Susanne The name for this B&B came to Paul in a divinely inspired moment. Paul describes himself as spiritual, he prays regularly and asked for a name for their new bed and breakfast. Paul smiles and says the next day the name came to him spontaneously: Accommodating The Soul. He adds he wanted to create a home for people to come and just be.
A gorgeous ensuite private bathroom upstairs
Over the last three years Steven and Paul have had guests from all over the world, including from different parts of North America, Europe and Asia. Steven likes to spoil them with his full hot breakfast which includes a fresh fruit cocktail, coffee, tea, juice, and a main course, either an egg dish (Paul adds that Steven’s omelettes are to die for), a quiche or a dish made with filo pastry. Steven told me about his pancakes: he takes thin slices of ripe pear and puts them in the dough while the pancake cooks. The fruit remains visible on one side of the pancake and the top gets sprinkled with icing sugar. My mouth was watering just listening to this description.
The garden room in the winter
I asked them to tell me a few of their favourite guest stories that they have accumulated over the last three years. They both commented that their guests come from all walks of life, some are wealthy, some are regular, hard-working people, but they treat everyone the same way, and 99% of their guest experiences have been positive.
Many of their guests say that they sleep so much better here than in their own home. Just recently some guests from the West Coast brought a bottle of malt as a present, and other guests brought some cheese. Often their guests are interesting personalities or they come for interesting reasons. One of their guests was doing research into the death of his uncle who was killed on duty as an RCMP officer. Another couple from Korea came with their Korean brother-in-law. As an interior designer, Steven got involved in an animated discussion about architecture with the brother-in-law. Later that day the couple commented that their traveling companion had not talked with anyone for five days, and Steven was the first person that he opened up to.
One of the bedrooms upstairs
A young woman from Japan who spoke no English stayed for several days at their B&B, and they went on some joint excursions to Niagara-on-the-Lake together. The only way they could communicate was through improvised sign language, and the three established a great connection and had lots of laughs together. Positive human connections are possible even without the aid of a common spoken language.
Steven and Paul’s favourite guest story involves a woman from Halifax who came to stay at their B&B. Mary, a good-looking tall woman in her fifties, with blond hair, was a bit reserved, yet she also came across as relaxed and spiritual. The two owners knew that they were going to connect with this B&B guest. Mary finally opened up and told them her story: she had had a very close friend, Anna, whom she had grown up with. They would often have tea and cookies together, and one day, during one of their get-togethers, Anna got up, and fell back down – she had suffered a massive heart attack and passed away the same day.
An urban oasis
