I admit the biggest attraction of a bed and breakfast is the opportunity to spend time with a host who is local and full of info and suggestions. In selecting the Maison Des Amis, you have to consider what type of guest you are. If you want service, someone to help carry luggage, directions around town and hotel security personnel, this is not for you. If old equals dirty and creaky in your mind, this is not for you. If instead you like independence, privacy, and being left to your own devices, this is a good choice. If you love old houses, a unique architectural style, and a bit of quirkiness, you'll be happy here. The owner is not in town and when we were there neither was the caretaker. When you make the reservations, you will receive written instructions via email and again at the Maison. Read them carefully and then verify the hours of the restaurants in town by phoning or stopping by while you explore the downtown. The restaurants locally-owned are independent and can close early if there are no tourists in town. Out on the highway are chain hotels and restaurants where you know exactly what you are getting because they are all alike. I admit it is a little strange to pick up a key, move in and be left to explore around the house and grounds by yourself. We were at Maison one night on our way to Texas. We discovered the gazebo on the Bayou Teche and from then on were very happy with Maison Des Amis. If we had more time, we would have spent an afternoon just sitting in the gazebo and watching the boats go by. Both of the restaurants that serve the free breakfast to guests are wonderful.

This place exemplifies the problem when the owner is no where - in this case out of state, I believe. Very nice and helpful manager (picked us up when we couldn't find the place) but is clearly not in the hospitality business nor anywhere to be seen after showing us our room. Bed is clean but everything around it kind of grungy and misplaced - (flags stored, closet full of surplus items of some kind, electrical wires kind of haphazard ) -- sort of like borrowing someone's bedroom; not what one expect in a B&B. Old beer containers from the weekend still in the hall garbage. Reservations are taken by anonoymous phone and information center not always accurate - i.e. we had wanted to have dinner Tuesday night at the supplsedly well-regarded restaurant but it was closed. Had a dispute as to whether we had been told it was open or not --This is the first place we have ever left before our departure date. No one around for information; not good information; and just not well-kept. Place needs a really good cleaning. One of the major guide books gives this a high rating --Don't believe it.

We stayed here one night as we were touring around the area. It looked pretty, but the careful restoration of the place was totally spoilt by the attitude of the staff.

We were woken very early the following morning by the caretaker banging on our door and shouting for us to get up as he wanted to come in to use the connecting door in our room to get into the adjoining room. He wouldn't go away. It was actually quite scary as the guy isn't exactly friendly and he wouldn't say why he wanted to get in our room.

We only knew he was the caretaker as the previous evening we had returned from dinner to find him and two other caretaker-type staff in our room standing around drinking beers and allegedly fiddling with the TV (as far as I was aware there had been nothing wrong with it). Not very nice really, and very unprofessional.

Basically this place is like something out of Fawlty Towers in the way it is run. It's a shame.

Also the rooms are not all ensuite. And we asked for a second bed but was told we couldn't as they only had one spare and it was being used already. Customer service isn't their strong point.

A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were roadtripping through the deep south (yes, even with gas at $4.50 gallon) on our way to New Orleans when, on a whim, we decided to pull into Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, the "crawfish capital of the world." It turned out to be the best decision we made on the entire trip, largely because we happened to stumble into a stay at Maison des Amis, a beautifully restored old Creole home -- now converted to a bed and breakfast -- that has, among its many, many wonderful features:
-- An indoor and outdoor porch for sitting, drinking, reading and writing;
-- An expansive garden with a private gazebo right on the bayou (and located a mere 500 feet from the beautiful old bridge that gives Breaux Bridge its name);
-- Large, tastefully decorated rooms with comfy beds and suprising little amenities (e.g. a little device in each room that can be set to play the sound of rain, rivers flowing, white noise, etc.)
-- A voucher for breakfast at one of the FABULOUS restaurants in town. In fact, many people in Louisiana will tell you that Cafe des Amis is one of the best places to eat in the entire state. And there's also Chez Jacqueline, who's namesake owner is a wonderful chef with interesting stories to tell.
-- A sweet owner who, somewhat late at night, was able to guide two weary travelers to a restaurant located a few miles away (Pat's Fisherman's Wharf, which is a must stop for anyone visiting the area).
-- Very reasonable rates.

All in all, our stay at Maison des Amis and Breaux Bridge turned out to be the highlight of our entire trip (through nine states). If you ever have had fantasies about visiting Louisiana, eating crawfish, and listening to zydeco, this is the place to go. You won't regret it.