chills on our walk home from work. So in order to get us through the January blues we’ve taken to looking at where we could escape those winter blues and getaway for a few days.

Any sun worshippers out there will not be the biggest fans of winter and would give an arm and leg to get some sun during January. This can be quiet feasible though as this is the cheapest time of year to book that last minute getaway. Flight prices can be at their cheapest at the start of the year for those looking to book that last minute break. Catch some rays by the beach in great locations like Lanzarote or Tenerife.

If you want to beat those back to work blues with a quick fix and just a weekend getaway then get booking flights to some of Europe’s top cities. Take a couple of days to enjoy the wonders of Prague with its picture perfect streets and ancient architecture. It may be just as cold as where you’re leaving but all that walking through its quaint streets will keep you toasty! Berlin is also a great city to spend a weekend away in, if not longer. There’s something for all tastes in Berlin from a varied history to Europe’s most interesting nightlife.

These are just a couple of suggestions to get you thinking about that last minute January escape. For more inspiration check out the destinations where you’ll find some great value B&Bs around the world.

Decorating your B&B for Christmas

The shops are filling up with gifts and the festive lights are being turned on in towns and cities with every day that passes. There’s no denying it, Christmas is fast approaching.

December can be a popular month for travel and short getaways as festive events like Christmas Markets and Winter Wonderlands entice people to visit different destinations in the run up to Christmas. We want to know do you do anything extra festive in your B&B during the Christmas season. Many bed and breakfasts are adorned with beautiful decorations and lights, both indoors and out, to get their guests in a more seasonal spirit during December. Some even offer mulled wine and mince pies to their guests during their stay. We’ve even heard a rumour of one B&B giving guests a Christmas present on their arrival during December!

So will you be putting up extra holly around the guest rooms this Christmas or what special treats do you have in store for guests during the festive season?

Take a winter holiday

Summer holidays are but a distant memory for many of us now as winter has taken hold of the Northern Hemisphere and we’re wrapping up in our hats and scarves. But for many this is the perfect time of year for a holiday as not everyone wants to spend their holidays with just sun, sea and sand. In fact, many prefer a holiday with that other ‘S’ as the main feature… snow!

Winter breaks have been a popular holiday for many, particularly those who like a bit of adventure from their holidays. On these escapes skiing, snowboarding and winter hikes are top of the list of holiday activities. And even if you’re not that adventurous, there’s always the après ski, which many will tell you is the highlight of a winter holiday!

Here are a few of popular spots for you to choose from when it comes to taking a winter break:

- Andorra

- Interlaken, Switzerland

- High Tatras, Slovakia

- Chamonix, France

- Bled, Slovenia

Have you any suggestions for the perfect winter holiday destination? Let us know!

Golfers Welcome is one of the new categories

This week was an exciting one for Bed and Breakfasts in Ireland as B&B Ireland released details of how they will categorise Irish Bed and Breakfasts depending on the services provided by the accommodation.

The nine categories are: Eco Friendly, Pets Welcome, Golfers Welcome, Food Lovers Welcome, Gaeltacht Experience, Farmstays Welcome, Adventure Seekers Welcome and Anglers Welcome. The categories are aimed to provide visitors to Ireland with a specialist stay along with providing a traditional B&B experience, resulting in a unique holiday for all guests.

To get your B&B categorised you have to be a Tourist Board approved Bed and Breakfast in Ireland and then you can voluntarily opt into the categorisation process. These categories will be allocated to B&B’s depending on their locations, the B&B owner’s local knowledge and advice along with the comfort of the actual bed and breakfast too.

We think this will not only make a stay in an Irish B&B tailor made for the guests, but it will also make finding the perfect B&B a lot easier. What do you think of the new categories?

Dealing with customer complaints can be tricky

Whatever your business, it’s great to have customers, but the downside of this is that sometimes their experience with you will not always be a good one. That’s when you will have to deal with customer complaints. Even if you only get one complaint out of one hundred customers, how you deal with this complaint can be detrimental to your business.

In the accommodation sector one bad review can be the deciding factor in whether you get repeat business or not. While it is next to impossible to make sure that every guest has a 100% perfect stay with you every time, it is possible to make sure that their complaints are properly dealt with.

There are a couple of golden rules when it comes to dealing with a customer complaint:
-    Take it on board straight away even if you really do believe there is no truth in it.
-    Be polite even if you’re debating or questioning the issue, and NEVER raise your voice.
-    Have a strategy in place for complaints so you have a procedure to go on and make sure all your staff are aware of this.
-    Be quick to deal with the complaint and don’t leave it to the already annoyed customer to come back to you for a response.

Have you any rules that you stick to or tips for dealing with a customer complaint?

Are you an over packer?

If you are lucky enough to be making an escape from your home country for a few days then the chances are you will be boarding a flight with your bag. But if you’re sticking to a tight budget then you will probably be restricting yourself to just the one piece of carry-on luggage.

We all love to take advantage of cheap airfares but the downside to these low prices is that you are limited to some very stringent luggage restrictions. These include the amount of bags you can actually bring, the size of this bag and, due to tight airport security restrictions, what you can bring in it.

So how do you pack? Do you plan ahead and have everything washed and hanging in your closet a week before most people would even consider looking for their passport? Or are you still looking for those comfy walking shoes an hour before you have to leave for the airport? And what do you actually pack? Some people will have planned exactly what they are wearing for each day down to their socks and not bring a thing more. While others will throw in a mix and match collection along with many a ‘just in case’ top or pair of shoes.

So what kind of packer are you? Do you think that planning ahead eases the stress of travel and airports? Or is that all just part of the fun of it? Let us know what you think!

Weekend breaks are a great means of making an escape without taking any time off from your work or disrupting your children’s school term should you have a family. One of our favourite things about taking a weekend break is that it’s on your terms. You can decide whether you want an adventure packed weekend in the countryside, a weekend of shopping and entertainment in a city or just a relaxing weekend by the coast to name but a few options. All it takes is a little planning, even if you just decide to getaway a few days beforehand. Just figure out how you want to spend your weekend, how much time and effort you want to spend getting there and before you know it, the location will fall into place, as to will your itinerary.

So what are you waiting for? Get planning your weekend break well, this weekend! And then you can spend all next week looking forward to your ideal weekend getaway. Keep us informed on your planning and what your perfect weekend involves!

To the unaccustomed eye, the appearance of the century egg, a popular Chinese delicacy, is somewhat alarming. Learning how the eggs are made is not particularly reassuring, either. Duck, chicken or quail eggs are preserved for up to several months in a mixture of ash, salt, clay, rice hulls and lime, which turns their yolks to a dark brown colour with a creamy texture and sulphurous smell, and their whites to a dark brown, transparent jelly.

Century eggs can be eaten on their own or used as an ingredient in other dishes, for breakfast or other meals.

Siri Paya, Pakistan

Meaning ‘head and feet’, the soup-like Siri Paya is remarkably well named. It’s more the thought of a dish made with the head and trotters of a cow, goat or lamb that is off putting – these ingredients have been commonly used in traditional recipes by cultures around the world for centuries, even here in the wimpy West. That said, breakfast may not be the ideal time to be sampling this delight for the first time, particularly if you’re used to a bowl of cereal in the morning.

2.3. Huitlacoche, Mexico

Sounds exotic, doesn’t it? Well in English, this breakfast treat is known as Corn Smut, and is basically sweetcorn with a disease which ‘replaces the normal kernels of the cobs with large distorted tumours’ (thanks Wikipedia).

Tempted yet? Huitlacoche is a remnant of Aztec cuisine and is enjoyed either fresh or canned in Mexico, often as a filling for a quesadilla or in a soup.

4. Bread and Sprinkles, Indonesia

Moving into more comfortable territory, there’s nothing unpleasant about our next dish, just a bit unusual.

In Indonesia, a common breakfast treat is to spread a slice of white bread with butter and cover with sprinkles, or meises. To us at BedandBreakfastworld.com it seems like something you might allow a fussy child to eat once you’ve given up trying to get toast down their throats. That, and something we may be secretly trying once we get home…

5. Marmite, UK

As the advert famously says, you either love it or you hate it, but even those who hate it probably don’t think there’s anything actually weird about Marmite. There is. Marmite is a dark-brown, sticky, salty paste made from yeast extract, a by-product of brewing beer. It is made by adding salt to yeast until the yeast self-destructs (thanks again, Wikipedia). Spread it on toast and you’ve got an extremely strong-tasting, dark-brown, sticky, salty paste on toast. Enjoy!

6. Bacon and Chocolate Chip Pancakes, USA

Why choose between sweet and savoury when you can have it all? Again, this sounds like something a child would put together for breakfast, but in fact you’ll see plenty of fully grown adults tucking into a mountain of pancakes and bacon, usually topped with maple syrup and sometimes even ice cream! We have to say, there is something wonderful about that salty and sweet combination…

7. Churros and Chocolate, Spain

The final item on our list wouldn’t really be described as a weird food, but we feel it earns a place for its pure decadence, especially as a breakfast treat. Like deep-fried, crispy doughnuts covered in sugar? Yes. Like thick, rich hot chocolate? Of course you do! Now take item A, dip into item B and consume. Delicious, no?

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve eaten for breakfast? Which items on our list would you most like to try? (We’re guessing churros or pancakes!)

Indigo Bush Studios, Coromandel

Enjoy a bed and breakfast experience like no other at Indigo Bush Studios in Coromandel. Art surrounds you as you step into this sophisticated but quirky B&B, run by local painter and potter Robyn Lewis. There are two architecturally designed studio apartments to choose from, both modern and open-plan, complemented by muted natural colours, earthy textures and an ethnic vibe. Curl up beside the log fire or unwind in the outdoor bath.

Coromandel is a historic town located about 2.5 hours’ drive from Auckland and is surrounded by spectacular coastal scenery.

Read more about Indigo Bush Studios

The Peppertree, Blenheim

Set amid extensive country gardens with its own boutique vineyard and olive grove, 5-star Blenheim B&B The Peppertree offers luxury accommodation in the heart of Marlborough’s wine region. Choose from one of five spacious suites, all of which have their own personality and are elegantly decorated in keeping with the period character of the building. A delicious complimentary breakfast is served in the attractive dining room or out on the verandah.

Blenheim is a charming market town with a relaxed atmosphere, popular for its numerous arts and crafts galleries. It is located in the Marlborough District, which offers some of the most diverse scenery in New Zealand.

Read more about The Peppertree

88 Lodge, Kerikeri

Experience the homely atmosphere of a bed and breakfast with the quality service and facilities of a top hotel at 88 Lodge in Kerikeri’s beautiful Bay of Islands. This luxury B&B has four tastefully appointed rooms and suites equipped looking out onto a sub-tropical garden a solar-heated swimming pool. The Queen Palm Suite even has its own private pool. In the morning, enjoy the breakfast of your choice prepared using only the freshest local products and served with seasonal fruit from the lodge’s own orchards.

88 Lodge is located just a few minutes from the bustling town of Kerikeri, with its stylish shops and cafés and its heritage sites. Northland’s famous beaches are within easy reach, as are golf courses, vineyards and a wide range of water sports. Swim with dolphins, sky dive or just sit back and enjoy the stunning scenery of the Bay of Islands.

Read more about 88 Lodge

Somersal B&B, Waitomo

Somersal B&B in Waitomo offers a relaxing country experience among idyllic surroundings on the banks of the River Waipa. The four luxurious guestrooms all enjoy garden or mountain views, and in the morning you’ll awake to your choice of a freshly prepared cooked or continental breakfast. Play a game of croquet or petanque on the lawn or splash about in the pool and take in the beautiful scenery surrounding our B&B.

Somersal B&B is situated on the edge of Pirongia, famous for its volcano and forest park which is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. It is also just a couple of hours’ drive from many of New Zealand’s top tourist destinations.

Read more about Somersal B&B

See more New Zealand bed and breakfasts

Do you have a ticket for any of the 2011 Rugby World Cup matches? Who is your money on to win?

On the list are:

1. Snowdonia, for its stunning landscape of mountains, lakes and beaches
2. Eas a Chual Aluinn, a waterfall in the Scottish Highlands which is four times the height of Niagara Falls.
3. Cornwall, for its beautiful beaches and countryside
4. Hadrian’s Wall
5. Brighton Pavilion
6. Cheddar Gorge
7. Piccadilly Circus

Cheddar Gorge (image from www.mirror.co.uk)