Share

This month Black Enterprise highlights 10 of the best black-owned B&Bs in the country. A B&B is a private residence with rooms for guests whose paid accommodations include breakfast. There is a wide range of B&Bs available, from quaint country inns to sleek, urban dwellings. The owners and/or innkeepers usually reside at the B&B, which can make for a very personalized experience. You know we are fans of supporting black businesses so I thought I’d pass along this information for any YBP vacationers looking to stay somewhere less mainstream.

1. Akwaaba by the Sea in Cape May, NJ- one of five B&Bs (Akwaaba Mansion, Brooklyn, NY; Akwaaba at Buttonwood Manor, Cape May; Akwaaba D.C.; Akwaaba in the Bayou, New Orleans) owned by husband and wife Glenn Pogue and Monique Greenwood. Each offers different décor and getaway experiences.

2. Quintessentials Bed & Breakfast and Spa on Long Island, NY’s North Fork, is now 13 years old. Today, Sylvia Daley’s B&B not only offers accommodations and meals, but also spa services such as hot stone massages, reflexology, skincare, a steam room, water therapies, Reiki energy balancing and its signature marine and vino therapies that incorporate wine, grape seed, seaweed, Caribbean herbs and essentials oils.

3.May Dell’s Lap-O-Luxury is just two-and-a-half hours from Manhattan, nestled amidst 12 acres of secluded woods in New York’s Catskill Mountains. The setting here is “rustic luxury,” With five bedrooms, full breakfast daily with lunch and dinner available.

4. Phoenix Risin’ B&B based in Baltimore offers a getaway in the heart of the city, says owner/innkeeper Janice Orr. “Guests can walk to many of Baltimore’s main attractions,” says Orr of her seven-year-old property. And Orr says her goal is to make guests feel at home. “Our guests are greeted with a hug and champagne or sparkling cider,” says Orr, who gets every detail of a guest’s stay planned prior to arrival.

5. High Haven House Bed and Breakfast Inn on Martha’s Vineyard is owned by Bill and Holly Carter. Having been frequent business travelers themselves, the Carters say they know what guests want. The B&B features: a full, sit-down European style breakfast; pool and hot tub; gas grills and tables for pool-side dining; bicycles; an aerobic exercise room; wireless broadband Internet hot spots; an in-room video movie loan program; and rooms with phones, cable TV, VCRs, coffee makers, microwave ovens, and refrigerators.

6. The Shearer Cottage also on Martha’s Vineyard has been family owned and operated since 1903, say current innkeepers Doris Poe Jackson and Lee Jackson Van Allen. “We’re a hop, skip and a jump to beaches, bike trails and jogging paths, public golf courses and tennis courts, restaurants, shops and otherOak Bluffs attractions,” notes Jackson.

7. Villa Bella Vista Inn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Luray, Virginia, offers four bedrooms, three suites with Jacuzzis and one with a private bath. “I always wanted to have an establishment that served as a retreat that incorporated fitness and fun,” says owner and retired NFLer Darryl Haley.

8. Morehead Manor in Durham, NC is owned by Daniel and Monica Edwards. They say they don’t just welcome you into their home, but to the city. “We are ambassadors to the city. We can advise guests on sites to see and restaurants to try,” says Monica. “We pride ourselves as being Needs Anticipation Specialist; we know what you need and have it in place before you actually realize that you need it.”

9. Strawberry Creek Inn in Idyllwild, California offers a getaway just two hours or less from L.A. and San Diego . By many standards, this is a large B&B- it has five rooms in a cedar-shingled main inn and four in a courtyard wing. There’s also a private cottage. Another perk: All rooms feature Aveda bath amenities and luxurious double-layer bath robes.

10. The Glendale Gaslight Inn in Glendale, Arizona offers breakfast, lunch and tea, as well as a wine bar and live jazz music. Owners Paul and Teresa Seabrook must be doing something right—Glendale Gaslight Inn’s first 13 months gross sales was nearly $300,000 and experienced over 50% increase in the first quarter of ’07.