Blog at Port Washington Inn - Milwaukee-Area B&B

We never know from whence our next guests will come! In these days of exorbitant gas prices, we tend to assume our guests will not have traveled so far, but that is not always true. We’ve had guests from the Czech Republic, Netherlands, Germany, and England within the past two months and several guests from California, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa. Increasingly, our accessibility from both the Milwaukee and Chicago airports makes a stay at the Port Washington Inn an easy choice, with rental cars and/or airport limousines readily available. Port Washington is a walkable community so a stay here does not require a car.

June 5, 2008 was the 12th anniversary of our arrival at the Port Washington Inn in 1996. We had purchased an existing bed and breakfast and our first guests arrived days after we moved in.

Looking back to those pre-internet days, we recall trying to describe the guestrooms over the phone (and hoping our descriptions improved with time)! So much has changed in twelve years, and so much remains the same. We spend much less time on the telephone now and much more time improving our website.

Looking back, we know that the operating of the inn in those early years was accomplished with the most modest of means compared to our current standards. Hospitality is, however, the common thread woven throughout the tapestry of innkeeping. Offering gracous hospitality that puts guests at ease is the goal of every innkeeper. Behind the scenes innkeepers juggle a vast arena of priorities and when they do it well, their guests experience seamless hospitality.

These days our guests and we enjoy the benefits of a vastly renovated bed and breakfast inn that retains its historic references while offering all the modern comforts. Our kitchen is our pride and joy and has allowed us to offer gourmet picnics May through October and Saturday Night Meals during the winter months as well as the full breakfast we serve our guests.

In today’s world we tend to assume that people have found us on the internet but we are always pleased to hear that Port Washington Inn gets good press in travel books and magazines that spotlight Wisconsin, Lake Michigan, and the greater Milwaukee/Chicago area. Scenes of the inn are currently appearing on a television commercial promoting B&B’s throughout Wisconsin. Travel Green Wisconsin helps us get the word out about our eco-friendly practices and VISIT Milwaukee has featured us on their ECO visits rack card. Discover Wisconsin did a show highlighting Ozaukee County and we are now represented on their website as well. The Wisconsin Bed & Breakfast Association, Port Washington and Cedarburg Chambers, and the Ozaukee County Tourism Council are valued partners.

Gift Certificates to our inn have always been popular as gifts for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and holiday gifts. Give a memory that will be cherished for a long time! The Port Washington Inn gives you a Gift Certificate Bonus equal to 10% of the purchased gift certificate. It’s one way we can say Thank You for choosing to share our inn with someone special to you.

Recent guests from Europe experienced some frustration when the taxi they hired to bring them here from the Milwaukee airport didn’t seem to be aware of places outside Milwaukee proper. Their experience was a reminder that we could and should provide travel information making our guests’ travel as easy as possible.

We recommend Go Airport Connection for reliable transportation between us and the airport.

Visit their website at www.goairportconnection.com

As of this date, the fare for two passengers each with one piece of baggage was just under $50.

Guests of the Port Washington Inn are often here long enough to explore several eateries during their stay.
Some of their favorite eateries around Ozaukee County (4-9 miles from PWI) include those on this map!

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Innkeeping is a labor of love that is all about sharing.

To meet most innkeepers is to meet people who aspire to offer a special experience to their guests.
The care that goes into decorating and maintaining their inns and into preparing delicious food for their guests is calculated to look and feel as though it happens effortlessly.
A truely professional innkeeper will manage to provide this experience in spite of all the snafus they may have been dealing with behind the scenes.

It is always a pleasure for such innkeepers when their guests are moved to express their appreciation, sometimes verbally, sometimes in a thank you note that arrives after their stay.

Our hearts are always warmed by kind words from our guests and there have been many.
The following note arrived recently from Erika who visited our bed and breakfast inn with two friends who have been visiting the inn for many years (in fact these friends gave the inn a Lenten Rose last year and have also made our hearts sing with their kind words):

Rita & Dave,

I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how beautiful your B&B home is.
The hospitality was incredible and the warmth of both of your personalities really made me feel very comfortable.
Your place is an awesome getaway.
What a fantastic job you both did with the decor.
I have spent time in a lot of B&B’s
- but your place is the most elegant of all!!
I will be back!

Erika

Erika knew that Dave (and our son Aaron) have created many special furniture pieces for the inn in their woodworking shop.
She also knew that Rita uses her sewing skills to enhance the inn.
Erika and her friends had participated in the Saturday Night Good Food, Good Company Special as well as two full breakfasts and she took home a few recipes.

Thank you for your kind words, Erika.
They truly did make our hearts sing!

Some of Port Washington’s attractions cannot be pinpointed on a map: Interurban Bike Trail, the Sauk Creek Nature Preserve, the Art Deco Lighthouse in the harbor, Sauk Creek, the Historic Walking Tour (P.W. has significant architecture predating the civil war)!

Double click on the blue markers to see the name and contact information.

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Double click on the blue location marker to see the name and contact information for the establishment.

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If you qualify as a baby boomer, you may remember Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady singing “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly”. My Fair Lady dreamed of a “loverly” place.
You may dream of such a place too!

Wouldn’t it be loverly to be magically transported to a place
where the surroundings are beautiful and comfortable?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to find a delicious homemade treat
and complimentary beverage options upon your arrival?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to enjoy a sunrise over Lake Michigan from your room?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to enjoy rich, fresh roasted coffee
before and during your delectable full breakfast?
OR your favorite tea?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to watch a movie uninterrupted?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to sit outside in the park-like grounds
of the inn on a pleasant day?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to share a gourmet picnic while you commune with nature?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to spend quiet hours in total privacy
with your favorite music in the background?

Wouldn’t it be loverly to travel back in time to a ‘kinder, gentler era’?

Time at the Port Washington Inn is “loverly”!
Our guests tell us so again and again.

Come enjoy the romance of Port Washington Inn.

One of the distinctive sounds we’ve grown accustomed to
since moving to Port Washington is the honking of geese as they wing their way between the shoreline of Lake Michigan and areas inland.

In Iowa where we grew up, pheasants were common but geese were not!
They offer entertainment throughout the winter as they arrow through the skies.

A walk along the harbor gives ample opportunity to observe the antics of a variety of ducks bobbing about in the water.

Geese, ducks, gulls are ever present and a myriad of other birds are sighted as they move through the area during their spring and fall migrations.

Ample viewing areas overlooking the shoreline make Port Washington a birding paradise!

At the Port Washington Inn our guests can pick up the Great Wisconsin Birding & Nature Trail Lake Michigan Region AND the Ozaukee Trailside Birding Guide.

Then they can walk to the lakeshore
and Interurban Trail with binoculars and cameras in hand to capture the moment!