We stayed at this B&B with 3 other couples so that we could skate on the canal. The location was convenient and the hosts were somewhat polite. We did not know in advance that it was a vegan B&B. That should not have been a problem, except that when I asked if I could put a few things in the fridge, the response was 'No Meat'. Startled me! I asked if wine and cheese were ok. Another surprise was that after skating we all gathered for wine and cheese in the dining room. We were informed loudly and abruptly that it was their dining room, and that we should not open another bottle of wine as they would be eating there at 6:30. We had planned to go to dinner around 7 or 8, but instead left. We enjoyed our dinner at the Manx Pub which the hosts highly recommended. When we returned to the B&B though, they had dinner guests and were still in the dining room. We didn't have a common area to continue to visit with our friends. We ended up all piling into 1 bedroom to chat. That was awkward. I had no complaints about the cleanliness of my room, but the next day heard from one of our friends that they opened a drawer to find junk, and cigarette butts. The armoire was full of junk, and old chairs. There was no where for them to hang a few items. Also under the beds was dirty. The hosts were friendly enough, and I enjoyed chatting with them and meeting their dog, but I would have expected a comfortable gathering area, and for the drawers and armoire to be clean and free of junk. Also when we went to bed at 11 they were still up visiting with friends in the dining room. Our friend's room was directly across from them, with glass doors, lightly glazed, and they felt that they had no privacy. I'd like to see these owners double think about offering a comfortable sitting area for their paying guests. I think it was absurd that we had no where to gather except in our bedroom. Also, cleanliness is not optional. Other than that they were friendly and interesting, but room for improvement.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Management Response
Lola_01, Owners
(Management representative)
6 Mar 2008
Dear TripAdvisor,
We are writing this letter in response to a review that was posted on your web site. All of our web sites and publicity state CLEARLY that we are a vegetarian establishment and we are proud of this fact. “Vegetarian” is even clearly stated at the top of our Trip Advisor listing.
Our water is cleaned by reverse osmosis and the bread we serve is organic. Breakfast servings are generous and we never deny any request for more food.
On occasion, we are able to accommodate our guests’ request to store some food in our fridge. Sadly, most commercial brands of beer and wine are not vegetarian since they use a gelatin product in their production. Still we accommodated their request to store their wine and cheese for these eight guests in our refrigerator.
The guests were using the dining room for three hours. We welcomed them in and even lit a fire in the fireplace for their gathering. They entered at 3 PM and we requested they allow us access to our space at 6:10 PM. We did hear them continue their socializing on the premises during our own dinner as we heard a beer bottle shatter as they left for dinner which we later cleaned up this icy (-20oC) mess from our front porch with not so much as a raised eyebrow.
Two of the four rooms rented were 10’X15’ the same size as the dining room. The armoire with the folding chairs would have given them the ability to easily host all in one of the two spacious rooms they occupied. Information sheets in guest rooms request lights out at 10 PM. This is observed by the hosts as well, who are up and serving guests at 6 AM daily.
We pride our selves on specialized and individual service to all of our guests. It is a shame that these concerns were not communicated to us during their stay as we do our best to make every visit to Downtown Bed & Breakfast and Spa a positive experience for both guests and hosts!
Kind regards,
Siri Bandhu & Harimandir
Downtown Bed & Breakfast & Spa
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC