Taking in Boarders

There are a lot of retirees living on the Sunshine Coast, generally. These are the retirees who worked somewhere else, somewhere to the near south or to the east, and then came here to do the golden years part. Such retirees often talk about ‘having a little B&B when they retire.’ And a lot of them do more than just talk about it, I’d guess, given the number of Bed and Breakfast places that seem to have recently opened up on the Sunshine Coast.

When we first came here, eighteen years ago, we stayed in the only B&B on the Coast, or at least the only one we could find, a very cute little place in Roberts Creek called “Rose Cottage” (in the picture above), managed by a charming weaver named Loragene. Her husband worked in the local pulp mill and she wove rag rugs and attended to guests. She was extremely gracious and the cottage was absolutely exquisite. It was the kind of place that you might imagine finding in the English countryside in the 19th century: brass beds and handmade everythings, including bed quilts and rugs, and old, carefully made, comfortable wooden furniture. There was a little kitchen area, and a wood stove, and everything charming and tasteful but not newish—that is, it didn’t feel designed by some decorator and never touched by human hands. It felt like someplace you might have always been visiting.

We arrived in the late afternoon and she had us into the main house for tea and scones or muffins or such and she provided us with lots of information about where to go to do whatever it was that we were doing. Then, in the morning, we had a more-than-abundant breakfast of pancakes and bacon and eggs and toast and coffee and hot chocolate and fruit and homemade jam and who knows what else at a lovely old round table in their kitchen. Her husband had his coffee with us while she cooked and served and we had a lovely conversation. It seemed so very welcoming; it was so very welcoming.

We stayed with her a couple of times after that—she even recommended a great real estate agent to us--and we always found it as fine an experience as the first stay was. Eventually, they expanded and built an entire additional building with 4 suites, I believe, in addition to Rose Cottage. I am not the least surprised that she has had a very successful career as a B&B operator; she surely had the personality for it.

I have thought about running a B&B in the intervening years. I mean, you have a lot of time on your hands in retirement and, even if you are filling it up quite adequately, there is a vague feeling that you ought to be doing something to earn money and a B&B would be so easy. Loragene made it seem very, very easy. I have a quilting friend who, as she retired, did indeed operate a B&B for several years. She thought it would be a fun way to meet people coming through the area, and after all they wouldn’t stay all that long and how much work can it be to provide breakfast for a nice couple each morning? She pretty quickly found that it was not only a lot of work but a lot of work for demanding and not particularly appreciative people. Although she is a most outgoing lady, she was not outgoing enough for that kind of dealing with the public.

Me? I wouldn’t last two days at it, I imagine, but it is still one of those careers that I vaguely entertain having. A charming little place like Rose Cottage, with delicate teas and scrumptious breakfasts and people as interesting as Ed and me coming to stay and to chat with over breakfast and appreciate what I've created. Sounds great, but only as a fantasy, alas. I think we'll be outsourcing this career to Loragene who really does know how to do it and who accepts reality. If you come to the Sunshine Coast, stay in her B&B and let me know if she is still keeping up her standards!