Mountain Laurel Rest

This bed and breakfast is lovely and quiet. The rooms are spacious, the breakfasts are generous, and it’s all very relaxing.
Except for one thing. The woman of the couple who runs this establishment is very nice and easy going. The man, however, is neither of those things. In early evenings they serve wine and cheeses (which is great), and the man sat down with us and wanted to talk politics. It became clear that he and our group disagreed about pretty much everything. (He’s right of center; we’re on the left.) He seemed eager to start an argument with us, and it was quite irritating. Nothing against his politics; we don’t have to agree about things. But he was belligerent and condescending. Then, when we told him where we were going to dinner — Madison’s, at the Old Edwards Inn — he practically sneered with contempt. Apparently that’s where the tourists go, and the locals go to other, more authentic restaurants. Uh, sir, we’re tourists, which is why we’re at your B&B, and Madison’s is a consistently amazing restaurant, so lose your attitude.
I should say that I saw him in a similar conversation with other guests who seemed to agree with him more than we did, and he held forth for half an hour straight. I can’t imagine they enjoyed being talked at, either. I found it a bit ironic that a libertarian-​republican who couldn’t stop accusing the current administration of being anti-​business could be so clueless about how to deal with his customers.
So if you can avoid the husband, I’d say this place gets four or five stars. But we’re not going back. Dude was just unpleasant.

This is a beautiful bed and breakfast. The rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated with private balconies. There is no cell phone reception, but there is WiFi. Appetizers and wine are served every night at 6:00 and breakfast is served beginning at 8:30. I believe the B&B was filled to capacity. Most of the guests were from the deep south, like us, and we were escaping from the heat. I really didn’t think I would take another hike until fall, but the weather was only in the 80’s, so we were able to hike the Glen Falls trail (holy cow — it almost killed me) and Whitewater trail (easy). All of the guests were delightful. Dave and Janis are the owners and they make everyone feel so comfortable. They are wonderful hosts and cooks. This B&B is really off the beaten path. It is so serene and beautiful. It is like camping in luxury. We kept our many windows open all night and day. FYI, there are no refrigerators in the rooms and there is not an ice machine. There is a common refrigerator in the hall in case you want to bring wine. Also, the latest the stores stay open seems to be 7:30.