Mrs. F and I stayed at Landhaven for 1 night on Sat 8/27/16. We decided to take a motorcycle ride to Crystal Cave in nearby Kutztown, PA, and when researching local places to stay on the internet, Landhaven popped up. It was close to our destination (on the same route, actually) and had good reviews in several sites. The website, photos, room descriptions etc looked nice, and the prices were competitive with chain hotels in the area. We wanted to avoid the really small "Bates Motel" type places, and liked that Landhaven was locally owned, part of a historic general store, and had nice amenities as well as quirky charm. We did not make a reservation in advance (though the website said all rooms were available). Instead, we thought we would rest the motorcycle (and our butts), visit Landhaven and get a sense of it before deciding to stay.
Landhaven is a B&B built around an historic general store, and they've kept the store, items, decorations and features from when it was originally built in the late 1800s. Landhaven is positioned at a 4-way stop in the small, quaint Huff's Church village near Barto, PA.
As we arrived, we parked the motorcycle and approached the B&B and were greeted by Donna Land who invited us in. We discussed our destination and that we were considering staying there for 1 night, and Donna was very engaging, no hard sell, listened for a while and took us on a short tour. Mrs. F and I had time pressure to get to Crystal Cave before it closed, so after jawing with Donna for a bit, we decided to stay. We paid Donna with Amex via a Square payment processor, exchanged some basic info about our return time and breakfast in the morning, and we were back on the motorcycle headed to nearby Crystal Cave.
Fun fact: Because one of us snores like a chainsaw (I won't say whom), Mrs. F and I treated ourselves to 2 rooms at Landhaven. Mrs. F stayed in the Bittenbender Room, and I opted for the Pilgert Room. Expensive, yes... but also a fun way to experience the unique features of each room, which featured wonderful ambiance, quality beds, and great bathrooms with sauna showers, whirlpool tubs, and more. We had free Wi-Fi that worked quickly and well. The only amenity missing from each room was television... and frankly, that was part of the fun!
Well, Mrs. F and I motorcycled away, and had a great time at Crystal Cave, a little tour of Kutztown, PA (during Move In Weekend at Kutztown University), and had great meals at Saucony Creek Craft Brewery before arriving back at Landhaven before dark. Driving back on the motorcycle, there was a big event with a live band at the local church down the road (Donna called it a picnic). We could have easily walked to the party, but we were exhausted from riding all day. When we returned for the evening, Donna and Ed Land greeted us, we talked for a bit about what time we wanted breakfast, and then retired to our rooms for the night.
The next morning, Donna cooked us a delicious breakfast, clearly made from scratch. Mrs. F, Donna and I sat for a hour and talked most pleasantly over breakfast (Ed had gone to Bethlehem, PA to teach a blacksmithing class). The Landhaven experience was friendly and low key... Donna and Ed do a great job of maintaining the ambiance and amenities of Landhaven, but they don't take themselves too seriously... which we deeply appreciated. Some bed and breakfast places can be "too clever by half" and be a turnoff. Not Landhaven! It combined uniqueness, charm and amenities with a welcoming atmosphere of just plain folks.
As Mrs. F and I rode away from Landhaven, we felt we got a good value, as well as a special lodging experience that made our weekend adventure into a great memory. If you're in the region, give Landhaven a chance to work its charm on you. read more
