Bishopgate Inn East Haddam, Conn.

Bishopsgate Inn is located in the small historic town of East Haddam, Conn. The house itself was built the early nineteenth century by a local merchant Horace Hayden. East Haddam is large in area but small in population. It includes the Devils Hopyard State Park which offers scenic vistas and great hikes. Goodspeed Opera House has been introducing great shows to the area for as long as anyone can remember and the Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale taught school here in East Haddam and you can walk right up the hill from the Inn to visit the site.

Bishopsgate Inn is within walking distance of the Opera House; as a matter of fact, it is only a few hundred feet. There are two restaurants and a very cute ice cream shop in the village. In many ways, you will feel as if you have taken a step back into a slower, gentler time.

The entrance to the Inn is around the back of the house, drive slowly or you may miss the entrance. A sign points it out on the steep hill but depending on which way you traveling it can be hard to see. The driveway is very steep and there is a nice parking area at the bottom. A pretty garden area was filled with irises when we visited.

The bed and breakfast has six rooms of which four have fireplaces and one is a suite with a sauna. We chose the Sunny Room but at the end of the day, we stayed in the very lovely Director's Suite. It is a nice size room with an additional small room with a single bed; this would make a perfect family room. As you lay in the very comfortable king size white iron bed you will notice the vaulted ceiling and the dark wood beams.

One of the walls in the room has some exposed brick that has been painted to match the rest of the room, a soft sage green. The room is decorated in an eclectic style, with antiques but the watercolors on the wall are contemporary.

The room has lots of warm touches, in the bathroom, there is a rack with a pretty collection of embroidered finger towels. The room has lamps to read, a flat screen TV and Wi-Fi, what more could you ask for? Well, the steam room would be a nice touch, and there is one.

The room also has a balcony with a table where you can sit and enjoy the evening or the morning. If you forgot to bring along something to read, there were plenty of choices in the room and there is a comfortable wing chair if you want to sit and read.

If you want to go out of the room to stretch out there is a guest sitting room on the second floor where our room was. Really, you can't make a bad choice when it comes to rooms, there are all beautiful each with their own unique flavor.

I was warmly greeted by our hostess and shown to our room when I arrived. We came back in our own entrance when we returned after dinner.

The bathroom is large, with a stand-up shower, a vanity with double sink and a separate toilet room. We were very comfortable indeed and I am sure I am going to regret that we have only one night to enjoy this wonderful place.

Breakfast is served when you want it between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Our breakfast began with coffee and juice and ended with two vegetarian eggs Benedict with fresh fruit and a scoop of salsa. It was just the right size. We had as much coffee as we could want and sat for quite a while chatting.

If you are looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion or just spend the night while you are in the East Haddam area, The Bishopgate Inn will certainly provide everything that you could possibly want.