Honeymoon: The Lodging

Airbnb is where it's at, people.

That's the site we used to book our rentals in San Francisco and Napa. Renting an apartment can be more affordable than a hotel, not only due to price per night, but also because you don't have to buy food every single time you're hungry. Another bonus: No housekeepers are knocking on your door at 8 a.m. to start cleaning.

In San Francisco, we stayed in an adorable one-bedroom apartment in Noe Valley. It was bright, clean, and in a safe, quiet neighborhood - yet still within walking distance to all of the action.

In Napa, we rented a gorgeous cottage in Calistoga. The cottage is only a few yards away from the sweet couple who rents it out, but we rarely saw them. Oh, and they also let us use their inground pool. Our four days there were seriously heaven.

Our Napa cottage didn't have a full kitchen, but we made eggs each morning in the microwave. We also bought a styrofoam cooler and ice, and used that as a fridge. 

After four days in Napa, we returned to San Francisco for our last night, since we were flying out of Oakland. We booked a hotel in Union Square - Parc 55 Wyndham - so we'd be within walking distance to AT&T Park, where we had tickets to a baseball game. Well, when we arrived at Parc 55, the woman who checked us in told us we got "upgraded," and to go to floor 32. Um, yeah...I'm not sure why we got upgraded (they had no idea we were on our honeymoon), but this hotel room was larger than our home. It also had spectacular views of San Francisco.

First bathroom.

Second bathroom.

The view from one of many windows.

Which do you prefer: rental or hotel? 

The Lion and the Rose Bed & Breakfast

As I mentioned yesterday, Z and I spent the weekend in Whitefield, N.H., and we stayed at The Lion and the Rose Bed & Breakfast. The Lion and the Rose is a Victorian-style inn owned and operated by husband-and-wife duo, Roger and Chris Croteau (who just celebrated 10 years of owning this B&B, after moving up here from Key West, Florida).

Source.

The Lion and the Rose is a newly restored 1895 Queen Anne Victorian Painted Lady. The interior is adorned with bold, busy wallpaper, photos of the innkeepers and their families, and furniture, chandeliers and overall decor straight from the Victorian era. This time of year, Roger and Chris also have their B&B decked out for the holidays.

All seven of the inn's rooms are named to match that room's decor. We stayed in The White Lilac room, which was complete with matching wallpaper (don't mind our mess in these photos).

Chris was kind enough to take us on a tour of the rest of the rooms before we left on Sunday. Other notable rooms include The Far East, The Lion's Den, and The Egyptian Room (you can view all of them here). 

In addition to the inn's detailed decor, Chris makes breakfast for all of their guests every morning. Breakfast is at 8 or 9 a.m., and you dine with a few of the other guests who are also staying at the inn. On Saturday morning, we enjoyed eggs with dill, home fries, and English muffins. On Sunday, we had French toast stuffed with strawberries and cream cheese, smothered with a fresh raspberry syrup. Both meals were excellent, and it was really nice to chat with the innkeepers and the other B&B guests.

Overall, our stay at The Lion and the Rose was fantastic. The price was reasonable (room rates range from $89 to $185 per night), the innkeepers were welcoming, the food was delicious, and the decor forced us to take a step back in time. A nice, relaxing step back. 

Which do you prefer: Hotel or bed & breakfast?

Christmas Farm Inn in Jackson, N.H.

The purpose of Z and I staying overnight in Jackson, N.H. was to visit the Christmas Farm Inn. I had bought an Eversave deal for a weeknight stay there, so it was the perfect excuse to jet off to the countryside for a few days.

The Christmas Farm Inn, in one word, is adorable. Their motto, scattered throughout the inn, is "There are no strangers, only friends we haven't met." 

The inn has also got quite a bit of history - just take a look at this tidbit of information from the inn's website:

"Part jail, part church, part farm house… Few country inns have as fragmented a history as the Christmas Farm Inn. Sadly, most of the official records of the inn’s early years were destroyed by a fire in the courthouse in 1886, but certain remnants of those roots have been passed down through time."

The room we stayed in was one of the main rooms - the Vixen (yes, most of the inn's rooms are named after reindeer). The entire inn had a Christmas theme, actually, as one would expect (we even enjoyed a drink at the Mistletoe Pub). 

The Vixen's amenities included a jacuzzi and a king-size bed.

Our Eversave deal also included a bottle of red or white wine.

Our room was spotless, comfortable and full of sunlight during the daytime. The jacuzzi wasn't a bad addition, either. 

Our Eversave deal also included breakfast in the morning. Christmas Farm has a short but simple breakfast menu, in addition to a spread of cereals, fruit and yogurt. I started my morning with a hot cup of coffee.

I also helped myself to some fresh fruit - including grapefruit, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe and honey dew melon - while we waited for our breakfast orders. 

For my main course, I ordered the blueberry pancakes. I never order pancakes when I'm out for breakfast, so this was a nice treat (especially considering Christmas Farm uses their "own special recipe"). Much to my delight, the pancakes were slightly crispy on the outside/fluffy on the inside, loaded with wild blueberries, and wonderfully buttery in flavor. 

My pancakes also came with a side of crispy, semi-underseasoned homefries (I substituted the bacon or sausage for homefries).

Unfortunately, our stay at the Christmas Farm Inn came to a quick end. After we checked out, we made use of the beautiful morning by walking around the inn's property. In addition to the main inn, Christmas Farm has several other cottages people can stay at, as well as a spa and an indoor pool and fitness center (they also have an outdoor pool, which I assume opens this weekend).

This house is said to be the oldest home in Jackson - it's right next to the main inn.

Indoor pool and fitness center. 

More to come on where we went and what else we ate during our time in Jackson!