ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, September 11, 1996 TAG: 9609130100
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
A few years back, Don Vandeventer tried to pick a plum little inn for a romantic getaway with his wife. He chose a lemon.
They fancied curling up by a fireplace in their room. They found a fireplace all right, but it was in the living room and open to all guests.
They wanted to soak in a steaming whirlpool or spa in their room. The inn offered one tub outside for everyone. It, like the inn, was at peak occupancy. But the trip was not a total waste.
Vandeventer channeled his frustration into a series of guidebooks to bed and breakfast inns. He expects to finish the Virginia volume next spring.
He didn't want anyone else mystified by the process of selecting bed and breakfast inns, which are in private homes and generally feature amenities and furnishings that reflect their owners' tastes.
The average B&B room price in this state for two people is $100 and includes breakfast. They operate in cities and in the country, in new buildings and restored historic structures and range from rustic to elegant.
Vandeventer wanted the first book on his home state, North Carolina, to be authoritative. So he visited every bed and breakfast there - all 70. After the Asheville area resident published the Carolina book, he tackled Tennessee's 52 inns for a separate guide. For his latest project, he is bunking in Virginia's 114.
He spent Monday at Crosstrails Bed & Breakfast in Catawba, owned by Roanoke Times outdoor writer Bill Cochran.
Vandeventer travels with his wife, Angel. Two can sample more lodging amenities, more restaurant menu items, than one, they said. "I may do steak. She may do shrimp," Vandeventer said.
Despite all they spend on travel, Vandeventer said his publishing business, Down Home Publications, is making a profit. He said he sells 10,000 copies yearly of each of his earlier guidebooks.
Many newspapers have written about his travels from inn to inn. The Roanoke Convention and Visitor Bureau promoted his passing through Roanoke. He said he isn't after publicity. (This story comes out too soon to help sell the book, which is due out in March or April, he said.) Rather, he said, he gives interviews to remind people that tourists are good for a community.
Vandeventer does not disdain chain-operated hotels, with their standard rooms and predictable basic comforts. "It's like putting on a pair of old slippers. There's nothing wrong with that. I do it myself all the time," Vandeventer said. After unexpectedly staying another day in the Roanoke Valley to see area attractions, he was scheduled to spend Tuesday night in a Comfort Inn. A B&B is a better choice, he said, when feeling a little adventuresome, when "you want to try on a new shirt and you want a new tie; you want something with its own personality."
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Roger Hart. While in this part of Virginia on their tourby CNBof the state's bed and breakfast inns, Don and April Vandeventer
stayed in Roanoke an extra day to see some area attractions. color.