This was our second stay at the Aldrich Guest House and already booked another long weekend there. We have stayed at bed & breakfasts all over the world and this is one of our favorites. The minute you walk into the house, an incredible sense of tranquility surrounds you. Douglas and Robert are charismatic, hospitable, professional, and thoughtful. We truly enjoyed talking with them and learning about the historical past of the Aldrich House, as well as many other architectural gems throughout Galena. Robert and Douglas are passionate about preserving the history of the Aldrich house, while elevating the bed & breakfast experience, and that enthusiasm and commitment is shown in their attentiveness to every small detail throughout the home. The house is immaculately clean and they have done an outstanding job in response to the COVID pandemic, including triple sheeting the beds and having HVAC units in every room. Every night we looked forward to the Happy Hour with their seasonal handcrafted cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. It would be remiss to not mention the delicious breakfasts as well. One morning we were treated to their baked cranberry cream cheese French toast (incredible!), and the other morning their award-winning potato waffles (exceptional!). Their homemade cookies are scrumptious as well!

Many of the bed and breakfasts we have stayed at have provided information about things to do in the area, restaurants, etc., but Robert and Douglas take this to a whole new level by collaborating with businesses in Galena to ensure their guests have an unforgettable getaway experience. After watching videos they posted to social media, we signed up for a few workshops offered by local businesses. We were running late for one of the workshops and when we arrived and apologized for being a few minutes late, the shop owner was incredibly gracious and said, “No worries, Robert called us to let us know you would be here shortly.” Robert’s thoughtfulness in making that 1 minute call was very meaningful to us because it immediately took away the stress we were feeling from running late and allowed us to relax and have an amazing time. (As a side note, we highly recommend the Scent Workshop and Coffee Cupping experiences!)

With their combined 45+ years of experience in the industry, Robert and Douglas have truly have mastered the art of what every bed & breakfast experience should be. I would imagine most people plan a trip to Galena and then research accommodations in the area. For this getaway, we did the opposite -- we made sure the Aldrich House was available and booked our room, and then planned the rest of our Galena trip. I truly believe it speaks volumes when our destination was the Aldrich House and everything else Galena has to offer was a bonus. We are already looking forward to our return trip in a few months!