Ponce De Leon Place Bed & Breakfast

Spent a nice weekend in this neighborhood in Atlanta with wife Jackie. We enjoy B&B’s because of the ambiance, personality, quirkiness and non-​sameness of everything about them, when they’re doing it right. This one mostly does it right.
Our hostess was a wonderfully friendly person full of the requisite stories, easy to get to know and quick to get to know us. She has a beautiful place, inside and out, with a chatty parakeet (quiet at night) and gorgeous garden in back.
We took the Executive suite. Funny name — I sometimes stay in B&B’s on business travel, but I usually connect Executive suites with Hilton or Marriott, not attractively-​decorated, homey and warm suites with skylights and big screened-​in porches. The bathroom and bath were small, but adequate, clean and attractive, and B&B’s always have some bits that are sub-​optimal to go with their excesses and lavishnesses. They’re not designed by a Professional Hotel Designer, after all.
No 5-​star rating here, though. The proprietor knew a few things about the neighborhood, but not really a lot, so we were left to our own devices to find something to do and places to eat. Fortunately, that’s NOT a problem in this neighborhood. Try Couscous and Barcelona for dinner, and if you’re in town at the right time in the spring or fall, the Festival on Ponce arts and crafts festival is fun. (The Persian festival needs some work.) And bring your bike or walking shoes — it’s right near a reasonably long and very attractive network of parks and trails.
The breakfasts weren’t bad, but not really up to B&B standards. Competent eggs and fruit/​yoghurt cups, nice and steady coffee, but no real gourmet-​ness or personality.
Go there!

I cannot recommend the Ponce de Leon B&B highly enough!
The inn is located in Virginia Highlands, walking distance to the Virginia-​Highlands shopping area and Piedmont Park, a large urban park with running paths, trees and lawns. Whole Foods and Kroger Markets are close if you want to stock the mini-​refrigerator although breakfast was enough to hold us over for dinner. There are many great restaurants that are very close. The Carter Center is right down the street and other sites such as the Georgia History Museum are close. We did not go into Downtown Atlanta because there was plenty to see and do right here. There is plenty of street parking right in front if the driveway is occupied. We stayed in the Cottage suite, which is huge with a fully stocked bathroom, complete with Jacuzzi (for one) and assorted bath oils. Three delicious breakfasts (cooked to our order) were served in a private, pleasant sunroom at the time of our choosing.
The bedroom has a porch swing (twin bed size) suspended from the ceiling on one end and there are TVs for both the king size bed and the porch swing bed. To the side of the room is a sunroom with a table and an easy chair. It also has a small kitchen area with a mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker, dishes, glassware, and silverware. There are several kinds of tea and coffee and wine and beer in the refrigerator.
The back yard though small, is beautifully landscaped for a relaxing scene during breakfast or while sitting in the easy chair and reading. In addition to the traditional décor, the suite had a cd player, wireless internet, a tv, and a VCR and DV D player with a good library of tapes and books. The Wi-​Fi connection was excellent and secure without any connectivity problems.
Overall, we couldn’t have asked for anything better than this bed and breakfast. We will definitely stay here again if we get the chance. There was plenty of privacy with a separate entrance to each room. The owner, Lana has paid attention to the smallest details. She is very sweet and was available to or for advice about sites to see. The room seems to be stocked with everything we would need or want. It’s so much better than staying in a hotel because it feels like home.