Beaufort, North Carolina--The Pecan Tree Inn

 The Pecan Tree Inn
116 Queen Street
Beaufort, NC  28516
252.728.6733
www.pecantree.com

In case you're wondering, and even if you aren't, we do, indeed, seem to be spending some time in Beaufort, North Carolina.

Did you know--you probably did--that there's a Beaufort, NC and a Beaufort, SC?  And we're told by some sources in the North Carolina Beaufort that these towns are pronounced differently: that is, "BOW-fort" in NC, and "BIEU-FERD" in SC. 

And apparently, it's very important to keep these straight.

Issues of elocution aside, and in any event, I can report four enthusiastic thumbs up for the Pecan Tree Inn (mine and my husband's thumbs, that is).  I'd booked on line, which was simple, and I received follow up emails from the husband of the husband-wife owner team.  Sherry, the manager of the place, is welcoming, helpful, and generally terrific.

My husband is not an overenthusiastic fan of bed and breakfast places--he prefers the comparative anonymity of a hotel--but we both agreed that this is a place we will come back to.

I was particularly impressed with the diligence of one of the owners, David, who wrote to me several days before we arrived.  We'd chosen a room on the second floor.  As it happens, that room was being renovated, and the renovations wouldn't be complete in time.  Rather than spring this on us upon our arrival, David instead took the time to write to us several days before to see if it would be acceptable for us to be relocated to a comparable room on the first floor. 

I confess that the notion of a first-floor room didn't please me.  I assumed that people would be walking by--potentially at all hours--but I needn't have worried.  The room was very quiet, the other guest courteous (the breakfast ample, by the way, with good coffee), and our visit a success.  This is not a place with flat-screen TVs or mini-bars; we didn't even use the modest TV in the room, so I can't report on that.  But there is access to wireless, and the room has been fitted with a power strip and enough outlets for any technologies that accompany you.  The simple, retro-style shower was strong, warm, and more than adequate.

Located on a quiet side street but near the waterfront, the Inn is also across the street from several popular restaurants and in easy walking distance to Beaufort dining, shops, and historical sites.  This is a lovely and scrupulously clean oasis for a relaxing visit to Beaufort and environs.