Casa Magnolia, St Louis

I stayed at the Casa Magnolia July 5-7, 2008 and would definitely stay there again. It is the only B & B I found that seemed to be centrally located to various attractions, so I could either walk or take a short drive to see everything I wanted to see. It is located across from Beautiful Tower Park (lots of walkers and runners) in a beautiful and safe neighborhood of stately old homes. Missouri Botannical Gardens is within walking distance and I highly recommend visiting there, but allow enough time as it is enormous! I took a short drive in my rental car (Dollar Rental, $85 for 2 days) to visit the Arch (get there early before 9 and you'll have no problem with lines) and also to Forest Park. Forest Park is where the zoo, art museum, and history museum are located, and they are all FREE! Casa Magnolia is also very close to "The Hill" which is renowned for great Italian restaurants. But the best thing about Casa Magnolia is the breakfast! Both mornings I stayed there the first course was a big bowl of cut-up assorted fruit with a tasty sweet pudding-like sauce on top. The fruit was strawberries, banannas, kiwi, pineapple, grapes and probably more I just can't remember. All freshly cut! A wonderful home-made pastry was also served, along with a goblet of orange juice, and of course coffee, which was absolutely fantastic! Then came the main course which was a type of light, fluffy, pastry filled with ham and egg. Mmmmmmm...it was good! I could not eat the seconds that were offered. I sat at the table (elegantly set) with a family from Des Moines, Iowa, and enjoyed the stimulating conversation. The second day the same type of fruit was served, and also a home-made sweet bread with cream cheese and assorted jellies. The main dish was a spanish potato omelette I can't remember the name of but I'll always remember the taste of! It was served with hot sauce, on the side. One of the owners, Jordi, is from Spain and is a delightful character. His wife, Lillibet, sat and talked with me the second day as I was the only guest at breakfast that day, and it felt like talking with my sister. She was a very nice and beaufiful woman. Casa Magnolia also has a great pool that I took advantage of late one evening around 11:30 to relax after a long day at the Arch, the Zoo, and the Botannical Gardens! No long list of rules like hotels, a very comfy bed, and a decor you can feel at home in. Very eclectic. All in all, I don't think you'll find a more centrally located and reasonably priced B & B in St. Louis that would be as pleasing as Casa Magnolia!