around the island

These pictures were taken at Thunder Cove, not far from the B&B. It really is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island. This was the first time I had been to this section. The views are spectacular.

Will winter ever end....

Here we go again, more snow...not a lot mind you, but enough talk about, but not enough to shovel...and that's fine by me...
The reservations are starting to come in, from all over...Australia, Scotland... and we are getting geared up for a busy season...devastating news about Japan....and the turmoil the Japanese citizens are going through, we just cannot imagine. PEI is a very popular destination for Japanese tourists, so I am certain  these awful events will have an impact...we will have to wait and see. God Bless them.

I have ordered my new rack cards...and the Prince Room bathroom is all fixed up....I was concerned about the paint match...but it was wonderful...absolutely no problems, looks fabulous, and you would never know we had to have the wall fixed up...and it only cost $500. A little cheaper than quoted...that's always nice.

Now I am starting to look through recipe books, and talk to other people who like to cook, to get new ideas for breakfasts....talking with other B&B operator friends it is agreed that Eggs Benedict is overdone....we have never served it, and won't....just like toast....(we don't serve that either)...there are lots of alternatives. So in the coming weeks, I will share some new recipes I am going to put into our repetoire.

great service

Wilbur our construction guy....he is wonderful....the damaged wall is just about complete...and it looks great. It really is a relief knowing that the person you have hired to do 'work' is good..I didn't take before pictures, because he was so fast I didn't have a chance, and I was out of the house when he started...and it's just about complete...I will most likely be painting at the end of next week....

now we just have to deal with all the snow that has fallen...another storm last night....heavy wet snow...I was out shoveling at about 9am this morning...so now the driveway and walkway are clear again...this is when I curse that we have a double driveway...and I really insist on it being completely clear....down to the cement...oh well, I consider it my daily exercise...I should post some photos....

Fixing things up

In my first post I had said that during the winter months, we prepare for our upcoming season by sprucing things up etc....well, because of some damage to a wall in one of our B&B bathrooms, I've had to call in our 'construction' guy....who has told us, that he has to build out part of the wall, new stapping, foam insulation, new dry wall, etc....to save time and a wee bit of money, I told him I would repaint (ha ha)....it could be a lot worse though, the damaged section is small. I just politely asked if it could be all complete in a couple of weeks...the bookings are starting to come in, and I don't want to have to deal with any 'repairs'.... he complied.

Honey-Lime Dressing...

Wow, this has got to be the BEST fruit salad dressing I have ever had....I tried this recipe at a cooking
class  went to... we had a fruit salad for desert, but you could use this for a great breakfast fruit salad...it's very refreshing.
You can use a combination of any fruit, it's always best to use fresh, and seasonal fruits...I had this fruit salad in the winter, so the chef used cantaloupe, honeydew melon, green seedless grapes, pineapple, papaya, strawberries...
The dressing combines (adjust the quantities accordingly) plain yogurt, fresh lime juice, honey, grated fresh lime peel ( the chef used a lot of lime zest to give it extra zip, and it was delicious).
The dressing is then poured over the prepared fruit, and carefully mixed until all the fruit is coated.

Great recipe

Here's a recipe for your recipe archives...we were at a fabulous little restaurant for brunch on the weekend, and I spotted this recipe on the menu...I am definitely going to add it to my lineup....
Caribbean French Toast:
Coconut Milk
Bananas
Fruit Coulis

The procedure is the same as regular French Toast, dip the bread (use a nice artisan bread) in the coconut milk / cinnamon/ nutmeg mixture, grill each slice.
Slice bananas, add to pan of melted butter and honey. (add bananas just before serving, so bananas are just warm, not too mushy)
Put fruit (tropical fruit is best) coulis on the side in a small ramakin, so guests can use as much or little as they want...
I will most likely use this recipe on my 'sweet day'....starting with a fruit cup or fruit parfait.

enjoy.

The new season starts.

Well, here it is not yet the middle of January, and the guest emails are starting to arrive.
Just yesterday, I received two bookings for the summer....some folks are really great at planning ahead.
When guests book this early ... for summer stays....when I am going over their reservation information
I always ask them to look over our cancellation policy...!! I think  a lot of guests may take for granted that we as B&B owners overlook small items like cancellation policies and don't have these types of policies in place, but we know just how important these details are, and if you don't have these types of policies, I strongly urge you to put some in place...
When we were looking into establishing our cancellation policy, I went on other local B&B operators web sites and looked at what their policy was on cancellations, and they do vary that's for sure. With some, guests have to give as long as two weeks notice of cancellation .... we opted to put in our policy that we appreciate at least 72hrs (3 days) notice if a guest needs to cancel or change their reservation. In some cases, we do look at the individual situation and decide from there.  We have never had a problem with this.

Brochures

Now is the time to order more brochure/rack cards. With additions and or changes to guest rooms, like new bedding, furniture, decor (even a slight change, like moving the furniture around in a guest room) I like to change my brochures every year/season, to reflect the changes. It's important, even to repeat guests that you are paying attention to details. Even if you make changes to your house exterior, guest gathering rooms, outdoor areas, potential guests want to see these changes. I use an online 'store' called Vistaprint http://www.vistaprint.ca/ . Vistaprint offers a fabulous selection of designs, and you create your own, with text and pictures. The company always has fabulous specials, so this exercise does not have to cost a lot of your hard earned dollars.  You can order as few as 25....but of course you will need more.

I have to tell you. It was funny, at the beginning of last season, with my new brochures in hand, I went to our local VIC (Visitor Information Center). When I got there, I proudly handed my brochures for display, to the person in charge....she looked at them....chuckled (I was miffed), and proceded to tell me that another B&B operator (who had just opened a new B&B in the city) was in and dropped off their 'new' brochures...and to my surprise, it was the same design as mine...same colour, same print style, the only thing different was the pictures on the front, the map on the back, and of course the address....in my defence I told the VIC employee, that mine were nicer !! I think this was a rare case...and just another great reason why you need to change your brochures every season/year.

thoughts

It's that time of year when we as B&B owners start thinking about the upcoming B&B season. My B&B is mostly seasonal, most of our B&B business is done from May to October. We use this time to do repair work, painting, general sprucing up. In the months to follow, I will go over some of the things that I feel are necessary to do to get ready for the upcoming season.