When I think about B&Bs, I think Laura Ashley-floral knockoff motifs, a surplus of squashy pillows,…read moreand VCR tapes of heartwarming B-movies, peppered with potpourri. In a quest to enjoy an inexpensive staycation with my then-boyfriend last winter, I felt challenged to find a Bed and Breakfast in the Twin Cities area that didn't cater to Anglophile fantasies of rooming in a life-size doll house. I'm still young and hip, dammit! I found Dutch Lake Farm Guest House to be the anti-thesis of my B&B stereotype. Its website, while visually blinding, was thorough in information, although they neglect to mention they have WIFI. "But Melissa L.," you ask, "isn't the point of going to a B&B to escape the daily terrors of technology?" For me, the answer is no. But I digress. Making a reservation was pretty straight forward: you call or email, confirm they have an opening, and you mail part of the amount as a deposit. It's surprisingly low-tech, and perhaps they should do web-reservations for the more tech-minded, but it'll do for now. The guest house itself is over a garage, which is right next to owners Greg and Christie Wood's house. I really enjoyed the look, it was modern and not fussy at all.The ceilings are high and the decor is minimal. A lot of the furnishing are from IKEA, so you get the idea. The large window in the living area faces the woods; it's a gorgeous view. It was nice to sit on the sofa and watch the sky get dark while drinking a glass of bubbly. I went in the middle of January last year, and it was DAMN COLD. They have snowshoes for you, so it was nice to trek around and look at their Christmas tree farm, which is now operating. The area is rural, but I enjoyed the isolation. If you ski, the Luce Line trail is now completed so you can do that. There is shopping in nearby Buffalo, but I'm not interested in doodads or antiques. I should have brought more books or rented skis for the weekend. There's probably a greater deal of things to do in the summer. Amenities-wise, there is a mini-fridge, a coffee maker, and some silverware and plates. If you want to bring your own food, make sure to bring a cutting board and a knife. You'll have to rinse stuff out in the sink. Also, while they do supply bottled water, it doesn't hurt to bring your own. The Wood's served a great brunch, with an entire quiche and some badass rum cakes. They were pretty friendly on the phone and through the visit. Negatives: The water smells strongly of sulfur or something, so I had a hard time washing my face without smelling like eau de farts. It does get a bit chilly at night - being over a garage will do that - but they provide plenty of blankets. It's about a two-hour drive from Minneapolis, so not too far and not too close. I'd go again for a cheap staycation, but would probably do it in the summertime in order to take advantage of the outdoors.

My husband and I stayed here last night, and it was truly magical. The farm is beautiful and…read moreremote, just right for snowshoeing in newly fallen snow. We felt right at home and were warmly welcomed. The breakfast was fantastic (quiche, fruit and coffee) and delivered to us right on time. The owner even removed the snow from our car for us. Can't wait to go back in the summer!

As someone who goes on retreats (attending and directing), this place is all about hospitality…read more Trust me. This place is amazing. From the moment you walk in you receive the warmth and welcome that weary people need. From Cyril to the front desk staff, you feel taken care of. The rooms are amazing for a retreat center. Yes it needs to be simple but the wood and aesthetic add to the welcome and comfortableNEss one needs on retreat. It is not austere but rather feels like a hotel in some sense...okay, more like a bed and breakfast. The views from the room are amazing. Food wise: simple and nourishing. Depending on how many folks are occupying the guesthouse can the food change...for example don't expect a full breakfast spread if there are only three retreatants. If you want an omelette head to the Ref. One thing is that the temperature in the room can't really be adjusted but that's my only gripe. But definitely always a pleasure, and always a place to rejuvenate among the nowheresness of MN.

Aesthetically, there isn't much to attract at the St. John's Abbey Guesthouse. The architecture and…read moredecor is plain, concrete, and un-beautiful. Yet, the purpose is meant to draw you to look at your surroundings - the woods, the lake, and the beautiful campus that makes up St. John's University. Personally, I've been less than pleased with my experience here. The retreat was much less than I expected, the food wasn't too impressive, the building lacks the kind of warmth one expects to find at a retreat facility. It's not a place that I'd long to return to. However, I did take advantage of prayer with the monks at the nearby Abbey Church. I'd have to say that that was a highlight of my time here.

OMG, my wife treated me to birthday by having us stay here this weekend. Well, this place really…read morefeels like a real B&B. We stayed at Rittenhouse Inn last year for her birthday and it was nice. But, this place feels like home away from home with the nice touches of a warm welcome. We left our house after work so got here around 5:30PM on a Friday. Elaine had Sandy greet us and she was most welcoming with pamphlets of things to do. She prepared a local wine and cheese/grape platter while we decided for dinner. Plus, there was a bubbly mango sparkling bottle drink too for my birthday. In our room, she had some of Elaine's chocolate brownies ready for us as well. We ended up going to Swensons' Lake House restaurant only a couple blocks away. It was the best decision and recommendation from Sandy. Afterwards, we got the wine and cheese/grape platter from the fridge to relax in the gazebo. It was a nice a private area which we could enjoy the sunset. It was only the 2 of us in the house so it was nice to have some privacy with the house to ourselves. We woke up in the middle of the night and decided to enjoy some treats in the common area upstairs. We helped ourselves to some crackers and hot cider from Kuerig that Sandy showed us earlier. In the morning, we woke up and Sandy prepared our breakfast. We took a short walk around the lake and then to the church and back. Sandy was ready and served us a 3-4 meal breakfast. It started with a vanilla Greek yogurt parfait with cantaloupe, strawberries, and banana. Next, we had sausage with Havarti eggs and dill which was fantastic with some English muffins and homemade jam. Last, we had a bread pudding with whipped cream and chocolate chips. We finally got some great recommendations for hiking and checked out with Sandy. We enjoyed the wine so much that we visited WineHaven to pick up another bottle of the Stinger honey wine. Also, we picked up some of that local cheese down the road at Eichen that Sandy had for us when we arrived.

I loved this place!!! It was a great choice to go there instead of a hotel when traveling home to…read moreMinnesota. I can't wait to go again!!! My boyfriend and I love to travel but have never stayed in a bed and breakfast... Now we are hooked!!! It's adorable and the sweet lady that owns it is just amazing and sweet. Honest and good hearted.

My husband and I had a lovely stay at your facility last night when our home encountered a bit of a…read morewater issue and we knew getting up in the Monday am for work was not going to be pleasant. Thank you for accommodating us us in our "hour" of need for a cozy bed to sleep in and a warm shower in the am before work.

I feel like a complete jerk giving Erik's Retreat less than a 5. Let's start with the good. It is a…read morebeautiful place. The lobby is gorgeous. The room is large. It is inexpensive compared to other hotels in the area. It has a great mission! Here is the frustrating thing. The hotel advertised itself as having A/C. When we entered our room is was roasting. There were two fans in the room. Obviously, they knew the A/C wasn't working. There was no one at the front to complain to so we just had to deal with it. You shouldn't advertise yourself as having A/C when you don't. It was in the 80s when we stayed and our room felt like a furnace.

We spent two nights at the house, celebrating a family reunion with four families (10 persons) in…read moreattendance. Cindy is a wonderful agent, doing her best to accommodate guests. She exceeded our expectations. The house is located on a very large lake property, facing south. The lake has a fair amount of motor boat traffic, but is crystal clear and allows to swim, fish, and kayak. The neighborhood is suburban, surrounded by developments, only 15-20 min from MSP. Stores are a 2 mile drive away. The house is generous and well equipped with cooking utensils, books, toys, games, kayaks, volleyball net, bikes, table tennis etc to providing ample entertainment. The master suite with the huge bathtub is humongous. The two bedrooms upstairs (a queen bed and a bunk bed in each) are generous in size and share a bathroom. The fourth bedroom on the main level is small in comparison and has more noise from kitchen and laundry room. Living room, master bedroom, and porch offer great Lake views. A gas fire place offers warmth in fall. We enjoyed s'mores and vino Rosso, generously provided by the host. The decor of the house is conservative. The kitchen and bathrooms were spotless and the grounds well groomed. A search for a lost shoe sent me diving under beds and behind couches, revealing that these areas need to be addressed by the housekeeping team. We had a wonderful time at the house. Adults, preteens and toddler loved the property and the sports opportunities. The lake is very close to the house - parents of young children must be on guard. A great place to enjoy family time.

From the owner: Short-Term and Long-Term Vacation Cottages, Business & Corporate Lodging, Cabins, Bed and…read moreBreakfasts, Cottages, Home for Rent, Houses for Rent, Hotels, Events venue, Corporate Housing, Minneapolis Rentals, Twin Cities Rentals

We stayed at Grandpa's Pool House for a bachelorette party, and it was the perfect setting. We…read moredidn't want to bring any decorations, which worked out great because the space is already full of awesome vintage details, plenty of Instagram-worthy photo ops, plus cute cups, wigs, and costumes that are perfect for a bachelorette celebration. The house layout was great for a medium-ish groups: two bedrooms on the main floor, a loft with a couch (and room for an air mattress), and two bedrooms downstairs. We had a group of 12, which I'd say is probably the max, a few people ended up sleeping on couches and I'm not sure how comfortable they were. The indoor pool was such a highlight! We spent most of our time there. It's heated, has Bluetooth speakers for music, and even a projector (though we didn't end up using it). There were plenty of floaties, and it was a great space to relax and hang out as a group. The pool could have been just a bit warmer, but we went in the spring when it was still a little chilly outside--I imagine it's perfect in the summer when the sun warms the space more naturally. Parking was super easy. All 12 of our cars fit in the driveway with no issues, and the house was easy to find. A few small cons: * Since we visited in spring, I'm not sure the place had gotten its full seasonal cleaning yet, some of the windowsills and the area outside were pretty dirty. * The fridge was a bit small for a group of our size. Definitely bring extra coolers, especially if you're stocking up on drinks. * There's no recycling available. We ended up bringing all our recycling home because we didn't want to throw it in the trash.

From the owner: Perfect space for bachelorette party, birthday party or any celebration. Every part of the house is…read moredecorated in 70s/80s decor. Indoor pool, creek in the back yard, vintage motorcycle in the basement and vintage car parked out front. Endless opportunities for photoshoots and adventure.

There is parking! See note at the end…read more Also note... there are three businesses under the one roof here that people could be talking about in their Yelp reviews. I've only been to the cafe, but there is also a separate, fancy-seeming restaurant as well as a boutique hotel. (Also they have a shop in South Minneapolis that has its own Yelp profile, Alma Provisions.) I definitely recommend that you try the cafe! I had a great mocha here, along with a breakfast sandwich and a carrot-apple juice. High quality all around, and all of it was enjoyed in a comfortable and beautifully decorated dining room. There is quite a lot of food on the menu; I was there for breakfast but they have a lunch menu that starts at 11am which I want to come back to try. Again, my mocha was absolutely delicious and the fresh bread really elevated that breakfast sandwich. I was here on a September Saturday morning at around 8:30 and it was very busy; the wait to order was about 15 minutes but there is enough seating that I didn't have trouble there. In addition to plenty of indoor tables, there is a lot of bar seating and a good number of patio tables. On the West side of the building is a large parking lot, most of which is for nearby apartment buildings. But there is a sign that makes it clear that the spaces numbered 1-7 are for Alma customers.

Visited the Cafe and got the Up South sandwich (again). It's definitely an eat with knife and fork…read moresandwich. Trying to hold on and bite in, everything slips out, and you don't want to risk your clothes getting dirty. The smashed potatoes seemed a bit over done this time. So much, I'm turned off from giving another try. The tables are so close together. If you're a baby who's got back, you're in for a tight squeeze, especially trying to sit in the booth.