The Elmwood Village Inn:Honu House

My wife and I stayed here for three days in early August and will definitely return. Beautiful Victorian style home, quiet and comfortable even though the inn is in the heart of the vibrant Elmwood Village area ... a definite plus! Step out the front door and explore the dozens of shops and restaurants in the area. Super clean room, cozy and exceptionally comfortable. Enjoyed the continental breakfast available each morning and the outside deck overlooking Elmwood Avenue. Rates are actually more affordable than any hotel in the area. Karen is a friendly and gracious host and can offer insider tips about the Buffalo area if needed. Truly enjoyed the city and most of all the Elmwood Village Inn.

Our visit to Buffalo was made all the more enjoyable by Karen Powell (the owner) whose engaging personality, wit and friendliness and, not least, her terrific home baked muffins were very much appreciated. A quiet and cozy place to stay. Plus, the dining and living room area are well-suited to mingling with other guests and Karen's extended family should that be to your liking. You will surely enjoy your stay at Honu House.

My husband and I were in Buffalo recently to attend the World Junior Hockey games and our stay at a local bed and breakfast proved to be one of the best parts of that holiday. Upon our arrival at this home, we were delighted with the charm and decor of the place and the fact that we were fortunate to stay on the third floor. Karen Powell, the warm and friendly inn keeper, together with her daughter and son-in-law proved to be the perfect hosts. Breakfasts were the best - each morning we were treated to freshly baked goods and coffee together with wonderful conversation with Karen, her family and other guests staying at the house. The location was central to Elmwood Village and we especially liked walking to the local shops, pubs, and restaurants. Karen and family were very helpful in directing us to shopping, points of interest in Buffalo, and making dinner reservations. Thanks a bunch for making our stay so enjoyable and we will come again.

Had a wonderful stay in Buffalo over Thanksgiving(2010)--third floor room with a lovely sitting area, a truly comfortable bed, and wonderful coffee and sweets for breakfast. Close to the Elmwood area-up and coming-but without too much noise and easy to get around. Great location and lovely home--what fun!!!

The room was wonderful and the location is great. Karen was a great hostess and a wonderful baker. Her carrot muffins and Danish pastries are to die for and will start your morning right. I highly recommend that you stay at the Elmwood and enjoy the many shops and sights in the city.

I got my visiting parents a room here and they loved it. From the moment they entered and took the tour, they were thrilled. Karen Powell, the friendly proprietor, is a delight and she has created a cozy and artistic home-away-from-home. Awesome bathrooms and a great amount of space. Highly recommended!

My wife and I stopped two nights in Buffalo, mainly to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright sights and art museums. Honu house proved very convenient. Our hostess offered helpful guidance.

My husband and I decided to go to the Elmwood Village Inn for our mini honeymoon because it was a great price and we were familiar with the area. We stayed in the master suite. Everything about the Inn exceeded our expectations. The Innkeeper was accommodating and extremely nice. The Inn was the perfect place to go because it is not a big hotel, it is small and personal. Also, the Elmwood art festival was going on and we were able to walk around without having to get into our car and drive somewhere. The Innkeeper recommended several places to eat, which I researched before hand, and we were able to make reservations and have a wonderful dinner and night out! We will be going back because this is our special place now! Thank you!

Karen has invested so much time and creative energy into making fantastic bedrooms and bathrooms that make your stay luxurious and memorable. Join her for coffee and chat over a home baked scone for breakfast - with her tips, enthusiasm and knowledge about the city you are set up to explore all that this artistic quarter of Buffalo has to offer. We hope that we can return soon.

My husband and I stayed at the Elmwood Village Inn for two nights on a July road trip through Buffalo, and both the city and the Inn were pleasant beyond our expectations. The Inn is furnished with great care and quality and respect for history/culture, like a living museum. Every piece of furniture or art is a delight for the eyes. The public rooms felt both gracious and intelligent, laid out and furnished with a traveler's needs in mind. Our room (the one with the bathroom across the hall) was quite adequate in size with a very comfortable bed; even though it faced the street we weren't bothered by street noise (but if we had, the Inn does offer earplugs). The bathroom across the hall was huge, with both a shower stall and a deep, comfortable bathtub with a seemingly endless supply of hot water (providing a luxurious soak after hours of walking). The guest kitchenette on the second floor is thoughtfully furnished with, among other things, a small refrigerator, wineglasses and corkscrew, a teapot that heats with lightning speed, and a large selection of teas. We met several very interesting people during our stay (truly one of the benefits of being at a B&B), and our hostess, Karen, was truly a gem: a great blend of being fun to talk with as well as knowing when to leave us alone. And, though we weren't so interested in Buffalo's major tourist attractions (named historic homes and galleries and such), we were within a 10-minute walk of everything we were looking for: great restaurants, a food co-op, the public library, an evening concert in the park, and my great-grandmother's old house. This part of Buffalo was very diverse and fun to walk, and people were surprisingly friendly (when we stood on the sidewalk looking at our map, three different passersby stopped to offer help -- now THAT'S hospitality!). Should we come this way again, we would definitely return to Buffalo, and the Elmwood Village Inn/Honu House would most certainly be our B&B of choice.

The Honu House is an escape in the middle of Buffalo. Surrounded by the bustling cultural center and night life of Buffalo, it has a great location. The rooms are warm and comfortable and the bathroom we had was AMAZING. The owner has put a lot of thought into the decor and breakfast with her felt like we were at home. I would stay here again.

My son just bought a home down the block from this wonderful B&B. We stayed this past weekend and I must say it was the absolute best experience we have ever had at a B&B. Karen, the owner, was so delightful and passionite about her place. Her choice of decor and wonderful unique pieces that decorate this charming , cozy, place are exquisite. Each morning we walked down the dramatic gorgoeus staircase to fresh muffins or scones, the newspaper and coffee or tea. The rooms were immaculate and tastefully decorated. The bed and pillows and sheets are dreamy. We stayed in the Master suite which was amazing!!!! THIS is the place to choose!!! Elmwood Village is also a terrific, lively place to visit. Thanks Karen, We will be back!!! Denise & Peter

..what a little gem...if you are an art person you'll love the walls and decor which are filled with original pieces from all over. A great location...great restaurants nearby and easy in and out. Breakfast each day was great..hand made pastries, muffins and breads. I really enjoyed my stay.

We spent a single night with Karen earlier this week and this place is the best accomodations I've ever had. She doesn't do breakfast, so the dining ratings can be disregarded, but everything else is gorgeous. Perfect rooms, otherworldly beds, beautiful common areas, and a great location all make this the best. Her rates are excellent and the little things make all the difference: free coffee down the street, water stocked, toiletries available, small kitchen upstairs, wonderful european towels. Being as I've never been a fan of the doily-and-ruffles B&B experience, Honu House is perfect. I cannot recommend it enough.

Perfect, clean, comfortable, beautiful, quirky, charming, old-fashioned but with the most modern amenities. Karen is wonderfully friendly and accomodating. Bed was the most comfortable I have encountered outside my own home---firm but soft. Loved it!

In the heart of a thrieving city neighborhood in Buffalo, you can walk to Buffalo State College, the Burchfield Penney Arts Center, The Albright Knox Art Gallery, the Lexington Real Foods Coop and Tru-Teas, an authentically eclectic tea shop, gallery. It's a great place to put up guests coming to town to get a sense of the city which is authentic and urban. Lots of wonderful neighborhood and parkway walks and return to comfort and privacy.

The Elmwood Inn does not really qualify as a B&B if you define “&” as meaning both “Bed” and “Breakfast”. Karen, the inn keeper told us that since there are many places in the neighborhood that serve breakfast, she wanted to get away from this and only prepared a few muffins and a zucchini bread, no OJ or anything else. We stayed in the in the Middle Eastern Room and had no dresser for clothing. The bathroom as described is across the hall with a reflective full length mirror and no screen providing full view of entrance and exit. The public kitchen is adjacent to this bathroom so that ads to the traffic, no we did not encounter anyone but it was not comfortable. On the plus side Karen is very engaging. The street is very busy and the house is not well insulated. Heat is another problem. The room has no thermostat and only cold air came through the duct. We did not find the furnishings special or the walk up closet convenient. I would not recommend this as a “Bed and Breakfast”. There was no phone, TV, radio, clock or other accessories in our room. If there was Wi-Fi we were not made aware of it.

We stayed for three nights in October. Compared to most fairly basic B&Bs in England, Karen's home is in a different league! Comfortable, clean, well furnished. Owner's philosophy is 'make yourself at home' which we did, having the run of the house, including fixing our own breakfast when we wanted it, which was fine. Tea & coffee always available. Excellent location, with some good places to eat nearby on Elmwood and a Coop grocery store which has all you will need.

I was delighted to discover Honu House in October 2007. It is just my cup of tea - comfortable, beautiful, practical - and the location is superb. Karen has furnished Honu House with antiques and modern pieces, wonderful art, and items from around the world. It is like an art gallery. Tirelessly, I circled the rooms looking at the pictures. I relished visiting with other travellers over coffee and muffins in the morning, and it was especially nice when Karen joined us. Oh, and she provides the New York Times as well as the Buffalo News every day! I look forward to returning to Honu House.

What a DELIGHTFUL retreat. We all met at Karen's for our rare family reunion. We had run of the entire house, although no one really wanted to leave their plush rooms. Excellent location, above quality hostess and a gorgeous home. Can't wait to return...and see Buffalo again as well!

We just got back from a five night stay at this lovely B&B in the middle of it all! Restored to its original glory, and decorated with taste and subtlety, we felt comfortable and welcome from the moment we walked in the door. Our hostess, Karen, was attentive, informative and gracious - even during a time of personal distress. Her coffee and muffins in the morning were wonderful and the eclectic nature of her guests and ensuing conversations provided just the right compliment to the start of the day repast. The Master Suite, in which we stayed, was comfortable, functional and lovely. The Caribbean open shower took a bit of getting used to, but it was quite fun. The only minor hint of a complaint comes from the fact that the B&B is located on a major street. But the windows, which I sleep with open, when closed keep out the majority of the noise. There is both A/C and heat for each room so stuffiness is not an issue. It is located in the hub of a vibrant and young cultural and artistic movement in the area. Everything from poetry readings to just about every kind of live music imaginable is available within a five minute drive. And walking is delightful to the many local cafes and eateries. Needless to say, we enjoyed our stay. Please give it a try.