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A NEW FOREST Bed and Breakfast
(often referred to as a B&B) is a type of boarding house typically operating out
of a large single family residence.
Guests are accommodated at night in private bedrooms and breakfast is served in
the morning - either in the bedroom or, more commonly, in a dining room or the
host's kitchen.
Bathrooms can be private or shared (with other guests or with the family in
smaller establishments) or en-suite (where the ablutions are directly accessed
from the guest's bedroom).
B&Bs may be operated either as a primary occupation or as a secondary source of
income. Staff often consists of the house's owners and members of their family
who live there.
Guests are usually expected to pay for their stay upon arrival and leave before
noon (or earlier) on the day of departure. A big advantage of this type of
hosted accommodation is the local knowledge of the host (s).
History
The B&B arrangement is actually a very old one; before the 20th century, it was
quite normal for country travellers to spend the night at a private house rather
than an inn, and this custom persists in many parts of the world. However, prior
to the 19th century, this was strictly an informal arrangement constrained by
acquaintance and social rank; a doctor might stay with a doctor or pharmacist,
while a nobleman would only stay with the local gentry.
The abbreviation of `B&B' on roadside signs first became popular in the British
Isles - typically with a detachable 'Vacancies' sign swinging below.
National differences
British Isles
The north east Atlantic archipelago has some of the most expensive hotel beds in
the European Union and in those isles, B&B's are a budget option.
There tend to be concentrations of B&B's in the seaside towns where,
historically, the working classes holidayed such as Newcastle in Ireland and
Blackpool in England but they are also widespread in isolated rural areas such
as the Highlands of Scotland where there is not a year-round concentration of
travellers sufficient to sustain an hotel.
In the British Isles, breakfast is usually cooked on demand for the guest and
usually features bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, etc
but, increasingly, because of either a desire of owners to economise or guests
to minimise their calorie intake, a continental breakfast is becoming more
common.
In The New Forest, most Bed and Breakfast (B&Bs) serve a full English breakfast
as a point of pride.
WHAT IS A UK "BED AND BREAKFAST" (B&B) ?
A "Bed and Breakfast" in the United Kingdom is an expression in common use which
is used to describe overnight accommodation or lodgings of reasonable quality
where the host provides a breakfast meal the following morning.
Many "Bed and Breakfasts" or B&Bs are small businesses run in the home of the
host (usually the lady of the house).
B&Bs vary in size and quality but they normally have between 1 and 4 letting
bedrooms. B&B hosts sometimes also provide other meals for overnight visitors by
separate arrangement.
Many Bed and Breakfasts in the UK are now of a very high quality. The English
Tourism Council (ETC), now known as "Visit Britain", has a grading system for
participating accommodation businesses; B&Bs are assessed on an annual
inspectors report of their facilities and quality standards; they are graded
from 1 to 5 "Diamonds" with 5 being the highest standard. With the growth of the
Internet and the subsequent changes in Accommodation marketing some B&B hosts
now do not to bother with the expense of ETC participation. The fact that a B&B
is not ETC inspected does not imply inferior quality, indeed in many cases the
opposite is true.
Whilst B&B hosts prefer visitors to pre-book or make a reservation, it is
accepted that visitors can simply "turn up" and ask for overnight lodgings.
Overnight B&B rates vary from about ?18 to ?50 per person per night, with the
2006 average being approximately ?27.50.
Many people prefer to use B&Bs because of their small and informal nature; the
host is usually very knowledgeable about the surrounding area and they are often
prepared to provide assistance to their visitors well beyond what would be
expected.
"Bed and Breakfast" can also be found in larger accommodation establishments
such as Guest Houses and Hotels; the additional facilities (laundry, bar
etcetera) often mean that overnight rates here are higher. Expect to pay
anything between ?30 and ?150 per person per night.
Accommodation or lodgings in the New Forest varies widely. The history and
nature of the area means that there are few large farms and hence not many
converted barns and tied houses as holiday cottages. There are fewer holiday
cottages per square mile in the New Forest. There are a number of hotels and a
great many Bed and Breakfasts.