When we started looking for a B&B for our recent Twenty Valley trip I was a little surprised to discover that all of my first choices were already booked. It was several months in advance of when we wanted to visit, but already smart visitors had snapped up the best accommodations.
One of the B&Bs I spoke to suggested I try one of the newest places in the area – The Orchard Croft. When I called, I was disappointed to learn that there wasn’t an en suite available for both nights, but owner Ildiko was able to offer us another arrangement that allowed us not to share a bathroom for either night of our stay. We were thrilled.
Pulling up to the house, it looks surprisingly like all the other houses in the area – having seen the website I had anticipated something quite fancy. Instead, we got a lovely, homey place which was far more suited to our tastes. The Orchard Croft is a warm, welcoming space on a spectacular patch of land – a working peach orchard!
Our first night we stayed in the Champagne Suite, which is large and spacious with a wonderful en suite, including a jacuzzi bathtub. We didn’t try the tub, but the walk-in shower was fantastic.
The bed is large and super comfortable – we had a wonderful night’s sleep here – and I especially enjoyed having a relaxing area with a chair by the window and a nice little table and chairs where we could sit and chat (or open a bottle of bubbles).
There’s also a lovely fireplace in the room, although it was far too warm to use it during our stay.
Ildiko is a wonderful host and she was happy to help us decide on wineries to visit and to assist us in working out the details of our stay. She offers many additional services, including on-site massage therapy, dinners and Hungarian cooking lessons. We didn’t have time to indulge in any of these, but we would certainly consider that for future stays.
Breakfast was served in the dining room, which has a fantastic view of the orchard. It also has a unique and pretty mural on the walls – I thought that was a great touch and made the B&B feel very special.
The food itself was very interesting – and different each morning. Ildiko loves to add Hungarian touches and I found her muesli fantastic. We had a sweet bread with peaches the first morning and then the second morning we had Hungarian eggs. Those were a bit too spicy for my husband, but I enjoyed them.
For our second night we stayed in The Riesling Suite, which is smaller than The Champagne Suite, but still very nice. You can hear the train going by this room, but I actually didn’t find it a problem at all – I slept right through any that went by after 11pm. Both Shawn and I slept very well both nights we stayed here. There was a wedding party that arrived very late on the Saturday night and we didn’t even hear them!
We liked many things about this B&B – especially how Ildiko invites you to enjoy the TV in the common room and her tea service when you arrive back from your day. This was such a nice touch after a long day of wine tasting and shopping.
The Orchard Croft is a great addition to the Twenty Valley area. I look forward to staying here again.
A few more images from our stay:
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