If you haven’t stayed in a bed and breakfast or an inn recently or ever, you’re missing pure pleasure in travel adventure.

Years ago bed & breakfasts conjured up visions of old Victorian houses that smelled funny and had white doilies (looks like a crocheted placemat that your grandmother made) on every table top. That just isn’t the case anymore. Take a look at the  Death to Doilies video and make your next reservation at a bed and breakfast. We would especially love having you visit us at Lookout Point Inn in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Here you’ll have an escapade of pure pampering and luxury.

Lookout Point is the vision Ray and I had years ago to provide a beautiful, serene setting on Lake Hamilton that would serve as a sanctuary of peace and tranquility for our special guests who were looking for a place to relax and unplug.

If you have never had a bed and breakfast experience or it’s been a long time since you treated yourself, you’ll be amazed at the extraordinary opportunity that awaits you. —- by Kristie Rosset

As a member of the 8 Broads in the Kitchen, I was delighted to see our food blog covered in the Boston Examiner this past week. You’ll find some great holiday recipes on the site, including Evil Toffee (so named because it cannot be resisted, it’s so darn good).

The 8 Broads formed to create a fun food website, where we could offer tips and recipes to share with other foodies. In the process, we’ve become fast friends. In addition to the blog, we write for magazines, teach food demos, lead webinars, and have done radio shows.

I just posted to the blog my mother-in-law’s fabulous Christmas butterscotch marshmallow bars.

Butterscotch Bars

Only made at Christmas, these treats remind us of long-ago times in Winnipeg, filled with laughter and bitter cold weather.

What holiday foods bring back memories for you?

New Year’s weekend is a great time to celebrate life and love at our Hot Springs B&B! At midnight, we’ll have a glass of bubbly sparkling wine

New Year's Toast

(our guests love the Toad Hollow Risque that we serve) for your toast, and even a pot of black eyed peas for extra good measure.

Create a memorable start to the New Year with your loved one. Here’s our suggestions for a perfect weekend:

Friday: arrive at Lookout Point & begin relaxing. Dine at Luna Bella (reservations recommended)

Saturday:  After your gourmet breakfast, visit the downtown Hot Springs National Park, and take a soak in the thermal waters at the Quapaw bath house. Explore art galleries and museums downtown

Return to the inn for the afternoon Innkeeper’s Reception (refreshments plus wine/tea). Take a little nap.

Visit the final evening of the Lights on the Landscape at Garvan Woodland Gardens with a lovely stroll through the gardens.

Enjoy a late dinner at Bohemia (continental cuisine). The New Year’s Eve special is 4 courses for only $24! Great food, and friendly service. Reservations required, and we’ll take of all concierge for you.

Midnight: celebrate at the inn with a complimentary toast and some black-eyed peas.  The night is still young! What a great way to welcome 2012.

We would like to thank the many military personnel who spent their Veterans’ Day with us today at Lookout Point!

We welcomed  veterans and those serving in active duty with a free Arkansas getaway in honor of their service.  Our special guests today included men and women from all branches of the military who have served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hundreds of innkeepers participated in this B&Bs for Vets campaign, sponsored by the Better Way To Stay,  to recognize those who have made sacrifices for our freedom.

Thank you veterans!

As an on-going thanks to America’s service men and women, Lookout Point always offers a 10% discount Sunday-Thursday for active military.  We thank you for your service to our country!

Would you like to get away and leave the Thanksgiving shopping, cooking, and clean-up to us? For the first time, Lookout Point offers a fantastic, delicious Thanksgiving Feast, prepared by your very own personal chef (Chef Eve).

We provide the Feast!

The Feast includes:

• Smoky Tomato Soup
•  Harvest Salad
• Roast Turkey with Autumn Chutney & Gravy
• Savory Sausage Stuffing
• Creamy Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
• Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes
• Caramel Drizzled Mini Pumpkin Pie or Pecan Pie Cobbler
• Yum!

Thanksgiving Feast packages, with a 3 night stay, the dinner plus lots of other goodies, start at 826.   The dinner only is 65 per person, plus tax and gratuity. To make your reservation for the Thanksgiving Feast or package, give us a call at 866.525.6155.

Join in the 220th anniversary celebration of Mozart’s “The Magic Flutes”

The Magic Flutes in Hot Springs

with a Lookout Point opera travel package. On September 23, 2011, this memorable and entertaining event is produced by The Muses Creative Artistry Project. Lookout Point is honored to be a sponsor of “The Magic Flutes”.

Our opera package includes:

• A two nights stay(for two) at our Hot Springs B&B
• Admission for two, “The Magic Flutes” Friday September 23, 2011
• Wine reception at the Hale bathhouse, 6pm Sept 23
• Lunch for two at 3 Arts Cafe, in the historic Hale bathhouse
• Gourmet breakfast for two each morning
• Afternoon Innkeepers Reception
• Admission for two to the amazing Garvan Woodland Gardens

For more information, or to reserve your “Magic Flutes” package, please give us a call at 866.525.6155.

Ahh, sitting outside on a warm evening, enjoying a great scoop or two or three homemade ice cream.

Triple Ice Cream scoops

Here’s our favorite ice cream spots in Hot Springs:

1.  Nom Noms, Mexican Grill-N- Chill. Who would have thought a Mexican grill rates with fantastic homemade ice cream? In a non-descript former fast food building, this place rocks. I tried the strawberry sorbet with cake batter, and Ray had nutella heath icecream.  Smooth as silk.

2. Scoops Ice Cream. Scoops is probably the better known, and is a very popular ice cream spot.  Great flavors and friendly service.

When you stay at our Hot Springs bed & breakfast, we promise to send you to ALL of the best spots in the area.

It is March already! Surely most of you have heard about Lookout Point’s One Night Gap Special! It is a constant special that runs on those ‘holes’ between two reservations. Just a one night stay, perfect for that quick day trip you’ve been wanting to take but just cannot find a good enough deal on it. Well, we’ve got one here just for you! Fill one of these gaps for us and we will make it worth your while.

First, we will take $10 off the rate for your room. How about having a half-dozen sweet and succulent chocolate covered strawberries waiting for you in your room upon check-in? After those goodies and when you’ve had a chance to unwind, we will send you right down the road with a $10 gift certificate to the fabulous J & S Italian Villa! Scrumptious entrée’s, fine wines with a romantic atmosphere…; all of this along with a stunning view of Lake Hamilton! Come back from dinner and retire into a beautiful room with a comphy bed and fine linens. You will not want to get out of it! However, you will not want to miss a Lookout Point Breakfast or the view from you room.

All of this will be included with your stay for that one small favor of filling a gap. This special is subject to availability. To book your special night at the inn, simply give us a call at 866-525-6155 Sweet surprises and fine dining—Lookout Point knows how to say “Thank You” to our very special guests!

That’s right! The First Ever 8th Annual World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas on March 17th. But don’t think that something so short isn’t worth your time. The Leprechauns will not take that lightly! The event is recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the top 20 events in the Southeast. In addition the Smithsonian has named #1 in the way of the most unusual celebrations of the holiday. Irish Central named it “the wackiest”. Now you know you want to be a part of it! Have a stay at Lookout Point Lakeside Inn and be there for this year’s round of recognition.

The festivities will last well into the evening with live music and a street dance starting at 7:30 to finish it off. Of course this will follow other events like the Blarney Stone Kissing contest at 4:30, and the parade itself lasts for and hour starting at 6:30. Get a good spot for viewing by making sure you arrive by 6:00 when the festivities kick off!

This year’s Grand Marshal will be none other than one John Corbett!

Grand Marshal of The World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade 2011

You know him from popular television shows such as Parenthood, Sex and the City and Northern Exposure. He will not only serve as Grand Marshal but also will provide the after-entertainment for the street dance by performing with his band!

The parade is held on Bridge Street in downtown Hot Springs. All 98ft of Bridge Street earned it the title of the World’s Shortest Street from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in the 1940′s. Sounds like a great location for a parade, right?! Over 30,000 people seem to think so. They flock to the site each year to celebrate the holiday.

Why not join them this year? Come and have a relaxing stay in one of these luxurious rooms at our bed and breakfast. We will make sure you are well rested and geared up for wearing green!

We’ve certainly had some chilly temperatures the last few weeks in Hot Springs. It’s been nice to cuddle up beside the fireplace– just ask our recent guests! But now that Phil has decided that Spring is closer than we knew, it is time to start thinking about Springtime. The gardens at Lookout Point will be in bloom before you know it, with splashes of vivid colors all around. We can’t wait for all those early Spring bulbs! It’s just so exciting. Our friends over at Garvan Woodland Gardens have emerged  from a month long rest to prepare for “Daffodil Days” in which they will have over 230 different species of Daffodil.

Narcissus

Just imagine! A 300+ acre botanical garden with over 200,000 of the  jonquil blooming bright and cheery in yellows and oranges. The daffodils will take center stage at Garvan Gardens from February 21st to March 20. Come stay with us at our Hot Springs bed & breakfast and we will make sure to give you a delightfuly splendid retreat!