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Cape Cod Here’s a B&B with exceptional personality and character, reflecting the tastes and energies of its owners, Diane Johnson, and her daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and John Vessella. It’s also one of great value, given all the food, comfort and charm. Well-known for her stained-glass objects, artistic Diane has refurbished the inn with many of her works, and has painted artistic touches here and there. She and Cindy stenciled most of the sweet bedrooms where quilts, crewel work and afghans abound. Named for native wildflowers, eight of the fourteen rooms in the main inn and a couple of outlying buildings have private bathrooms with showers. Diane painted a trompe-l'oeil cabinet on the wall of the Sea Oats Room to make it appear bigger. She painted a curtain for the bathroom window of the pale yellow Rosebud, which comes with a queen bed, rattan loveseat and two chairs plus a rear balcony enhanced by flowers in window boxes. We were happily ensconced in the Beach Plum, largest of four rooms in the Carriage House, where a wall of windows stretches toward the top of the cathedral ceiling. It has a kingsize bed and a sitting area with couch and side chairs around a coffee table. The most coveted accommodation may be the Outermost Cottage, where the bed is situated beneath a stained-glass window and a sunken bathroom awaits beneath a faux painted sky. Breakfast is served in the beamed, brick-floored dining room with its huge open hearth, looking for all the world like a British pub. Guests have so enjoyed Diane's treats (homemade granola, strawberry frosty, ginger pancakes and Southern-style french toast) that she has published the recipes in a small cookbook. We can attest to her veggie frittatas and raspberry pancakes. The dining room separates the plush and comfortable living room, where guests congregate around the fire and play board games, from the fabulous Victorian glass conservatory, filled with wicker furniture and plants centered by a weeping cherry tree. The rhododendron and clematis were in bloom at one visit; at another, grapes from the vines garnished the breakfast plates. Folks hang out in the spacious conservatory in the off-season and feel is if they’ve been transported to a tropical island. Every afternoon around 5:30, Diane sets out hors d’oeuvres like guacamole, an olive-nut spread, or a cream-cheese and chutney spread with crackers to accompany complimentary wine and cranberry juice. Guests debate the spirited reviews of their predecessors in a guest book called "Where Did You Eat and How Did You Like It?" The inn is so comfy and the grounds so pretty that you might not want to leave, but Nauset Beach is nearby. Don't miss the shop out back where Diane sells her stained glass, painted furniture, picture frames, little boxes and other handicrafts. (508) 255-2195. Eight rooms with private baths and six rooms with shared baths. Doubles, $160 to $175 private, $75 to $85 shared. Closed November-March. Material excerpted from Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2006. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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