A B&B (Bed and Breakfast) can be found in any part of the country, in both towns and cities as-well as out in the wilds of the countryside. They are often small townhouses or country cottages, and occasionally working farms, which are managed, usually just by the owner, as a cheaper and more personal alternative to a hotel.

Advantages of B&B

The great thing about staying in a B&B is that it is almost like staying with a local family. The owners usually make a lot of effort to provide you with a nice, homely environment and make sure that you have lots of home comforts and personal attention; they will often be locals who can share their knowledge of the surrounding area with you, and recommend things for you to see and do.

The quality of accommodation can change quite a lot; many do not have private ‘en-suite’ bathrooms or televisions in their rooms, whilst for others all of these things will be standard. Most will provide breakfast only, but those that do serve an evening meal, the meals will usually be home-cooked and served around one big table in the kitchen, especially in the countryside. This gives you a chance to get to know the other guests and find out more about the local area, you might even make a new friend for life. 

Breakfast

Breakfast, included in the price of the room, will usually be served early (7 a.m. – 8 a.m.) and will probably be a traditional English breakfast. If you have never had one of these before then it might be a good idea to start dieting now; they consist of fried eggs, fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes, fried bacon, fried sausages, black pudding (don’t ask!) and even fried bread, all washed down with litres of sweet milky tea.

Lifestyle

If you are going to try a B&B you might want to think about what kind of person you are. If you plan to come back late after drinking too much, you will not be very popular with your host. They may even have a set time when they lock the doors, after which you could find yourself sleeping on the street. And bringing back friends to your room is also going to cause problems. Remember, you are a guest in someone’s house more than a resident in a hotel. 

Rating System

Most B&Bs are rated by a star or diamond system, much like hotels, with 1 star/diamond providing the most basic accommodation and 5 stars/diamonds the highest. Some allow pets, but you should ask first as it is more likely that they will not. And one important thing to remember is that they may not accept credit cards, so make sure that you go with enough cash to pay the bill.

If you like the idea of B&Bs then have a look at our listings in  "Find a.." .There are some excellent guides that list over 10,000 B&Bs and include lots of tourist information and maps. B&B’s don’t offer you room service, satellite TV and High Speed Broadband Connection, but for the more adventurous amongst you, they will give you a much more rewarding and enjoyable experience than just staying in a hotel.

By John Hillman

To be listed here click

USEFUL WORDS

bed & breakfast (B&B)
owner / proprietor = the person who the B&B belongs to and who may also manage and run it
guest = a person who is staying at a B&B
guest bedroom
check in = arrive and register at reception
check out = leave and pay your bill
single room = a room with one bed for one person
twin room = a room with two single beds
double room = a room with one bed for two people
en-suite room = a room with a bathroom inside
half board = bed, breakfast and evening meal
full board = bed, breakfast, lunch and evening meal
star rating/classification = a quality grading system for hotels
homely = making you feel comfortable as if you were in your own home
home comforts = things that make you feel as if you were at home
home-cooked = fresh food which is prepared at home, not bought from a shop

ENGLISH GRAMMAR

2nd Conditional

if + past simple + would/wouldn’t + infinitive

Also known as the unlikely or improbable conditional, the 2nd Conditional has two main meanings:
1. to describe an improbable future event or situation.  The condition is unlikely to be fulfilled because the future event is unlikely to happen:
If I had enough money, I would buy a B&B

2. to describe a hypothetical current situation or event i.e. one which is contrary to known facts.  It is therefore impossible to fulfil the condition:
If property wasn’t so expensive, it would be easier for more people to run B&Bs

The Past Continuous or was going to can also be used in the if clause:
If a celebrity was staying at the B&B, security arrangements would be tightened
If she was going to move straight into her house, she wouldn’t need to stay at the B&B

Modal verbs are often used in the main clause, especially might or could:
More people might stay in British B&Bs if there was a group website for them