“The artists enjoy coming to the beach and more people every year are discovering that the experience of a multi-day outdoor festival is like no other concert,” said Executive Producer, Gary McCann.   Called “THE Music Festival on the Coast”, Runaway Country is sounding off March 22 through March 24 along the lakes and beaches of beautiful Wickham Park. This Melbourne festival takes place throughout the park’s 400 acres with two stages, an enormous stage front dance floor, Tiki Saloon and Blues Bar, plenty of food vendors and shopping.

Last year nearly 25,000 people attended the event but don’t worry there are still tickets available and room at our Melbourne Beach Inn!

See you there!

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Melbourne Festival – Runaway Country Music.

The beautiful 80 degree weather this time of year is perfect for relaxing by the spa pool with a cozy fire crackling nearby, or taking evening strolls on the beach or maybe just window shopping in historic downtown Melbourne under twinkling lights and decorations. Everyone should experience Christmas and the holidays in a warm climate

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens

If you’re tired of shopping and dealing with all the hustle bustle, this year we are trying something new to make your gift giving easy by giving away a FREE$100 gift card with each

Gift Certificate purchase of $300 or more until December 31, 2012.  Gift Certificates are a great gift because they never expire and can be ordered online or by phone.

So, you really can have your cake and eat it too!

We hope youand your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season and look forward to seeing you soon.

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Give a Gift and Get a Gift!.

Bedandbreakfast.com is by far the largest global bed and breakfast directory with more than 13,000 properties listed, and we are proud to announce that they recently recognized Port d’Hiver Bed & Breakfast as a Top Ten Inn around the world for providing the Best Travel Experience, Hospitality, and Customer Service.

“The eighth annual Best of BedandBreakfast.com Award winners, including Port d’Hiver Bed & Breakfast, really showcases bed and breakfasts and inns that often become the destination for travelers and not just a place to stay,” says Gregory Sion, general manager of BedandBreakfast.com. “Travelers select bed and breakfasts because they enjoy staying in a one-of-a-kind place that offers not only character, special amenities and unmatched hospitality, but also enables them to discover new experiences.”

Open for just five years, our Romantic Florida Getaway in Florida is not only a part of the Bedandbreakfast.com’s Diamond Collection, but is also a member of the esteemed Select Registry Distinguished Inns of North America, is the only AAA Four Diamond accommodation in Brevard County, and has been named a “Top 10 Most Romantic Inns” in the country by American Historic Inns and iLoveInns.com and is rated “Excellent” by TripAdvisor.com.

Port d’Hiver, our Florida Bed and Breakfast, has had a lot of really exciting press in recent days, such as this article from The Palm Beach Post, and another celebrating our top ten status of all inns from the Florida Space Coast Office of Tourism’s Official Blog, and finally an article from the Huffington Post about the World’s Best Inns!

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Our Florida Bed and Breakfast Awarded Top 10 Best B&B in US for 2012!.

On Monday September 17, 2012 at 7:30 a.m., Space Shuttle Endeavour will take its final leave atop a big Boeing 747 from Kennedy Space Center for the last time to its new home at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. In celebration of the fly-out of Space Shuttle Endeavor, guests have the opportunity to view Endeavour from the Visitor Complex where they will have a great photo opportunity of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and Endeavour flying over the Rocket Garden. Or, if you buy your tickets early, you can take one of the special buses out to the Shuttle Landing Facility for VIP viewing. Don’t worry though, guests heading to KSC from our Melbourne Beach bed and breakfast will be provided with To Go breakfast bags with fruit, yogurt, juice and fresh baked muffins ready bright for the 50 minute drive to the Space Center.

After the morning’s shuttle hoopla is over, there are plenty of other fun things to do at the Visitor Center. You can enjoy a movie in one of two IMAX theaters or be adventurous and find out what it’s really like to be an astronaut with the new Shuttle Launch Experience attraction. When you’ve had your fill of history and space excitement for the day, head back to our romantic Florida getaway where we will be waiting to hear all about your adventure over a cold Florida Lager and a plate of tasty snacks.

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Our Florida Beaches Wave Goodbye to the Space Shuttle Endeavor!.

A Florida beach vacation at Port d’Hiver bed and breakfast is now revealed on Pinterest! Have you ever read a guest review of their stay at our Melbourne Beach bed and breakfast on TripAdvisor and thought to yourself, that sounds like fun but what exactly does an Airboat look like? Or, what kind of Spanish treasure do they display at the McClarty Treasure Museum and how big is the porch in the Sunrise Room? 

Well, Port d’Hiver’s new Pinterest page is the place to go for all kinds of answers. You can find great ideas for a romantic getaway in Florida, like visiting the spa for a hot stone massage, or taking a pre breakfast spin on our beach cruisers and renting a jet ski after lunch. By visiting Port d’Hiver on Pinterest you can see exactly what kind of stones they’ll use for your massage, catch a glimpse of the sunrise from the front porch of our Florida beach B&B and check out what kind of bikes we will have for your morning ride.    

It seems like every day someone will stop in and ask what that big purple flowery vine is out in the courtyard and guests want to know if the coconut trees get many coconuts on them. 

Yesterday afternoon, I answered the phone and it was a woman who lives in Utah, and she said that they are planning to elope here at our romantic beach bed and breakfast and wanted to know if I could suggest any picturesque spots for their ceremony at our Melbourne Beach B&B. I was so excited to be able to point her to our “Nature at Port d’Hiver” Pinterest board, so she could see the big moss covered oak next to the river at Ryckman Park. It is my favorite place for a small beautiful elopement!

The staff here at Port d’Hiver are always trying to find new ways to help our guests’ discover interesting things about our romantic getaway in Florida and Melbourne, Beach. We think by scrolling through our pictures you may just find lots of wonderful things that your soul has been wishing for and you didn’t even know it.

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Picture This: a Florida Beach Vacation Revealed!.

Truth is, many of our guests don’t want to go anywhere. Our romantic Florida B&B is an island within an island. Once inside… with the pool, fountains, tropical plants, friendly people, delicious cookies, and music… many of our guests forget that there even is an outside. But once our exhausted honeymooners are all rested up and ready to venture out, Ocean Park is their first destination. Located directly across Ocean Avenue from Port d’Hiver that is where guests find the beach access, picnic tables, pavilion, sand volleyball court, lifeguard, and our quiet local beach. Of course, we supply all the goodies needed for a day at the beach like beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, snacks, drinks and bikes, but at the Catalyst Surf shop just two doors down,  they can also rent surfboards or get a lesson from one of our friendly local surf experts.

In the morning, early risers watch the sunrise over the ocean before breakfast and in May through October they can see plenty of sea turtle nests along the beach and maybe even a few babies still making their way down to the surf. Our strip of Melbourne Beach has the 2^nd largest nesting colony of Loggerhead Turtles in the nation.

After wine hour in the evening, guests can walk down to the river and have a drink at a 5 star restaurant while watching the sunset over the water. Or maybe just hang out at one of the casual restaurants within walking distance here on Ocean Avenue like Sand on the Beach Grill just across the street on the beach, David Steak House, or the quirky Roburritos where they can find some terrific old school burritos.

Whether staying in or going out, there are lots of great ways to spend your honeymoon as we have a Three Night Florida Beach Honeymoon Package and Seven Night Romantic Honeymoon in Florida Package!

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Florida Honeymoon Packages at Port d’Hiver.

One of our many gables!

The staff here at our Melbourne beach bed and breakfast has been inspired this summer by the Florida high school kids’ required reading list. This week I’m having fun with a classic ghost story, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of Seven Gables. We don’t have any ghosts here at Port d’Hiver, but we do have lots of gables, interesting characters, and well-provisioned breakfast tables that even good ole’ Nathaniel would enjoy!

“Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly
arranged and well-provisioned breakfast-table.  We come to it freshly,
in the dewy youth of the day and when our spiritual and sensual elements
are in better accord than in a later period; so that the material
delights of the morning meal are capable of being fully enjoyed.”

- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of Seven Gables

After sunscreen, the second most important item to take to the beach is a good book! Our Sunroom at our Melbourne beach bed and breakfast is full of great beach reads to share with our guests: some classic, like the Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and some not so classic, like The Deep Blue Good-Bye by John MacDonald.

We thought it fitting to share with you on this 4th of July, one of our favorite egg dishes as it is perfect for a big 4^th of July brunch or to simply snack upon while enjoying an intriguing summer novel!

  Tomato Basil Strata
1 small jar tomato pesto  sauce
16 slices French bread, remove crusts
1 small jar tomato pesto  sauce
16 slices French bread, remove crusts
4 -5 ripe medium size tomatoes peeled and cut into ¼” slices
1 bunch fresh basil, stems removes and leaves chopped
10 slices of lunchmeat ham sliced into really thin strips
8 eggs, beaten
3 2/3 cups whole milk
¾ teaspoon salt
½ tsp pepper

Coat the sides and bottom of 13 x 9 pan with butter (lots). Spread a thin layer of pesto on each slice of bread and stand up in pan to make rows. In between each piece of bread, layer a tomato slice, basil and ham. The bread, tomato, basil, and ham should look like file folders in a drawer.

Wisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until frothy.  Pour over the bread, pressing gently to ensure the bread soaks up the liquid.  Cover pan with tin foil and chill overnight.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees and bake covered for 40 minutes then remove foil and bake nother 20 minutes until golden brown  and bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Our Melbourne Beach Bed and Breakfast Agrees with Nathaniel Hawthorne!.

“The significance of this day cannot be overstated. It’s a great day for America. It’s actually a great day for the world because there are people who thought that we had gone away, and today says, `No, we’re not going away at all.’” said a beaming NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on this morning’s news.

At 3:42 this morning, our friend Matt who is staying in the Havana Room, wandered into his bathroom and peered out the window across Ocean park at the dark horizon, when suddenly an orange glow began to grow out of the water and spread across the surface, and just as the color deepened to red the long white tail of the Falcon 9 rocket rose into the night sky from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

“It was so cool!” Matt exclaimed over coffee and melons this morning at breakfast. “I thought about waking my wife but she looked so comfy I didn’t want to disturb her,” he said.

This year NASA ended the Shuttle Program, but the fun definitely hasn’t ended for space fans here at our romantic getaway in Florida. With lots of rocket launches coming up and new behind the scenes tours of the vehicle assembly building and launch pads, our guests say that Kennedy Space Center visits are even better than ever.

We think a visit to our romantic Florida bed and breakfast combined with a fun, once-in-a-lifetime visit to Kennedy Space Center is the perfect getaway. Here’s how it goes:

• 9 am – Call down for breakfast in bed
• 12-3 – Take a behind the scenes tour of Kennedy Space Center
• 5-6 – Come to wine hour and talk about your cool tour with the other guests
• 7-8:30 – Walk down and watch sunset on the river before having a romantic dinner at Djon’s
• 8:30–9:30 – Listen to a little live jazz in the bar before walking back to our romantic Florida getaway
• 10-? – Sit in our bubbling spa pool with a glass of wine, look at the moon, think about your day and whisper sweet nothings in your partner’s ear…

Doesn’t that sound like a good day?

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here The Moon, the Sea and Me: Space and Romance.

In past blogs we talked about special dietary restrictions and shared a few of our favorite recipes, but this week is turning out to be Gluten Free Week here at our Melbourne Beach inn! Just by coincidence,  half of our guests require gluten-free meals and three more gluten-free email requests have come in for people checking in the next few days. We love it when our friends give advance notice about their dietary needs so that we can be sure to make their stay easy, fun and best of all delicious.

So, for all of you who ever wondered what a typical gluten free day is like when you visit with us at our Melbourne inn, here is a run down of yesterday’s fare. The only dish on the list that we do not have a GF safe version of is our Swiss Eggs, because it is made with cream of chicken soup, but we served them yesterday anyway because our friend in Walter’s Room just loves them!

Breakfast

To start:

• Fresh berry mix with
• Strawberry Pineapple muffins

Main dishes, guests’ choice:

• Baked asparagus eggs with olive oil, mozzarella and fresh basil
• Puff pancakes with brown sugar peaches and vanilla glaze
• Scrambled or poached eggs with cheese and toast (yes, gluten free!)
• Swiss Eggs with Canadian Bacon served on English muffin

Side dishes:    

• Applewood bacon and cowhand potatoes

Appetizers at 5:00

• Hummus with roasted pine nuts served with blue corn tortilla chips
• Tarragon chicken salad on nut thins with celery
• Selection of sliced cheeses

Turndown treats and snacks

• Fudge Brownies and chocolate chip cookies

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here A Typical Day with Gluten-Free Friends at our Melbourne Beach Inn.

In an essay published in Frank Thomas’ book Melbourne Beach: The First 100 Years by 19 Townspeople, Dianne Blackwood (maiden name, Brown) wrote that her father, Walter Brown, first became acquainted with Melbourne Beach around the turn of the century when he worked as an instructor for the Kentucky Military Institute which had a winter campus in Eau Gallie, a small town just a few miles north of Melbourne Beach around 1906.

In 1912 Walter and Elle Belle Brown moved to England for a few years while Walter worked for Morgan Guaranty Trust in commodities, specifically flour. In the 1920s, Walter, Ella Belle and Dianne came back to Melbourne Beach and rented a small upstairs apartment from Mrs. Trowbridge, the town’s postmistress, and a short time later purchased the cypress house across the street from the casino (now Sand on the Beach Restaurant) and Ella Belle named the house Port d’Hiver.

Dianne’s Room in the Main House

Dianne attended old Melbourne High School, married Harry Blackwood and, as a young girl, taught Sunday school at the historic Melbourne Beach Community Chapel right here on Ocean Avenue. To this day there is a room in the Sunday School building with a plaque over the door that bears her name. Here is a picture Dianne’s daughter Mimsy shared with us of her mom Dianne when she was 15 years old with her father Walter, 1928.

Dianne with her father in 1928

A comfortable yet elegant Melbourne Beach FL, Bed and Breakfast across the street from the Atlantic Ocean, Port d’Hiver is a romantic Melbourne Beach Inn with gorgeous ocean views, large private porches, a bubbling spa pool and winding brick paths. You can read the original blog post here Dianne’s Room.