Barclay Cottage
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Like a favorite grandma, this rambling old building gathers you in. Five cozy rooms feature invitingly soft beds, Oriental rugs on wood floors, and lots of antiques - not standoffish "don't touch" specimens but well-used, mismatched pieces. Vintage quilts serve as both decorative accents and bedspreads. Rocking chairs sit along a second-floor porch. It's hard to believe that such a soothing place, on a quiet dead-end street, lies just two and a half blocks from the boisterous beach. Innkeepers Stephen and Marie-Louise LaFond supply lots of nice touches: in-room CD players, books everywhere, bath amenities, and a stocked pantry with free snacks and beverages.

Washingtonian May, 2004

..."Where to Stay...For a romantic Victorian getaway, try Barclay Cottage (757-422-1956; barclaycottage.com) Built in 1895 as a vacation home, Barclay Cottage, with its wrap-around porch, is two blocks from the beach..."

Las Vegas, San Juan, Brussels, Newport RI, San Antonio, Trinidad, St. John's ... "Virginia Beach: Maybe its the sandy beaches, the lulling ocean, or the old-fashioned boardwalk, but there is something terribly romantic about Virginia Beach, located 20 miles from Norfolk. Secluded beaches, like North End, are ideal places to propose, but the proposal is all about the planning. Stay at Barclay Cottage, with its antiques and handmade quilts. Built in 1895, it is one of only two remaining Victorian cottages in the area. Owners Stephen and Marie-Louise LaFond happily prepare breakfast baskets so you can take your sweetie to the beach and sprawl on an empty stretch of sand to watch the sunrise. After all, not all engagements happen beneath the moon."