the retro bed & breakfast in canterbury

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the boy and i just returned last night from a little weekend roadtrip to some points of interest in the southeast of england. we had a great time, despite that fact that it was by far the chilliest weekend we’ve experienced since moving across the pond. luckily when we visited the charming (and chock-full of history) city of canterbury, we stayed at the most lovely bed and breakfast, the perfect place to cozy up from the cold.

when we arrived at the retro bed & breakfast in the dark of winter night, we were greeted so warmly by tony and kerry, the couple that converted a historic canterbury home into this absolutely delightful b&b. they were extremely hospitable and immediately we enjoyed the homey, clean, friendly feel of the retro. since the boy and i have a dream to one day open a bed & breakfast together, we loved talking with tony about he and his wife’s experience opening the retro just seven months ago. they have really created something special.

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tony showed us to our room, one of the six themed rooms in the retro. we loved staying in “the artist’s room,” which included a glorious, big bay window, art by local canterbury artists, a luxurious king sized bed (sooo comfy!), hot drinks and water, a well-stocked and chic attached bathroom, and wallpaper that i absolutely loved!

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since the other guests were out, tony was also able to show us the other rooms in the b&b. the garden room and the sail loft are just darling, the map room has an entire wall covered in a world map, and the writer’s room has a tidbit of chaucer’s famous canterbury tales on the wall! so cool. my favourite part of our little b&b tour though was definitely the union family room, with its epic red double-decker bus bunk beds!

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i feel like it’s really the details that make a place to stay stand out, and we encountered lots of nice ones at the retro, like this book in our room that included great information about what to do in canterbury, about the history of that remarkable little city, and about the theme of our room!

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we slept so well that winter’s night, and then thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast in the morning. the retro’s dining room is simple yet elegant and so cozy. isn’t that china just darling?! the chair upholstery was one of my very favourite things about this b&b.

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tony and kerry serve a full english breakfast (from which you can pick and choose to your liking) to their guests each morning. while the food was freshly prepared, we enjoyed cereal, juice, hot drinks and toast from the buffet. the food was absolutely delicious!

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the homey and wonderful accomodations and fabulous food at the retro is only made better by the b&b’s excellent location – on a nice, quiet street from which most canterbury sites are easily walkable.

canterbury is a truly fascinating and enchanting place to visit – a very worthwhile excursion from london for visitors to the uk. the history in that place is staggering, and exploring the old town is just delightful. stay tuned from more pictures from our time in canterbury – and when you head there yourself, look no further than the retro bed & breakfast for the best, coziest, absolutely loveliest place to stay. visit the b&b’s website to book your visit.

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thanks tony and kerry for the splendid stay at your fantastic bed & breakfast. we definitely hope to be back to visit again in the future (next time in the summer, i hope!).

p.s. not only does kerry co-run the retro, and co-raise the two darlingest young children (we loved meeting them), but she is also an accomplished author! she recently published a book about whitstable, the seaside town that is just a quick drive from canterbury (and tony and kerry’s hometown). check it out here.

Comments

  1. Wow! this looks so much like Saydi's house in England! Fun place! I can't believe this is actually posting. We are on a cruise ship with terrible Internet service! So glad to catch up. Miss you!

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  2. Oh man! I love the pictures with the grazing sheep and the ocean just beyond - so so pretty! I want to go there. I think it's so awesome the way you explore the world around you and see the beauty everywhere. When you were in SF, I wanted to visit SF so badly. And when you were on your around the world trip I wanted to see everything in your posts. I'm pretty sure you could live in the most boring town in the middle of nowhere and your zest for life and your descriptions of it would make me want to visit that place too. :)

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