Bell House

Outstanding attention to detail, attention to our needs, plush, complete room and the generous charm of the proprietress, Anne, make this a lovely place to stay. Our room, Holly Branch, had windows on three sides, a tall comfortable bed and a great view of the Potomac. Anne provided a tour of the house as well as with lots of information about the area and suggestions for activities. Food was far above typical fare and delighted us and the other guests. We recommend without hesitation this not too from DC gem for a weekend or longer.

We were running away from a hectic work world, and The Bell House was the perfect place. January skies were gray and overcast, but the sunny personality of the B&B’s owner helped brighten the weekend. Staying in the well-​named Potomac Sunrise Room, we had sun-​toned walls and interesting architecture (fireplace mantle as headboard for a lushly comfortable bed, plus squares of period stained glass tossing delicate patches of color into the room). Bathroom pleasantly up-​to-​date, Battenburg lace adding a crisp softness to the windows that had storm windows to keep out winter winds.
A quirky touch here and there (like the small jar with «ashes of old lovers»). The other part of the interesting décor is due to the historic owner — Alexander Graham Bell used to use this as his summer house. The space by the kitchen includes a reproduction of an old crank phone — and it works. Up in the library there’s an old candlestick-​type telephone in disrepair that lets you touch something to connect present to the past.
Lack of television in any public or private spaces: priceless. (For those who need a video fix, either bring your own CD or previously downloaded movie and play it on your own equipment, or step out to one of the local pubs for a brew and a chance to catch up on those must-​have sporting events.)
Breakfast… ah, breakfast. Yes, it lives up to the goals of a B&B morning feast (juice, coffee, homemade baked goods, healthy-​yet-​yummy fruit dish, stuffed french toast, eggs, sausage).
I’ve heard the sunrise from the front of the house can be incredible, but the weather didn’t cooperate on our particular visit. So next time, we’ll try to schedule a trip to Colonial Beach when the next day’s due for fair skies… I look forward to sitting in a rocker on the front porch, sipping coffee and watching the new day dawn.

We loved the owner, Anne, and her place. It’s beautiful on the inside and outside, located directly next to the water/​beach, and it was a true pleasure to stay here. We were greeted and given a tour of the historic building, and then sat down with Anne to have a glass of wine and hear her takes on the local restaurants and things to do. She was so nice to us, and her energy really makes the whole room feel like a warm place. Our room was perfectly clean and beautiful, and looked out over the river.
It was a great mix of renovated (shower/​bathroom) and very old and historical.
The price was right, the breakfast was delicious, and she also served coffee starting at 6:30, which we dragged ourselves down for (in order to see an amazing sunrise on the front porch).
Bottom line: we look forward to going back many times.
One caveat: the house was definitely lived in by a smoker for a longer period of time. While there is currently no smoking, and hasn’t been for 7 years, it’s in the wood. So it doesn’t smell like smoke, and our clothing did NOT smell like smoke after, but it’s got that certain sweetness to it and that is recognizable to most people with grandparents or a great aunt that smoked. This is no way damaged our view of things.