Bed And Breakfast

Picture yourself slumbering in a four-poster bed in a rambling 1840s farmhouse in George Bush's seaside neck of the Maine woods, Kennebunkport. Imagine spending the night in an antique-filled Italian Renaissance mansion set on 39 acres of meadow and woodland in Hannibal, Mo. Better yet, mentally stretch out in the "Samuel Clemens room," where Mark Twain once sawed Zs. Or how about lodging in a West Virginia inn built in 1824 as a stagecoach stop and boasting Gen. Robert E.

It was my friend Karman's idea for us to stay in a bed-and-breakfast on the second floor of Sonoma's new cooking school. I can make a nice salad, but Karman's the sort who kicks back with the Food Channel and isn't sheepish about subscribing to "Martha Stewart Living." But after one cooking class and two days in Sonoma, where delis offer cheese tastings, wine is worshiped and even an ice-cream sundae is a revelation with homemade caramel and toasted hazelnuts, I'm converting.

The four-wheel drive vehicle rocked and lurched as it wound its way up the steep, rutted mountain road. Hundred-foot pines, rooted along the canyon floor below, soared toward the wispy clouds. The mission was to find some of the most beautiful places to run in and around Yosemite National Park. But inside the car, a passenger glanced over the cliff's oh -so-close edge, wondering how long it would take--seconds? minutes?

Cheerily we asked directions to Annie's Bed and Breakfast. "Oh yeah, the pig lady's place," was the matter-of-fact reply. "Pigs?" muttered my wife, Meredith. I winced. Annie's had been my pick from AAA and the California Bed & Breakfast Inns guides. We turned onto a country lane just outside Springville (population: 1,540), 174 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the foothills of California's Sierra Nevada mountains.

It's many a stressed-out city dweller's dream. Buy a quaint Victorian in some picturesque burg, open a bed-and-breakfast and get paid to live like Martha Stewart. But any innkeeper will tell you that the fantasy fades once you're on the serving end of those freshly baked scones.

After downing enough eggs, pineapple souffle, fresh fruit and coffee to fuel a day of Civil War country sightseeing, guests at Boydville slowly disperse. Many guests imagine innkeepers Ripley Hotch and Owen Sullivan spending the rest of the day on the porch swing, sipping gin and tonics. In truth, the minute the guests depart, the work begins. There are dishes to wash, bed linens to change, laundry to do, general tidying up and more than 10 acres of lush West Virginia grounds to tend.

Melissa Kyle and Lisa Hylton want to open a bed-and-breakfast in Florida and raise a family together. But they have a few obstacles to overcome--only one of which is money. As a lesbian couple who plan to become business partners, they will have none of the legal protections enjoyed by married couples who own a business together. Lacking a marriage license, Kyle and Hylton will have to assemble a set of documents to take the place of that one vital piece of paper.

Question: When is it better to buy a full-fare economy ticket than an excursion? Answer: On some multiple-destination overseas routes the full-fare ticket permits free stopovers, whereas the excursion allows point-to-point travel and any additional tickets must be bought. The sum of these can cost more than the higher-priced regular ticket. Q: Do top-rated European restaurants accept reservation requests mailed from here?

Simpson House Inn is not a certain notorious Brentwood mansion now on the real estate market. It is a stately 123-year-old home in Santa Barbara that has become the first bed and breakfast establishment ever to earn the coveted five-diamond rating from AAA. Five other hotels and two restaurants have been added to the AAA five-diamond list this year, bringing the total to 57 lodging establishments and 40 restaurants. The awards were presented Sunday at ceremonies in Palm Beach, Fla.

An ever more popular choice of lodging for visitors to Washington in search of a cozy home away from home is in-town bed-and-breakfasts. And locals are also recommending B&Bs more and more as a good alternative to hotels for their out-of-town guests. There are three reasons: B&Bs are usually less expensive, located in pleasant parts of the District of Columbia and offer a hearty, homelike setting. In an effort to help find the best B&Bs here, we visited 18 locations.