Review of Bordeaux Inn Lodi 3*

Not a Positive B&B Experience The Bordeaux Inn is a clean place with friendly hosts, within walking distance of downtown Lodi. But from the perspective of it being a B&B it is an unsatisfying experience at best, and an overpriced rip-off at worst. You would be better served staying at a local hotel than thinking you would get a good experience here. The rooms are clean and simple, with none of the charm I have grown to expect from a B&B. The room we stayed in was filled with a bed so large it left no room for anything like chairs. A small, uncomfortable bench made a poor substitute as a place to sit. The bathroom was run-down and seemed unfinished. There was nowhere to put down your toiletries near the sink, and as the sink itself lacked any sort of screen, a dropped item could have disappeared into the pipes. And it was a good thing I always bring my own toiletries — a bar of soap and a small, single serve bottle of shampoo was all that was provided, less than I would have expected from a Motel 6. Finally, we were told that we could use the backyard, but that at night we would have to go around the side of the house to reach it, as the hosts living quarters attached from the house to the outdoor area. Unfortunately, when we came back from downtown to enjoy a later evening in the back, the lights were off and there was no apparent way to turn them on, so we sat in the dark. But if the "Bed" part was unsatisfying, the "Breakfast" was a horrendous experience. First we were told that breakfast was served between 7:30 — 8:30 am, and when we attempted to get it served a little later (it was a weekend after all, and we like to sleep in on our days off), we were made to feel that this would be an undue burden, as the hostess was teaching a cooking class. We were left feeling that serving us breakfast would get in her way. My girlfriend, who typically doesn't eat much for breakfast, informed the hostess that she would mostly just like fruit. She said this thinking it would make things easier for the hostess, as she would not need to prepare anything special. Much to our surprise, the hostess responded that "fruit would be hard, as it was the wrong season. " My girlfriend and I were aghast — seriously, the wrong season? Like there are no grocery stores in Lodi that have fruit year-round? The fact that we could pay so much and the hostess couldn't even bother to run to the store for a few apples and a cantaloupe was just absurd. My experience at the many B&Bs I have stayed at is that each has its own, unique take on breakfast, and when we arrived the hostess was actively baking some beard or cookies that smelled simply scrumptious. I was looking forward to a wonderful breakfast by a self-proclaimed cooking teacher. But as with all else at the Inn, breakfast was disappointing and left me wishing I had just gone into town and found a nice cafe instead. Frozen hash browns that weren't even crisp, bland scrambled eggs (I wasn't given a choice of egg style) with nothing added, veggie sausages from a box (I am vegetarian), and English muffins (which I actually declined). There were no pastries, no tasting of something special cooked by the hostess, no fruit (as expected) — nothing except a bland breakfast which I could have cooked better myself. And, to top it off, the coffee was weak and thin. While I found Lodi to be a charming, surprisingly interesting town, I wish I had saved my money and stayed at Motel 6 instead of paying the premium of staying at the Bordeaux Inn. I will never stay there again, nor will I encourage my friends to stay there. To Rebecca and Craig, I have one piece of advice — if you want to create a successful B&B, I strongly encourage you to visit some yourself and get a sense of the type of experience people expect when they pay a premium to stay at such a place. With what you are offering now, regular B&Bers will soon learn to steer clear of your place.