Finches Bed and Breakfast

We're here in Cambridge!

M* and I arrived last Wednesday, Sep 6, but it seems like we've been here much longer. We had lodging for six nights at a great B&B - Finches Bed and Breakfast - just outside the Cambridge city limits in Girton. I love B&Bs, so I was partial to staying in one. This one was reasonably price and it had Wi-Fi. We couldn't have stayed in a place without it since we needed to check the listings of available flats and make phone calls using Skype on our computers. Also, their web site noted that one could rent a bike just a few blocks away. Bikes in Cambridge are a necessity.

Finches attracts a variety of guests from families of students, to those attending lectures or training at a nearby university or business, to those on vacation, to those looking for lodging, to those in town for other sorts of business.

The couple that runs Finches lives in an attached part of the house with their three children. Jane, the wife, and I emailed a few times before Mat and I even left the States. She was very friendly and helpful, so I knew that I had made the right choice. Check-in time isn't normally until the afternoon, but she made sure that they were around to meet us in the morning. Our room was actually ready, so we dropped off our massive suitcases right away and went off to rent bikes. Since we had five large bags, Nigel, Jane's husband, offered to store any bags that we didn't need. Storing meant putting them in their part of the house, their living room I think.

Chris's Bikes, just three blocks away from Finches, is a small bike shop. He had just two rentals left, and Chris had them ready for us by the end of the day on Wednesday. If you stay at Finches and want to rent a bike, I suggest contacting Chris ahead of time (01223 276004).

Why did we love Finches so much? Well, it's a lovely and very comfortable place to stay. There are only three rooms - each with its own bathroom. Our room had a double bed, a desk, wardrobe, etc. We could walk into the heart of Cambridge in about 25 minutes - and there are buses that run into town frequently. But most of all, it's because of Jane and Nigel. They are just lovely people.

Jane cooked us a hearty breakfast every morning - included in the price of course. Breakfast is served between 7:30 and 8:30am Mon-Fri and 1/2 later on weekends. Since we had full days planned filled with walking and biking, we needed fuel to get us going. I normally have an appetizing breakfast of protein powder and almond milk, and it was so enjoyable to chow down on eggs, sausage, grilled tomatoes, ham and potatoes. We were always greeted by orange juice in champagne flutes, and we also had a choice of fruit, yogurt, cereal as well as tea and coffee. She asked us each morning what we wanted, and after the first day we just told her, "The same." The food was so nourishing, that we basically didn't have to eat until dinner. This was helpful because the food here is very expensive since the US dollar is so weak.

A few days we ate alone, and other days we ate with the other guests. However, if we were the only ones at the table, we didn't just talk to each other. Jane, and often Nigel, were around to greet us and check-in on our flat-hunting progress. We had so many questions for them, and they never tired of our inquiries. They pointed us to another bike shop for purchasing a bike - a place where their daughter had just picked one up (I ended up buying a bike from this place today after looking around at a number of other shops). They told us about Argos - a convenient and cheap place to pick up a number of items that we need for our flat. They also lent us their Cambridge map until we bought one. They pointed out shortcuts for all the flats we had to go visit. There was so much more they helped us with. However, it was more than their answering our questions, the conversation was just truly enjoyable.

One of the landlords that we met was surprised that we had a good B&B - he said that English B&Bs are often not that great. Jane worked in the travel industry part-time before they opened the B&B, and she has traveled a bit. She has remembered what she liked and didn't like in all the places that she went. This knowledge has shaped the way the guests are treated, and it is why our stay was truly comfortable.

M* and I were so happy with Jane and Nigel, that I had to remind myself that we were their guests so they probably would have been nice to us regardless if they liked us or not. However, when our cab arrived to take us to our new flat, she presented us with a bottle of champagne from her and Nigel - they remembered that M* and I had just gotten married three weeks earlier. M* and I were so touched. I remember thinking, "Yeah, they really do like us!"

What a great way to be welcomed to England.