In a word: Different. We've stayed at many B&Bs (both in the US and Europe) and Rose Walk was unlike any we've ever experienced. Not to say that it was bad... in a lot of ways, it was quite nice... just that you're either going to love it or hate it. If you travel to meet new people, love to socialize, and want to feel like you're staying with family (and don't think it's weird to hang out in the living room while the grandkids watch cartoons)... you'll love the place. If, however, you like to have some personal space to spread out where you can relax and do your own thing... you'll hate it.
Jim & Verde are incredibly warm and welcoming. As hosts, do their very best to make sure you have anything and everything you could possibly dream of during your stay. When we arrived Jim sat us down, gave us a map and a rundown of all the things to see and do in Page. It was nice to have someone willing to share knowledge of the area and make recommendations (though, frankly I found Yelp reviews to be more helpful at times). After a 45-minute brief on everything you could possibly need to know in a town of 7,247 along with a brief summary of his life, Jim showed us to our room and helped us with our bags.
Our room was small but the bed was comfortable and we slept well the 2 nights we were there. That was except for being woken-up at 5:00am by one of their visiting young grandchildren screaming "MOM!!!!!!" outside our window (which we had open at night to keep cool, but which also left us listening to all the noise back and forth between the driveway and the front door as people came and went).
Getting ready in the morning was a bit of a challenge as there were about 6-7 people sharing essentially 1 (very small) downstairs bathroom. (Think college dorm life and you'll be fine). I did not grown up in a big family and am not used to sharing a bathroom with so many people. If we'd only had one other room to share it with, it may not have been so bad, but this was just too much for me. There is the option to use the master bath on the upper floor, but it is directly off the kitchen where guests are busy eating breakfast, so the notion of trying to sh*t, shower and shave in such close proximity to people eating was undesirable at best. Not to mention, who wants to then have to walk through the house, past the front door, and down the hall in a towel. (I'm guessing I'm not alone in this thought as I never saw anyone use the upstairs bathroom).
Breakfast was a very social affair (which is not good for those of us non-morning people who have zero interest in talking before at least 2 cups of coffee). Apparently the pancakes are very good (said my husband), but I passed instead to go out and photograph the sunrise. I did think it was very nice that Jim & Verde are willing to prepare breakfast at whatever time you would like it and not on a set schedule.
On the flip side, however, I felt a lot like a rebellious teenager who missed curfew when we strolled in around midnight and were greeted with Jim asking a bunch of questions about where we went and what we did. It felt a bit like an interrogation and, as I'm a fairly private person (especially with people I've only just met a few hours earlier) I didn't feel like it was anyone else's business what I did on my vacation. If you're a social, open-book, share-anything type of person, you'll probably love chatting with Jim. (Grab a 6-pack and take a seat). He's very friendly and talkative. However, not everyone is like this, so if you're more reserved like me, you'll find this comes across rather overbearing even if his heart is in the right place.
You can tell Jim & Verde have the best intentions in taking excellent care of all of their guests. Their affection for entertaining is evident. If I had stayed with them as long-time friends, I might have been delighted by the experience. But that's not why I came to Page. I came to explore canyons and lakes on a relaxing, romantic vacation. As a paying guest of a B&B there is a different expectation than of friends or family. It felt less like I was paying $100+ per night for a getaway at a B&B, and more like I was crashing in a friend's downstairs guest room sharing a bathroom with the roommates. Some people are fine with this; some are not.
Rose Walk Inn is more accurately a family home with rooms to rent on a nightly basis. You are staying with a family... and, at times, their very large extended family. The term B&B implies (and in many localities, requires) guest accommodations which are definitively separated from family quarters (dining areas, bathrooms, etc). In this home, everything is shared. I would recommend this place for families, especially those with small children. I would not recommend it for couples, solo or business travelers. read more
