We love staying in Bed & Breakfasts. There’s something comforting knowing your host is doing everything to make you feel at home (literally in their home).

Now, not every B&B feels like a comfortable home stay – one particularly bad B&B comes to mind – but we’ve been fortunate to stay in some exceptional B&Bs.  Here are a few of our favorites:

1. Fernroyd House – Cork, Ireland

Fernroyd House is owned and operated by husband and wife team, Tony and Avril. This was my first experience in a B&B and it definitely didn’t disappoint. The room (and common areas) were newly painted, very clean, and comfortable. The traditional Irish breakfast including Avril’s freshly baked scones, were to die for. Tony gave great recommendations for day trips from Cork, and even gave us a little insight into our family history (we weren’t, as we all thought, from Cork, but rather from Northern Ireland – and family documentation later confirmed this).

2.  Haus Reichl – Salzburg, Austria

Haus Reichl is a phenomenal B&B. Proprietor Franziska Reichl is a wonderful hostess, and the location, right off the Moosstrasse, can’t be beat. The alpine style house sits on a large meadow at the base of the Untersberg, famously featured in the opening scenes of the Sound of Music. It’s a truly beautiful setting, and a must stay if you’re a nature lover (we saw deer playing outside right in the front of the house). In addition to the spectacular views, our room was spacious, clean, and homey.

3. Clan Campbell Hotel – Edinburgh, Scotland

While technically classified as a hotel, the Clan Campbell is more of what we would expect of a B&B: private rooms in a large home with breakfast served each morning in a shared dining room. Even they promote the hotel as “your home away from home.” There were so many positives to spending a few nights here: it was close enough to main attractions to walk, but had ample parking for our rental car right outside; there were many restaurants, shops, and even a Laundromat nearby; and the rooms were large and clean.  The style of the home was also really impressive, and staying there I could imagine what it must have been like to live in the UK during the early 1900s.