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One of the best bed and breakfasts in Chatham Ontario,
as recommended by Janette Higgins.
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The Duchess of Wellington Bed and Breakfast
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Antja and Rick Bodnaruk
320 Wellington Street West
Chatham, ON
Canada, N7M 1K1
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| Phone: 519 351 3126 |
| One of Chatham's historical landmark homes is now a fine bed and breakfast. |
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Review by Janette Higgins
author of The Best Places to B&B in Ontario: A Selective Guide
Six editions of the book were published to critical and popular acclaim. Janette now publishes her B&B
reviews and holiday reports online.
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Note 1 to reader: Every Ontario bed and breakfast receives my consideration. I travel incognito, pay where I stay and write reviews of the top 5%. Here is a Chatham bed and breakfast I recommend. Janette Higgins
Antja and Rick Bodnaruk were living way up north in Fort Frances when they decided to look around southwestern Ontario for an interesting old home they could restore for bed and breakfast. Antja (pronounced ‘Angie’) had a small antiques business so she’d be bringing a load of interesting prints, paintings and Victoriana to furnish the place and both loved big, old houses.
They were pleasantly surprised to learn about Chatham’s architectural heritage, as was I, and voila they hit upon this Queen Anne style home with its beehive turret and highly complex façade. They dove in and now offer three bed and breakfast guest rooms with en suite bathrooms within a short walk of downtown Chatham. In fact, as I strolled to dinner I marvelled at the array of architectural styles along the way. Everything from Stick Style to Carpenter Gothic to the next door Tudor cottage, figure into the mix. Dinner was good too; at Mama Maria’s Restaurant I had a Caprese salad with reduced balsamic and a roasted eggplant/red pepper combo on bruschetta along with a glass of very reasonably priced Bolla Pinot Grigio.
Back at the B&B, the guest rooms are upstairs, all with queen beds and en suites. The biggest is the suitably grand Empire Room with its bathroom’s oversize antique tub and small sitting area with desk. The Hunt Room, with circular shower in the bathroom, seems inspired by an English gentleman’s boudoir with its mahogany and leather overtones. I was taken by the headboard padded in a peacock feather motif. Across the hall, the décor in the BackStage Room offers a nod to the newly-refurbished Capitol Theatre which, by the way, offers a surprisingly diverse lineup of a few dozen notable acts for its first season (2010), including Bill Cosby, Swan Lake, The Vienna Boys Choir and Peking Acrobats. I even saw a group listed whose LP record I had way back when; Tower of Power. Open year round it’s a reason to visit Chatham.
Next morning, Antja presented me with a mix of blueberries with kiwi and honeydew melon. This was followed by a thick French toast with raspberries and real maple syrup. Served alongside were petite, and very tasty, locally-made breakfast sausages. As I savoured my breakfast, it occurred to me that you could choose the Duchess as a destination B&B; what with Chatham’s architecture, dynamic new theatre, and link to black history (it was the end of the underground railroad from the U.S.). Certainly, any photographer would have a field day here. Besides the architecture there are things like quirky storefronts and several bridges that cross the Thames River which is parallelled by the main street, accounting for the bends in the road along its route.
Note 2 to reader: I appreciate your support of the continuation of my research by letting Antja and Rick know you read my review of their bed and breakfast on this bbontario website. Many thanks! Janette Higgins, Travel Writer
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of Ontario's best bed and breakfasts
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The Duchess of Wellington Bed and Breakfast, Chatham, Ontario
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| Tell your hosts Janette Higgins sent you! |
| E-mail: |
Click Here |
| Website: |
http://theduchessofwellington.com |
| Best to call: |
Anytime |
| Languages: |
English |
| Season: |
All Year |
| CDN $ Rates: |
S or D $125-135 (no taxes)
Note: The Hunt Room's rate is reduced to $115 for a stay of 2 or more nights. |
Currency converter
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| Cards: |
Cash/Cheque/VISA/Mastercard/AMEX |
| Restrictions: |
Children 14 and older welcome; smoking outside only; no guest's pets |
| Facilities: |
3 rooms with queen beds and en suite bathrooms;Hunt has shower stall, Backstage has shower in tub and Empire has oversize antique tub; central air; wireless internet, living room for guests |
| Parking: |
off street for 4 cars in a pinch |
| Breakfast: |
Full |
| In Residence: |
No pets in residence |
| Location: |
Chatham is 12 minutes off Hwy 401 between London and Windsor/Detroit. The B&B is on a residential street in central Chatham, walking distance to downtown, hospital and retirement homes. |
| Directions: |
From Toronto take exit 90 from Hwy 401. Drive north on Hwy 40 to Park. turn left. Drive to Lacroix. Turn right to Wellington. Turn right. From Windsor/Detroit, take exit 81 from Hwy 401. Drive north on Bloomfield to Park. Turn right to Lacroix. Turn left to Wellington. Turn right. |
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