North Lodge, Asheville

SSOULE — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 03:26:08 GMT

A friend asked me to post this report for her:

"We loved Asheville, The Biltmore Estate, the galleries and restaurants, a special coffee/teahouse called The Indigenous Tea House and The North Lodge on Oakland Bed and Breakfast. Peggy and Patrick Irwin were born to be innkeepers. They run an immaculate, beautifully restored and decorated inn. They have made maps to the local restaurants, attractions, etc. and have an indexed notebook of information and resources in every guest room. They are extremely personable and knowledgeable about the area and love to share their enthusiasm with their guests.

The inn is in a quiet neighborhood just five minutes from the Biltmore. We found the location to be very convenient as far as getting to the attractions and downtown. The menu for the next day's breakfast is always posted the afternoon before so that guests who may have allergies or issues with the prospective meal can request substitutions. They have a refrigerator for guests which is stocked with water and soda and have another refrigerator where guests can put their own perishables. They provide snacks and cookies in this area and may have fresh baked cookies on the weekends. We did not see that although it is mentioned on their flyer. All over the inn were little touches that showed the inn keepers were thinking of the needs of their guests.

We stayed in The Magnolia Room and I loved the way the room felt and looked - it was as it appeared on the inn's website. There are a total of five guest rooms at the North Lodge - ours was one of the larger ones - but they are all nicely decorated and have good beds and updated baths. Even The Library (a room on the first floor) although small, was quite cozy in feel. We found the inn to be quiet and did not to hear noise from other guests. I enjoyed reading in the backyard gazebo and Joe spent some time photographing plants in the yard.

I really feel that Peggy and Patrick are fabulous at what they do. They are well organized, friendly and extremely helpful without being intrusive. On the morning we had to leave, the weather was quite threatening and Patrick took it upon himself to check on the forecast for where we were heading (via internet). We really appreciated his concern.

Breakfasts were served at 9:00 AM but a guest could request an earlier time if they had to leave earlier. I especially enjoyed the fresh fruit with various toppings that they served daily and the Hazelnut coffee. There was a different breakfast each of the four days we stayed and they have no trouble accommodating vegetarians or people with special diets.

The prices seemed very reasonable for Asheville. This may be due to the fact that they are not in the historic neighborhood where many of the other B&Bs are. I would definitely go back. There is also more information and even rooms tours on the inn's website: http://www.northlodge.com/"

North Carolina

North Lodge, Asheville