Dartmouth House, Rochester

I spent two nights at the Dartmouth House while researching at the George Eastman House and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bill and Ellie are incredibly nice (Ellie actually drove me to the archive one day because it was raining), and the room was very comfortable. I would recommend this B & B to anyone looking for a homey place to stay in Rochester.

The best thing about the DH is the hospitality of Bill and Eleanor Klein. They are superb people, and go the extra mile for their guests. However, I probably wouldn't stay there again for two main reasons: the central air conditioning was virtually non-existent in our room (which was the farthest away from the overly small ac unit). We had to open the windows and use the fans--which is not a good substitute for ac when you need it. The second reason was that the bedding in our room needed an upgrade--the bed was a king created by pushing two twin beds together and putting a foam topper over them, and it was somewhat saggy and soft. The pillows were plentiful, but old and rather hard. The coverlet showed wear, and the sheets were a funky print. All in all, the room was comfortable (except for the temperature) but the furnishings were far from elegant. The house is beautiful, and the breakfasts were carefully prepared and served, although very heavy on the sweets. Our first breakfast was essentially four courses: all of them desserts. After I told Bill and Ellie that I was on a low-carb diet, they did modify the menu some, although some courses I just did not eat. Maybe some people like all that sugar for breakfast, however. All in all, I think this b&b was not a very good value for the money, although the hosts were wonderful and compensated for the limitations of the accomodations to some extent.

Bill and Ellie were such wonderful hosts! They were very helpful since we were unfamilar with the area. The breakfast in the morning included baked peach French toast, which was absolutely delicious! We enjoyed visiting with Bill and Ellie immensely. They are such a caring couple and very interesting to talk to! I would definately stay there again given the opportunity.

Their tagline is, "Where everyone is treated like royalty" and it's true. The multi-course breakfasts were delicious, the bottomless cookie jar with homemade cookies were enjoyed every evening. The beds were sooo comfortable!!!