Historic Bed and Breakfast Inn

The Perfect Quick-Trip Getaway

by Colette Connolly

As we drove through the Dutchess County countryside earlier this summer, an area about 70 miles north of New York City, the scenery reminded me a little of my native Ireland. Of course I wasn’t driving through the Emerald Isle but rather in search of the Rhinebeck Inn, a charming 18th century bed and breakfast on the National Register of Historic Places that I had found on the Internet a couple of weeks earlier.

Despite the dreary weather, proprietor Jonna Paolella, a former Brooklyn resident, warmly welcomed me and my husband to her pleasant home, which is located on a quiet road a few miles from the charming town of Rhinebeck, New York.

Jonna bought the four-bedroom house 11 years ago; it had been in the same family for 12 generations. She has lovingly restored it to a home that today has all the character of a bygone era.

Within minutes of our arrival, Jonna was introducing us to her dog, Strudel, a cute, long-haired Dachshund, who regularly welcomes guests to the inn. After climbing the narrow staircase lined with small furry little sheep, we were escorted into a lovely two-room suite known as the “Plow and Harrow,” complete with old-fashioned latch doors, a gas fireplace, a claw foot tub, converted primitive dry sink, and an assortment of, you guessed it, old-fashioned farm implements.

Even though it was close to dinner time, all I really wanted to do was flop onto the queen size pencil post bed and watch TV for a while.  A stay at the Rhinebeck Inn does not include an evening meal.

However, visitors to the Rhinebeck Inn won’t go hungry, or thirsty. The refrigerators, located in each room, are stocked with drinks, including water, Fresca and root beer, and in the adjoining sitting room, a plate of cookies and fruit was left on a table for us to munch on. A coffee pot and mugs were also conveniently left outside our suite, should we need them.

From our room, we had a good view of the inn’s spacious back yard. Even though we couldn’t see the pond that’s located to the left of the house, there’s ample opportunity to access it downstairs. Visitors can row out into the pond and get close to the resident ducks, Big Daddy and Hoochie Mama. Jonna and her husband, Dave Kliphon, also like to introduce visitors to their friendly goats that are accustomed to being fed raisins and other treats.

It’s Jonna’s sumptuous breakfast that wins the hearts of all. The menu often includes baked French pear pancake; red, white and blue cream biscuits; sweet potato frittata; smoked bacon; lots of delicious fresh fruit; and zucchini bread, a recipe she borrowed from her mother, a bed and breakfast proprietor in Brooklyn, where Jonna said she first acquired the hospitality bug.

Sitting at the trestle table made from the planks of James Cagney’s old stable barn, guests have a chance to chat and get to know each other, and Jonna often joins in on the conversation. She likes to tell stories such as the one about the Hollywood agent who, several years ago, called her desperately looking for accommodation. That fortuitous call brought much-needed business to the friendly innkeeper, who had just opened the bed and breakfast a few months earlier. And what’s more, the crew included Hollywood stars Brook Shields, Ben Stiller and Jarred Harris, the son of Richard Harris

Before you go:

Rates: A two-night minimum stay is required on all weekends throughout the year. Single night stays are charged at the July-October weekend rate. See www.rhinebeckinn.com for more details. Guests arriving in a hybrid or bio-diesel vehicle receive a $50 gift certificate toward a meal at one of Rhinebeck’s local restaurants. Guests must stay two nights and mention the “hybrid special” at the time of booking.

Also at the Rhinebeck Inn:

The inn also hosts small weddings that include a bride and groom and six of their closest friends. The $3,000 package includes the following:

A custom, non-denominational wedding service

Accommodation in all four rooms for two nights

Dinner for eight at a local restaurant chosen by the couple (excludes drinks and gratuity)

Flowers, cake, optional live music, champagne, up to 30 photographs on a CD, and a wedding gift from the innkeeper

A bride and groom one-hour massage at an in-town spa

The package is available on weekends, Nov. 1-May 15, and Sunday-Thursday year-round.

Colette Connolly is a New York-based travel writer.