Murphy Guest House Bed and Breakfast

From start to finish I felt welcomed and taken care of. This is a B & B, so human stuff happens and through it all, Ann was a gem!
The bed was amazing and I found out that it was special ordered so guests could have that experience.
And… The food! Ann knows how to create culinary sensations. Work out before you get here because you won’t want to move after…
The food… Just part of the overall wonderful experience that Ann creates for each of her guests.
Come! Stay!!!

I love Chicago. I also love leaving Chicago. Murphy Guest House was the perfect escape from the city — it’s reasonably priced, and the Victorian house is a beautiful setting for curling up with a good book or a game (thankfully, it isn’t overwhelmed by frills and lace, like so many bed and breakfasts seem wont to be). Ann is an incredible host — it’s clear that she loves what she does.
We were greeted with sparkling juice, chocolate-​covered strawberries with our initials drawn in white chocolate, grapes, and a little plate of cheese and crackers. And our names were written on a chalkboard welcome sign outside of our room. What a welcome! We stayed in Jayme’s Room, and the bed was a contender for The Most Comfortable Bed Ever. I kid you not, it really was that good. I’d be tempted to take it home, but my little car would never be able to hold it.
There’s ice cream and bottled water in the fridge, a large selection of excellent teas downstairs (Ann also sells tea), and candy everywhere. We had a breakfast of waffles with fresh fruits and whipped cream, lavender bread, scones, ham, scrambled eggs, and Orange Julius. I tried valiantly, but couldn’t even come close to finishing it all. Also: I will be reverse-​engineering the Orange Julius. My boyfriend and I couldn’t stop talking about it. (Ann was kind enough to list the ingredients for me, so experimentation begins tomorrow.)
Since we’d gotten into a conversation about how much we loved dogs, Ann also introduced us to Pixie, who promptly decided we were friends and demanded our attentions in the best way possible. (This may have been my boyfriend’s favorite part of the morning.)
All in all, it was a fantastic, relaxing way to spend a couple of days. We’re looking forward to coming back (hopefully for longer next time!).

This is a great place to do a small get-​away for an anniversary or to celebrate a special occasion!
The food that our hosts, Ann & Gary, cooked was amazing. I’ve never had more delicious bacon and homemade lavender bread. Everything was fresh and we practically felt like royalty with all the food that we got.
It’s right on the boarder of Michigan and Indiana so if you’re from the Chicagoland area, it’s just far enough that you can truly feel like you’re getting away from the big city (even if it’s just for the weekend).
If you want to try something that will get you away from the city for awhile or if you can’t stand another random motel, I’d definitely recommend that you consider this bed and breakfast with Ann & Gary.

To celebrate our one year wedding anniversary, we booked a weekend special at Murphy Guest House and were wowed by the whole experience. First of all, Bristol, Indiana, is right on the border of Michigan and Indiana and right by the St. Joseph River.
Our hosts, Ann & Gary, were gracious and wonderful from start to finish. Their place is wonderful decorated with Victorian elegance and comfort. We stayed in Camryn’s room (their three rooms are named after their three lovely granddaughters) which was spacious, comfortable and the adjoining bathroom was just as wonderful. We were greeted with a bottle of sparkling fruit juice and a plate of cheese, crackers, cookies, and chocolate dipped strawberries. Our room was at the perfect temperature and the complimentary robes were just the perfect touch.
Our bed was turned down for the evening with chocolate mints on our pillows and a pitcher of ice water with lemon on the bedside. Right outside our door was a mini fridge chock full of drinks, V8, pop, and Dove bars for midnight snacks/​drinks.
Their breakfast was amazing. We started with fresh fruit parfaits (the first day was peaches and strawberries and then, the next day was grapes and honeydew) with lavender bread and freshly baked scones/​muffins. One day, we had an amazing poached egg with cheesecake pancakes topped with blueberries and strawberries. The next, we were treated to peppered bacon with a puff pastry filled with cream cheese and egg with basil. YUM! On top of the delicious food, they had hot water for tea and freshly baked cookies at all times. When we went on a 7.5 mile kayak down the St. Joseph River (starting off in Mottsville, Michigan and ending back up in Bristol, Indiana) — Ann offered to make us a picnic lunch for us to enjoy, as well.
Overall, wonderful hosts and a lovely bed & breakfast experience. We were kept very comfortable and felt spoiled on our anniversary. We can’t wait to return again for more of Ann’s cooking and the comfort of Murphy Guest House.