Our trip was mixed business and nostalgia trip so I wanted to stay at a B n B. Barley Cottage is an historic building a couple blocks from the beach with wonderful porches. All of the rooms are lovely, comfy and have nice antiques and old fashioned touches. The baths are super clean, the towels great, linens high count and each room has a cute desk. The ceiling fans are nice.

I found literally no reviews before staying, found this website for posting one after our visit. Steve and Marie-Louise, the proprietors, are personable, intelligent and understanding of allergies and diets and suchlike. For people with dog allergies, be warned that the dog does not go in the rooms but does enter the common rooms and stays in the office.

The one day spent in the inn was noisy but the nights were blessedly quiet and that was extraordinary in the scheme of things because the house was being scraped for painting (I covet their painting contractor by the way. That guy is conscientious), one of those necessary events that takes time and is hard to schedule because of the weather.

I especially want to commend Steve for finding some information on and directions to local historic places we wanted to visit, Eastern Shore Chapel and Old Donation Church. He also lent us his ADC foldout map, which we might return next trip. On the helpful end, Marie Louise went to three local pharmacies to get us something ordinary that instantly had become rare. She persisted and saved the day.

Marie-Louise is a great cook. An eggy souffle thing she did in custard cups was magnificent. They serve good bacon and magnificent little sausages. Ripe fresh fruit would have been welcomed but it is winter and we Washingtonians are spoiled with the kind of markets hard to find down there. Maybe we'll bring something interesting down on our next trip as a gift.

My husband and I, plus our two teenaged boys stayed here over Spring Break. Great location to walk the beach. Owners are very knowledgeable about where to eat, etc. Breakfasts were excellent. The only issue we had was with using their bikes. We had multiple break downs- flat tires, a pedal falling off, all of course very fair from the Barclay! Once I ended up sitting on the beach with the bikes for a half hour or so while my husband walked back to the Barclay, got our car, and drove back so we could load the bikes in the car and drive back to the bed and breakfast! Other than that it was great.

I just wanted to get away from everything for a couple of days and be close to the beach. Twenty floors of hotel madness just wasn't going to cut it. I needed a bit of peace...to do a bit of writing. To clean the mind. To rock on a wooden porch under the light waft of ceiling fan air knowing that the Atlantic was a short walk away.

Barclay's provided my rescue. I am always delighted to find wonderful people in this world who still are friendly and kind and, above all, interesting. As a writer I am forever absorbing the intricacies of the human character, molding what I find into the reality of my fiction worlds. Hundreds of people passing in the hallways, on the elevators, through the lobbies, and stuffed around pools does not lend much to really feeling human.

At Barclay's I met not only the quite interesting personalities of my keepers, Stephen and Marie-Louise, but also those of the other tenants: the places they called home, the destinations to which they were headed (one couple was on their way to photograph snakes...Cool!), their thoughts about the world we live in. For me, there was a grand variety of experiences that other people shared and I guess I'm just the type of person who likes to listen. Absorb. Make a new friend if not for only a day or two.

I will be back, Stephen and Marie-Louise. You can bet your forest green Barclay coffee cups on it (thank you, by the way).

And just perhaps this time, I will have the Trilogy finished. A copy for you? Oh, yes. And in some way, if not only by inference, you will be in it.

-Peter Galarneau Jr.

This is a must if staying in Virginia beach Virginia. More than just home from home. Great American welcome, exceedingly comfortable. Great breakfast and Stephen and Marie-Louise make you very welcome.
Just yards from the beach, ample parking and every amenity you could wish for.
Barry & Frances Simner September 2011