What is Bed and Breakfast Spain?

You know... it's just the same as the good old-fashioned b&bs that can be found all over the UK.

Typically

A Bed and Breakfast (often referred to as a B&B) is a type of boarding house operating out of a large single family residence.

Guests are accommodated at night in private bedrooms and breakfast is served in the morning - either in the bedroom or, more commonly, in a dining room or the host's kitchen.

Bathrooms can be private or shared (with other guests or with the family in smaller establishments) or en-suite (where the ablutions are directly accessed from the guest's bedroom).

B&Bs may be operated either as a primary occupation or as a secondary source of income. Staff often consists of the house's owners and members of their family who live there.

Guests are usually expected to pay for their stay upon arrival and leave before noon (or earlier) on the day of departure. A big advantage of this type of hosted accommodation is the local knowledge of the host (s).

History

The B&B arrangement is actually a very old one; before the 20th century, it was quite normal for country travellers to spend the night at a private house rather than an inn, and this custom persists in many parts of the world. However, prior to the 19th century, this was strictly an informal arrangement constrained by acquaintance and social rank; a doctor might stay with a doctor or pharmacist, while a nobleman would only stay with the local gentry.

The abbreviation of `B&B' on roadside signs first became popular in the British Isles - typically with a detachable 'Vacancies' sign swinging below.

National Differences

In the British Isles; The north east Atlantic archipelago has some of the most expensive hotel beds in the European Union and in those isles, B&B's are a budget option.

There tend to be concentrations of B&B's in the seaside towns where, historically, the working classes holidayed such as Newcastle in Ireland and Blackpool in England but they are also widespread in isolated rural areas such as the Highlands of Scotland and where there is not a year-round concentration of travellers sufficient to sustain an hotel.

In the British Isles, breakfast is usually cooked on demand for the guest and usually features bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, etc but, increasingly, because of either a desire of owners to economise or guests to minimise their calorie intake, a continental breakfast is becoming more common.

In Spain; Most Bed and Breakfast (B&Bs) serve a full English breakfast as a point of pride. A home away from home.

WHAT IS A BLUE PARASOL BED AND BREAKFAST IN SPAIN ?

A "Bed and Breakfast" in the United Kingdom is an expression in common use which is used to describe overnight accommodation or lodgings of reasonable quality where the host provides a breakfast meal the following morning. The exact same can be said for this type of accommodation in Spain.

Many "Bed and Breakfasts" or B&Bs are small businesses run in the home of the host (usually the lady of the house) and are English speaking. In fact, in most cases, they are 'ex-pat' Brits that have moved to Spain for the good climate.

The B&Bs in Spain vary in size and quality but they normally have 2 letting bedrooms sleeping up to 5 using the 'Extra Bed' option. Hosts sometimes also provide other meals for overnight visitors by separate arrangement.

Most Bed and Breakfasts in Spain are now of a very high quality. With the growth of the Internet and the subsequent changes in accommodation marketing most B&B hosts now rely almost entirely upon on-line bookings.

The fact that an accommodation in Spain is not Blue Parasol inspected does not imply inferior quality, but the ones that have been included into the Blue Parasol system all must maintain very high standards plus must have a private bathroom and a swimming pool for the guests sole use.

All Blue Parasol bed and Breakfast Villa's in Spain also have deposited a bonded security deposit to protect their guests holidays in the unlikely advent of unforeseen circumstances.

In the UK it is accepted that visitors can simply "turn up" and ask for overnight lodgings. In Spain this is impractical for several reasons the main ones being no guarantee of availability in an under-developed marketplace. (B&Bs in Spain are not as commonplace as they are in the UK) Overnight rates vary from about £20 to £30 per person per night, with the 2008 average being approximately £50.00 per double room.

Many people prefer to use B&Bs because of their small and informal nature; the host is usually very knowledgeable about the surrounding area and they are often prepared to provide assistance to their visitors well beyond what would be expected.

"Bed and Breakfast" can also be found in larger accommodation establishments such as Guest Houses and Hotels; the additional facilities (laundry, bar etcetera) often mean that overnight rates here are higher. Expect to pay anything between £60 and £150 per person per night.