Thousands of readers logged in and voted, and the LimeRock Inn on Limerock Street in Rockland rose above 8,500 other bed-and-breakfast inns to win the 2010 title of “most affordable luxury inn” by The Complete Guide to Bed & Breakfasts, Inns and Guesthouses International.
The green and purple inn sits a block from downtown. It’s owned and run by Frank Isganitis and PJ Walter, who are never far away. The two co-owners live in a nearby house and are the only employees at the LimeRock Inn.
“We have no staff, and I think that’s what our guests like. We’re totally involved,” Walter said.
The inn has eight guest rooms. Each one is completely different from the next.
“We tried to keep with the feel of the house, keeping the old, but with modern amenities,” Walter said as he stood in Grand Manan — most of the rooms are named after islands. “We don’t want people to feel like they’re in a hotel.”
Grand Manan has a fireplace, a stained-glass window and an open feel. Victorian wallpaper borders the room, which is equipped with a king-size bed and a large armoire.
Outside the room is a dining room, the kitchen, a snack room, an office for guest use, a living room and a dark wooden staircase that leads to several of the other rooms. Huge paintings hang from the walls, and the wallpaper changes in every room — from classic, vertical stripes to a more funky design with monkeys in hats, which lines a downstairs hallway.
Walter admits that he didn’t know his inn was up for the award, but he’s happy it won.
“It’s very exciting. It reassures us in what we do,” Walter said. “What we really liked about it was that it was voted on by guests — not from an industry person. It means more.”
Pamela Lanier, the author of the guidebook series, said if she were an inn owner, she would have hoped for the “most affordable luxury inn” title.
“People are strapped for money,” Lanier said. “I think Americans will never lose their tastes for adventures and getaways, but in these times people are traveling closer to home and they’re looking for just that — affordable luxury.”
During the busy season, May to October, the LimeRock rooms run from $159 to $239.
Part of what Walter said makes the LimeRock Inn affordable is how much is included.
Guests get complementary meals, including a three-course breakfast daily, waters, Internet, and the use of the inn’s fax, printer and computer.
“We want to provide a luxurious atmosphere here, but make it affordable,” Walter said.
Walter said when he recently got a room at a New Jersey hotel, paper cuts bled his budget.
“When you account for a $60 breakfast, $4 for water and $6 for a bag of peanuts, it adds up. We have these complementary.”
That is part of what guest Karen Giles of North Kingstown, R.I., likes about the inn.
Giles has visited the place six times, “at least,” and said that it is the only place she and her husband travel anymore.
“It is a luxury to sit there and relax and watch the town go by. In the winter we love it because there is a fireplace in the living room. I love to sit there with a cup of coffee and read. It is a really comfortable place with everything you could want,” Giles said she loves the homey feeling of the inn. “The kitchen is right off the dining room, and you can see Frank and PJ in there cooking; you can duck your head in and say hi.”
The Complete Guide to Bed & Breakfasts, Inns and Guesthouses International’s contest had 80 categories. LimeRock Inn was one of two Maine inns to earn a title. Black Friar Inn & Pub in Bar Harbor won the title of “best bar/pub.”
For more information on the LimeRock Inn, visit www.limerockinn.com.