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It is a truth universally acknowledged (at least by me) that a single traveller in possession of a good book must be in want of a cozy place to read it.
Fortunately for me, on a recent trip to Brockville on a blustery March night, I was staying at the Sir Isaac Brock B&B Luxury Suites, and my accommodations in the Queen Suite provided just that. Along with a bedroom nicely equipped with a comfy queen bed, a power bar for all my gadgets (hallelujah) and free wi-fi (another hallelujah), the suite has a sitting room with two wing chairs, a small table, a clever little electric fireplace and a flat-screen TV. There is a coffee maker, too, and you can request a morning cup of tea if java isn’t your thing.
I was travelling alone this time, but if my husband and I had been travelling together, this setup would have been ideal, as we have wildly different body clocks. He’s a night hawk and I’m a morning person, and in a typical hotel room, we end up creeping around each other at odd hours, and spending a lot of time sitting in the lobby with a laptop or book.
Here, because the sitting room is separated from the bedroom by a door, a corridor and the bathroom, couples like us can keep to our divergent schedules without disturbing each other. You’d be surprised how rare that is, especially in small inns. The Sir Isaac Brock’s other suite, the King Suite, has a similar separate sitting room. And guests are also welcome to use the cozy downstairs living room. So big points there.
But even bigger points go to the warm welcome I received from hosts Ida and David Duc. Also on the welcoming committee was the Ducs’ pint-sized Yorkshire terrier, Rocky. Generally, I’m more of a cat person than a dog person, but Rocky is hilarious and adorable. He’s also hypoallergenic, and he’s not allowed in the guest rooms, so no worries on that score. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of him—so just picture a button-eyed little dog smaller than the average cat.)
The Ducs moved to Brockville a few years ago from Montreal, drawn by its location on the St. Lawrence, its proximity to Montreal, Ottawa and Kingston, and the large stock of heritage homes suitable for turning into a bed and breakfast. When they found a Georgian limestone home on Church Street dating to 1824, they were sold.
The house itself has an intriguing history. Sylvester Skinner was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and came to Brockville as a 17-year-old. By the time he was 25, he was doing well enough in business—making farm tools and carriages—that he was able to build this large, impressive house. (Clearly, 20-somethings in those days had an easier time getting into the housing market.) Both history buffs, the Ducs have done research on the house and have also carefully maintained many of its original features, such as the original plank floors.
Ida acknowledges with a smile that there isn’t any evidence the famous British general Sir Isaac Brock ever came to Brockville, which was renamed for him in 1812. He certainly never visited the B&B named for him, since he was killed in battle over a decade before it was built.
History is one reason I enjoy staying at B&Bs. Great food is another, and the Sir Isaac Brock serves very tasty breakfasts. As I gobbled up an omelette, toast, hash browns, fruit, homemade jam, juice and a big pot of tea, I chatted about local sites and history with David and Ida. (Rocky chimed in occasionally, too.)
When I mentioned I needed to finish some work before setting out for the day, they made me another pot of tea and ensured I was comfy with my laptop in the living room. Like the best B&Bs, they really made me feel as though their home was my home.
I stayed at the Sir Isaac Brock B&B as a subsidized media guest of the owners, who neither reviewed nor approved this post. All opinions are my own.
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