A Local Take on a Holiday Hotel: the Ditmas Park B&B

The holidays are a time to spend with family, friends and all those who are close to us: but what happens when things get too close?

 Having a local place for loved ones to stay can be the perfect solution for too much togetherness, and fortunately for Ditmas Parkers, there are many abodes in the neighborhood to choose from. 

Ditmas Park is home to many bed and breakfasts, but here are four that Patch has taken a closer look at: 

• Nestled in a picturesque and secluded dead-end in the heart of Ditmas Park known as DeKoven Court is Emilia's Retreat, named after owner Donna Zaengle's daughter and in honor of her grand-father. 

Emilia's Retreat's entire basement is available to guests and is ideal for families as it has two bedrooms, a living room that can double as additional sleeping quarters and a kitchen. Guests can come and go as they please as the basement has a separate entrance. 

• If you've ever spent time in Ditmas Park, chances are you recognize Rugby Gardens, an iconically colorful Victorian home on Rugby Road. But did you know that the home serves as one of the neighborhood's many bed and breakfasts? 

Owners and spouses Sue Fishkin and Michael Hurwitz converted two bedrooms on their third floor to guest rooms six years ago when their eldest son and daughter moved out. "We totally redecorated the rooms. Each bedroom has a flatscreen television, DVD player and in the hall is a library of DVDs," Fiskkin said.

• DeKoven Suites is one of the neighborhood's oldest and most well-established B&B's, having been open for 12 years. The b&b, located at 30 DeKoven Court, sits on a dead-end street that also features fellow bed and breakfast Emilia's Retreat.

"It's the most rewarding [thing because] people are filling my home with happy times because they're on vacation," said owner Sue Lehrer. "It's also night to help out the community."

• The Isabella at Ditmas Park is the network's newest and arguably one of the more private B&B's. "It basically is its own apartment," says owner Alexandra Reddish, a real estate broker who has been running The Isabella with her husband since October. 

The entire first floor operates as the bed and breakfast, offering a living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two baths that can all be rented at once. "You can book the entire suite and have your own little private apartment," she said. "It's not like a hotel where you're stuck in a room or at the bar."

 

Rates and availability at each of the Bed and Breakfasts vary, but the owners of each place are very accomodating and usually can point those interested in staying in the neighborhood to a place that is best suited for them.

Know of another Bed and Breakfast that should be added to the list? Let us know in the comments section below!