At Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast in Lenox, we know that some people like to come to our place and just hang around.   No problem.  We have fireplaces, porches, multiple public areas and a heated pool.   But more are looking to experience the Berkshires…and I am proud to say that our area is an embarassment of riches.   There are many theater options..but one of the don't miss ones is the chance to see the newly renovated Colonial Theater in Pittsfield.   Amazing.  At the turn of the century, Pittsfield was one of those affluent towns that could have grown to 500,000 people, or could have stayed at 35,000.   It stayed at 35,000….but that is not bad, because the architecture that it displays for a town its size is head-turning.   The Colonial Theater, once of those opulent opera-house type stages that hosted every notable actor and actress in its day, fell upon hard times and spent 40+ years showing B movies or being just empty.   Several not-for-profit attempts to restore it had failed starts…but ultimately, when the time was right, a sincere public/private partnership put it back into service.   And it is magnificent.   They are trying to do programming that complements the current offerings of the Berkshires, appealing to the "in-season" visitors, the year-round second homeowners and most importantly the "locals."    Pick a show at the Colonial…and stay at Hampton Terrace!   For a complete listing of their 2008 Season go to www.thecolonialtheatre.org.

It's still a bit brisk outside, but at the risk of having an inn full of guests, an 80 degree day and no pool, we decided to pull the trigger.   I have the pool heater on…and the water started at 52 degrees.   It is heading above 60 now and ultimately we'll see how it feels in the mid 80s.   Compared to the air, probably like a bath.    Do many Lenox bed and breakfasts or inns have pools?   No, probably 4 out of 30.   Why do we?   Because at the end of a long day, we like nothing more than floating in our pool with a cup (notice not a glass) of wine.   It's a great time to mingle with our guests who are doing the same.   For more information on Hampton Terrace and our pool, CLICK HERE.

As you fill your car tank this week and consider your Spring and Summer plans…we have a suggestion. If you live in the Northeast, consider a Berkshire b&b. Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast is located in Lenox, MA, the vortex of the Berkshires. We are about 2 hours from Boston, 2 1/2 hours from the Greater New York City area, and less than 2 hours from most points in Connecticut. Hampton Terrace is a 14 room Berkshire bed and breakfast which features fireplaces in virtually all rooms and Jacuzzis in most. Several of the rooms have antique claw-foot tubs or walk-in showers. Full breakfast included, and as of tomorrow, our outdoor heated pool will be open. If you mention our "Tanks a Lot" promotion and stay 2 or more nights during our "off-season," we'll give you $30 for your gas. 800-203-0656 CLICK HERE

Lenox, the vortex of the Berkshires, is a small, historic New England village….for much of the year. But the summer is quite different. Since 1937, the Boston Symphony has spent every summer at Tanglewood, a Gilded Age great estate that straddles the Lenox and Stockbridge town lines. The world-famous venue is known now for two primary stages: The "Shed" and Ozawa Hall. Both are covered and allow ample lawn seating. Primary concerts held on Friday nights, Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. But the Boston Pops performs about three times per summer on other evenings, and on any given night, there will be something going on somewhere in one of the venues: soloists, chamber groups, opera. Tanglewood draws in excess of 400,000 during the months of July and August, creating a high demand for lodging, restaurants and information about complementary activities in the area. This is where the Lenox Chamber of Commerce is a valuable tool. Their website, www.lenox.org. does a great job of giving a Lenox overview, but also providing many levels of detailed information to assist visitors in planning their stay. And speaking of their "stay" consider Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast, an inn since 1937. 14 rooms. Full breakfast. 1 mile from Tanglewood. Less than 2 blocks from the furthest point in Lenox Village. CLICK HERE

When a future guest books at Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast in Lenox, we send out an immediate e-mail confirmation which contains every bit of information we feel that a guest might want to know about our inn: directions, room description, policies, etc. But equally important, as travellers ourselves, we know how important it is to pre-plan a trip. Just last month, we did not. On the evening of our arrival we took 20 brochures from the hotel rack and tried to plan our week…and it just did not go that well. So in addition to the above, we put two well-researched lists as attachments to our confirmation. The first is called "A List to Help You Plan Your Stay" which covers everything from spas, historic house tours, museums, live music and theater to hikes, golf and nightlife. The second list is very warmly received: it is our list of "Recommended Places to Dine." We eat out WAY too often…but more importantly, we have sent literally 15,000 people out our front door to dinner and we ALWAYS hear about their experience at breakfast the next morning. There are several restaurants which ALWAYS get a positive review. One of those is Rouge in West Stockbridge. Other than the fact that it is small and they do not take reservations (so there usually a line at the bar and sometimes out the door) we just do not hear anything negative. Especially about their food, which is classically French. The chef/owner is from France and studied at the French Cullinary Institute. His wife is American (speaks French and met her husband while travelling in France) and she runs the front of the house. Honestly, we cannot get enough of this food. Everything on the menu is to die for. That does not mean that there are not other restaurants that do as good a job. There are…and they are on our list. So please consider Hampton Terrace when planning a trip to the Berkshires, or Lenox in particular, and let us help you plan your stay. CLICK HERE.

Every two weeks, the Berkshire Visitors Bureau sends out a newsletter which highlights upcoming events in the Berkshires. At Hampton Terrace, we consider this a valuable resource, and encourage anyone who wants to receive this information to go to their website www.berkshires.org and fill out the short form for their on-line newsletter. And stay at Hampton Terrace! CLICK HERE

Memorial Day Weekend is always a big deal here. It represents, at least to us, the official threshold between "mud season" and Spring….although it has been very Springlike for several weeks. By then, every urn at Hampton Terrace has flowers, every hook has a hanging basket and every room is fine-tuned for its run through the summer. We've been very busy here for the past several weeks repairing the winter's damage: our front porch has new concrete and paint, there is new white paint on portions of the main house, and Jose' is working today on the Carriage House wood trim. Also, Memorial Day Weekend marks the official re-opening of many historic houses, Jack's Grill in Housatonic and other businesses that consider themselves seasonal. We still have some rooms open for Memorial Day Weekend, and unlike many inns who are looking to book a 3-night stay, we will accept two nights if it includes Saturday….and that policy leaves some rooms available for just Friday or Sunday. If staying just Sunday appeals to you, give us a call at 800-203-0656 or CLICK HERE.

At Hampton Terrace Bed and Breakfast in Lenox, MA, we send a restaurant recommendation list to all of our guests with their confirmations. This list features 5 or 6 restaurants within walking distance of our inn, but also includes another 20 or so in surrounding towns. Since it opened probably 6 years ago, Napa has been at the top of our list and for many of our guests, their favorite restaurant in Lenox. But they are gone. The good news is that they re-opened immediately in Great Barrington with menu totally intact and a much larger space. In Lenox, their building sold, and according to the papers, the new owner (after declaring that he would do what it takes to keep Napa as a tenant) set rent higher than Napa would be willing to pay. So the former Napa space is now empty, although the owner of Napa did lament his absence from Lenox and speculate that he might re-open a location there in a different space. We'll see. Meanwhile, we will continue to send our Hampton Terrace guests to Napa, although instead of a one block walk, it will now be a 20 minute car ride. Susan and I went last week and can testify that the barbecue ribs did not suffer from the relocation. To stay at Hampton Terrace and receive our restaurant recommendations CLICK HERE.

While attending a technology workshop last month presented by the Berkshire Visitors Bureau, I was impressed with Bob O'Haver of GrayMatter Technologies and his comments concerning Search Engine Optimization. Over the years, virtually all of our bookings at Hampton Terrace have come via people finding us on the search engines, and keeping current on "search engine optimization" has always been my high priority. Hampton Terrace's website is very complex, with literally hundreds of pages that are daily indexed by Google, Yahoo and others. As the secret algorithms change, it is very important to have someone who is watching the statistics to make sure that we do not fall in relevance, compared to other lodging properties in the area. I just returned from the Professional Association of Innkeepers convention in Anaheim where I attended every seminar available on the topic. Afterwards, I met with Bob for over an hour, and found that every strategy that currently employs is consistent with the latest recommendations by national experts. So Gray Matter it is for us. So if you find this entry on Google….or if you find our website near the top of key word searches….thank Bob. I am. To see Hampton Terrace's website, CLICK HERE.