Our Newest Sample Menu....
… but wait! That’s not a breakfast menu???
Well… it’s a long story. Last year, Tracy worked with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Washington Hospitality Association (in her role as the Vice President for Advocacy for the Washington Independent Innkeepers Network) to formulate a plan where the DOH trained the county health departments to allow variances to the state food service code for accommodations that met certain requirements. It was a long process, and just getting the process implemented was not a guarantee that we would be approved… but late last year (just after our busy season, of course) we got the good news that we were approved on a temporary basis. This past month, we again were approved – this time, for the whole year, so we feel confident in advertising to our guests that we can now offer this service. YAY! <sigh of relief!>
Our primary purpose is to be able to offer dinner to our guests who arrive too late to patronize any local restaurants, but this does open the door to some creative offerings – themed weekends, retreats, etc., so if this interests you, by all means ask! We are bound by a few requirements – the dinner service has to be to registered guests only (same as breakfast) and it has to be on a prearranged basis (it can’t be an ad hoc “oh by the way we don’t feel like going out” kind of thing). We have no intention of turning into a restaurant, but we are looking forward to the options that this opens up for us!
Window Washing 101
Once you’ve visited, you know just how many windows we have… and how exposed they are. And that translated into us learning how to be pretty good window washers in a short time (with some help from a friend – thanks Rachel!). We’ve also heard your requests for more of our “behind the scenes” of what we do here… so here’s a quick glimpse of what works (and doesn’t) for us and our giant windows:
Do:
- Invest in a good squeegee (ours didn’t make the photo, sorry!). We’ve tried a few, but the ones with a fixed blade seem to work better than those with a rubber piece that moves.
- Take your time and dry off that squeegee after every pass – it really makes a difference. We use a chamois cloth, but microfiber cloths work almost as well.
- Overlap your squeegee passes more than you think you need to. More overlap means the excess won’t spurt out to the side and leave a trail that you then have to go back and clean up again.
- Protect your floors! No matter how careful you are, they will get wet.
Don't:
- Waste your money on expensive solutions. We use Blue Dawn dish soap (just a few drops) in lukewarm water – you can see the amount of water in the five-gallon bucket in the photo. You don’t want a lot of suds.
- Try to clean the windows on sunny days. The window will dry before you finish and it’s not a good look.
- Think you have to do all of your windows on the same day. We schedule ours in rotation – for example, the main deck exterior one day, the Great Room interior another day. Trying to do too much in one day just makes for grumpy people (or is that just us?).
We had our first babymoon! They were an adorable local couple celebrating their FIFTH child (but first girl!) and we wish them every happiness! Of course, that means replenishing the babymoon baby blanket collection… but no worries, a new blanket is already well underway. We’re doing some traveling this week, so this one should be done by the time we return.
Summer Plans?
We’ve already made one trip to the nursery for plants for the bluff (with more to come). And we’ve had our first in-person marketing event catering to wedding parties and their guests (check out our socials if you missed that!). Summer is just around the corner and we are SO ready for it – are you? Please get those reservations in soon if you are planning to come see us – we don’t want anyone to be disappointed!
© 2024 Paradise Heights Bed & Breakfast LLC