It is January.  Dark, dreary, dead of winter January.  This is the time of year when I think about snuggling up with a cup of hot cocoa to watch a new movie or read a book that's been calling me or experiment with a new recipe, or just do nothing.  All from the inside of my own home (unless it's vacation time....well, then from the inside of SOMEONE else's home)!  Skiing, snowboarding or even walking in the white stuff called snow does absolutely nothing for me -- I'm just not a "let's have fun in the snow" kind of gal.  So, I get it when people say they just want to hunker down in front of their hot fire and watch it all happen from the inside of their cozy room.  I get it.  That's exactly what my idea of a weekend getaway in winter would be too!

You must be asking what's all this nonsense about.  Because I get that being out in the snow is not exactly your idea of winter fun, then driving in it probably isn't either.  White knuckling it with grips on the steering wheel so tight you think the blood will never get to your finger tips is not our idea of a good time, right?  Right!

So, if you want to get away to hunker down, the weather shouldn't scare you from planning such a weekend.  Go ahead and make those plans.   We have books, movies, hot cocoa and the fire.  Or we have snow if you are so inclined to play in it -- I don't judge. (lol) You just have to make those plans.  And, if the weather decides to reek havoc on those plans and you just don't feel comfortable driving in it just to keep a reservation, we have the relief you need too.

If you feel you can't make your reservation due to mother nature's mood (aka snowstorm*), we won't hold you to it.   We will waive our cancellation policy and happily reschedule your visit or issue you a gift certificate for a future stay.  No penalty, no problem.  We don't want you risking your safety just to keep a reservation.  That is crazy!  So, if you plan your visit with us and the weather is an issue, just call.  We'll find a solution that works for us both.  After all, "stress" and "getaway" aren't words that belong in the same sentence!

Come, relax in the Finger Lakes however you choose to do it, and no matter what that means, we have the perfect winter getaway spot for you!  A hot fire and cup of cocoa will be waiting....

*forecast includes storm watch/warnings for your area or ours during time of visit

Labels: Bella Rose, Canandaigua, Finger Lakes, getaway, vacation, Winter

December 26, 2006.  That was our official first day as Bella Rose Bed and Breakfast.  Finally our seven-year renovation was complete, the house was fully furnished, the sign was up and illuminated for the world to see, and even the beds were made with fresh, crisp sheets from Italy.  We were done.  We were ready.  We built it and the now we needed the guests to come.  How proud we were and how happy we were to finally realize our dream.

That was five years ago and it seems like yesterday.  How could it be that it has been five years ALREADY? That's, like, half a decade!  Amazing.  Now, granted, even though we were done and ready to host, truth be told we didn't enjoy our first guest until the following April...April 10, 2007, to be exact.  But, that's okay.  We used the winter to enjoy our completed home before we no longer had the chance.  We got the website up and running so people could actually find us.  Little did we know that marketing takes time....  Uh, duh...right? Oh well.  It didn't matter.  We knew winter would end and business would start.  In the meantime, we were done, we were open, and we were ready when spring woke people up.  And, sure enough, it happened and there's been no looking back since.  We're grateful we had a couple of months to enjoy the fruits of our labor.  In hindsight, I wouldn't change a thing -- not even the fact that it took us seven years! 

So, I guess we really have two anniversaries to celebrate, but this is the one that officially counts.

Happy Anniversary to us with many, many more to come.  As long as you'll have us, we'll be here.

Labels: Bed and Breakfast, Bella Rose, breakfast, Canandaigua, Finger Lakes, getaway, guests

Wow!  It's so hard to believe that we are closing in on the end of another great season of "B&Bing" at Bella Rose B&B!  Where does the time go?  2011 flew by so fast I'm pretty sure I missed August.  If it wasn't for a national holiday in July, I'd say the same thing about that month too!  But, this is a good thing.  We were busy and as busy as we think we can be (and where Chris can still call himself "retired" -- yeah, right!).  In our short five-year tenure in this wonderful business, we are continually amazed that people flock to the Finger Lakes, Canandaigua and to our B&B.  For something people don't have to do in life, we feel blessed to be enjoying the success we do.  Add in the challenges of the economy and we feel extra-extra fortunate.

Of course, we have no one but our great guests to thank. We'd be nothing without you!  Whether you are new to us or one of our many return guests, we are grateful you came into our lives.  It is an honor to have you in our home; an honor that you chose to celebrate that special anniversary, birthday, or even that ever important honeymoon with us; an honor that of all the B&B's out there, ours spoke to you to spend that precious vacation time.  From the bottom of our hearts we say "thank you"!

So as we wrap up another great year, we look forward to 2012 and all the magic a new year brings.  We wish some magic for you as well.  Who knows, maybe some of that magic will bring you to us.  We hope it does....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Labels: Bed and Breakfast, Bella Rose, Canandaigua, Finger Lakes, gratitude, Holidays, vacation

Okay, so it's a little quirky.  Or a lot quirky, but it gets your attention.  Something like the leaves when the sun glistens off them as they shine in glorious reds and golds.  Positively beautiful.  That's what it's like around the Finger Lakes when the leaves change color.  And, since the rolling hills surround our spectacular lakes, it makes for a great car ride, a few photo stops, and maybe even a crisp walk or two in a state park to take it all in.  There's so much calling you here and not enough time to do it.  You can pick apples, drink cider, buy a grape pie.  You can take a sky ride at Bristol Mountain, a balloon ride over Letchworth State Park (where the views are phenomenal!) or even a Canandaigua Lady boat ride on the cleanest lake you've ever seen.  All so doable, all so grand.  Breathtaking views with the scent of ripe grapes in the air.  Doesn't get any better than this.  I guess that's why people flock to the Finger Lakes in the Fall.  There's just no better place to be!  So, check your calendar, make a date to go away, and do it.  You'll be glad you did!

Labels: Bed and Breakfast, Bella Rose, Canandaigua, Finger Lakes, getaway, state parks, vacation

There have been a couple of requests for where we get our local produce this time of year, so I thought this might be the best forum to compile a list of some hot spots we have found.  Not all the local produce we get comes from Canandaigua proper, but from the general area for sure.

The closest farm market, open seven days a week, is just east of the town of Canandaigua on Rts 5 & 20, called Beacon Farm Market.  I visit them several times a week and they always have the latest in what's being harvested, among other things.  It's kind of my "go to" place when time is tight but I want it fresh and as local as possible.  Wegmans does a fine job of this as well, but Beacon will often have locally-grown stuff when Wegmans doesn't, if you can believe it.  So, that's one. Also, on Tuesday afternoons, right on the VA Hospital grounds, there is a very small Farmers Market.  I pick and choose who I frequent there as I know the Hoover Mennonite family will always have a variety of fresh-picked produce.  (If you see a truck selling bananas and pineapple, well, you can be assured they aren't local!  Duh!)   Also right in Canandaigua, on Saturday mornings, the Canandaigua Farmers Market is a hit, but hard for me to visit as it is......well, Saturday morning.  Not the best time to be shopping anywhere when you're in the B&B world!  In addition to these places, there is my new found favorite Mennonite home stand, called Zimmerman's.  It is about 1/4 mile from the intersection of Lovejoy and Havens Corner Roads, about 25 minutes southeast of Canandaigua among the rolling hills of Finger Lakes country.  They will be calling us by name soon as we pull up to their large roadside stand -- just like we were Norm in Cheers!  Yes, dating myself a bit, I know.....  But even though this is a new find for Bella Rose, it's a good one.  Their garden is the size of a small field with rows of flowers and every kind of produce imaginable.  I've gotten all kinds of things that fill the breakfast table in the morning, whether it be berries, potatoes, squash, tomatoes or flowers -- they've been coming from this one place.  It's fun to keep telling people the food we prepare is the freshest, most local ingredients you can find aside from your own garden!  I plan to make at least a weekly visit there all summer long, provided we can sneak away!  If we can't get there, we'll have to make a point to find the stands on Rt 364 and Voak Road, as suggested by a Facebook Fan.  I'm sure they are just as good -- maybe not as big, but just as good.  After all, everything was just picked hours earlier so how bad can it be?

It's hard not to love this time of year and wish the harvest season lasted longer. I keep thinking of all these recipes to try while I can!  Because before you know it, we'll be back to whatever gets shipped in from across the country (or wherever!) and is barely recognizable in flavor. And we'll have to make do with it. But for now, we will savor the moment and the fresh flavor these moments bring.  So, head out to these places and see what you think.  I bet you find something yummy and delicious for your table too!

Bon Appeit!

Labels: Bed and Breakfast, Bella Rose, Canandaigua, Canandaigua Farmers' Market, Finger Lakes, foodies, local produce

Well, you sure can tell it's summer time in Canandaigua, NY!  If it wasn't for the calendar or the hot temps to give it away, then it must be by the number of events, festivals, and overall buzz of activity that gets shoved into two months' time. We call it "high" season, and for good reason.  First of all, I get behind on my blogging -- too much going on to sit at the computer some days (although I miss it), but most of all it's the multitude of fun events that are all around us, keeping us hoppin' as guests pour in from all over the world.  So much to do, so much to see, so little time!  In case you aren't aware, within a 30 mile radius there must be a dozen things to do any one weekend.  In the winter......well, not so much.  But now, it's as if the warm sun demands you get out there and do SOMETHING, if not more than one something.  This very weekend we have the Canandaigua Art & Music Festival.  In Rochester, there's the Blue Angels show and Gay Pride Parade.  There's at least three concerts in the next week -- here and elsewhere.  Sonnenberg has their moonlight strolls every Friday night, and soon will be the Waterfront Arts Festival and Riesling Wine Festival right here in town.  Talk about busy!  Or, you could relax by cruising on the Canandaigua Lady to get a glimpse of a beautiful sunset over the lake, or just take a dip at Roseland Waterpark.  The Park Ave Fest and the Clothesline Fest are just around the corner in Rochester,  the Grape Festival in Naples in Sept., as well as Wine Trail events that will go on through Fall.  Antique shows, the Pageant of Steam, and the Canandaigua Wine Walk, all find a way to make their mark as well.  And, we can't forget Letchworth State Park, especially as the leaves turn, showing their brilliance of color along the river's gorge.  Talk about spectacular!  Even though that's a bit further to go, Fall wouldn't be the same without a trip there.

So, if you ever wondered what there was to do or if you could fill 4-5 days with places to see, be assured that yes, you can! The Finger Lakes offer something for everyone, that is for sure.  The parks and waterfalls alone would keep you entertained, never mind anything else.  It's a beautiful part of the world, we are grateful to live here, and I encourage you to make plans to visit.  It will be SO worth it!

Labels: Bed and Breakfast, Bella Rose, festivals, Finger Lakes, getaway, state parks, vacation, wine

Summer is here!! Yeah!  It is standing tall in all its glory and I couldn't be happier. Fruits and veggies are popping up all over suddenly and I find this to be very exciting -- not to mention downright delicious. Asparagus, strawberries, zucchini, and even our own herbs and tomatoes are here, if only for a short time and it's hard to pass them up.  Every year I try to build on the "homegrown theme" more than the year before when it comes to breakfast.  And our guests seem to really enjoy it.  Yesterday, when serving local strawberries (dolled up our own special way....), one guest actually yelled "Yes!", as if it were the first time ever to have such a thing.  I loved it!  Makes me feel good and worth the extra effort. So, why not?  It could be as simple as using our own herbs planted in hanging baskets along side flowers, or visiting the local farm markets, or taking the time to pick these delectable goodies ourselves.  However we do it, it is so rewarding to use "all things local" in our breakfast dishes. The other day I felt like a little kid picking our first tomato off our patio plant.  How silly!  Or snipping a little fresh sage for that fresh baked sage tea bread we used for our first course this morning...  Or, the anticipation of picking fresh strawberries later this week in time for the weekend.  It may sound crazy, but it is so much more fun using our own stuff for breakfast, picked with our own grubby hands, and this 'tis the season when it all happens. I just wish it all lasted just a little longer... But, even so, it is great fun to plan what to make just by what's hot and ready for pickin'.  And it is all soooo good!  Come on summer -- let's go!

Labels: Bed and Breakfast, breakfast, Canandaigua Farmers' Market, local produce