Philadelphia Bella Vista Bed & Breakfast

My husband & I found our room to be comfortable and charming. The room was relatively large with an adjacent bathroom of good size. I was pleased with the overall cleanliness of both bedroom and bathroom. As for breakfast, the previously mentioned descriptions are very accurate. I'd only add that they will bring yogurt or other items upon request. We did have one surprise when we arrived: a cat lives in the building we stayed in. My husband is allergic, but thankfully we didn't see the cat very much after our first arrival and there was no evidence, such as cat hair, to suggest the cat goes into the guest rooms at all. My husband had brought his allergy medicine but still had some sneezing issues. Just make sure to mention cat allergies when booking a room as the cat is only in 1 of 3 buildings. We missed this fact. Overall, I would recommend this as a very pleasant place to stay.

I have been a constant guest in this bnb and I must say I love it. Me and my husband go a lot to Philly and we always stay there. The location is great, we walk everywhere. The rooms are charming and clean, the service is great. They always help us when we need something. Barbara is a sweet person. The breakfast is good, it's actually more than it should be for a continental bf. I sure recomend this place. Mi & John

The beds were comfortable, the rooms were clean, and there was a nice selection of snack food around the room. In the morning there were muffins in the hallway which were absolutely delicious. You can't beat the location, a block away from some incredible Italian bakeries and the Italian Market. It was a great stay!

Dan and Barbara were excellent hosts. They explained how to get to the sites in the city, recommended restaurants and upgraded are room. The room was clean and comfortable. We would gladly stay here again, if or when we ever go back to Philly. Thanks Barbara and Dan!

My family and I (2 adults, 1 teen) stayed for three nights in the Philadelphian Suite. The innkeeper was very helpful with information about local restaurants and directions to historic sites. In our room there was a binder with at least 10 pages of other information about transportation and restaurants. The location of the Bella Vista was good for our purposes. My husband walked to his convention at the Convention Center. My daughter and I walked to Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the other mostly Revolutionary War sites. It was easy to catch the bus to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The suite itself was clean and comfortable. We felt very much at home. Our only complaint was the wireless internet service was spotty. The neighborhood was a little noisy between about 4-10PM, but we had no trouble sleeping. Also, we were comfortable walking in the area during the day and early evening--lots of people out and about. If the breakfast in bed and breakfast is what makes your heart flutter, you may be a little disappointed. Muffins, croissants, and fruit were available in a basket in the hall (all the bread products were individually wrapped.) In the fridge in our suite, there were bottles of juice, milk, and water. Also, butter and cream cheese. Also available in the suite were cereal and instant oatmeal. So the breakfast was definitely more than adequate, but not a big, cooked breakfast. We enjoyed our stay here and would definitely come again.

I had a wonderful stay at the Bella Vista, I stayed in the SkyTop Room and it was clean, quiet, and quaint. The inn keeper Barbara was helpful, and to the point. The size, cleanliness and appearance of the room exceeded my expectations, and the cost was affordable and worth it. I recommend the Bella Vista wholeheartedly!

This B&B is a wonderful introduction to this creative city - with Isaiah Zagar's Secret Garden just around the corner and Morning Glory just opposite which does wonderful american breakfast's. You cannot help but smile when you arrive at bella vista - inside is a strange and wonderful collection of victorian objects and furniture ensuring a stay that is memorable and fun. I would love to have met our hosts - the purveyors of these collections - but we didn't - however they did ensure the rooms were stocked with everything that we needed. Please also make time to visit the penneteniary - its extraordinary.

Dan and Barbara We loved every minute of our stay at Bella Vista. It was our first time in Philadelphia and was our honeymoon. Thank you for the lovely breakfast, delicious homemade muffins!!! The room was perfect, thank you for the upgrade!!! We will definately come back and stay longer. Flavia & Alex Florida

we recently stayed at this B & B. It is very conveniently located. Dan was quite friendly when we checked in, and he upgraded our room to a suite. The suite was a nice size, although the bathroom was a bit small. The location and convenience cannot be beat.

Bella Vista is in a GREAT location! It is about 10 city blocks of blocks to the start of the Historic sights. We were able to walk everywhere or take a $10.00 cab ride to the far end of the city. The B&B was OK. It is really more of a Bed than a Bed and Breakfast. I had instant oatmeal that was in the cupboard, my husband waited to eat until we went into town. We never met Barbara or Dan. Someone's children showed us to our room, and then came back for our balance. To sum it up. Bella Vista is a great place depending on what you are looking for when traveling.

My husband and I stayed here last winter for my birthday and had a most lovely stay! It was private and cozy and we enjoyed waking up and making ourselves a lovely breakfast. This year we are returning again and are looking forward to staying in our favorite Le Grande Suite...We are going to enjoy the holiday spirit of the Christmas Village in Center City. This B&B is located in the heart of everything with the best of it all easily accessible. My hubby and I are going to make Bella Vista our little tradition. If you love artichokes, go to Core de Roma Trattoria on South Street...They are delicious!!!!

Barbara is indeed a charming hostess. The location is fabulous--3 minute walk to the Italian Market, 3 minute walk to Whole Foods, lots of restaurants. Access to public transportation is easy. If you are a senior bring your Medicare Card for free access to the public busses. But, I do not recommend the City View Room. It has a great view at night of the lights in the city center. But, the bed is orientated the wrong way. The headboard is on your left, not at your head. So, you cannot read in bed or watch TV. Three of the four lights in the kitchen were burned out as way the entrance light in the hall. There was no switch plate on one of the lights which is a hazard, especially for children. One of my daughters stayed in Utopia which is part of the City View Room and she did not have the bed problem. My other daughter stayed with her husband and two young daughters in the Victorian Room and had no complaints. It was great to find a B&B that welcomes children.

We were very well accommodated. My guest were very pleased with service. It was cozy and intimate. It felt like home. Rooms were beautifully decorated. We had 10 rooms and they are all very comfortable. Because we didn't have a dinning area, we used the biggest room as our meeting room and dinned together for breakfast and lunches and went out for dinner. The location was the best. Everything was conveniently located in the center city for our needs. Service was absolutely excellent. I was so happy with our stay that I would do it all over again in an instant. Recommend the Philadelphia Bella Vista to anyone wanting to have a cosy, intimate family get together.

We really enjoyed our stay except for the nighttime and early morning noise that was caused by the numerous rooms surrounding us with children. The location is excellent, street parking was pretty easy, the room was large and really cute, there were breakfast snacks available, and the wi-fi service was great, but we got little sleep because of the crying and stomping children in the rooms surrounding us at 12-2am and 6-10am every morning. In the future I probably won't stay at a B&B that allows children unless I am assured that my room is not next to any.

The outside of the hotel is beautiful. The architecture is charming. There are, indeed, private entrances to all of the rooms, and in our building, we never saw any staff unless they were checking someone in. It's definitely quiet and feels private. The location is outstanding--walking distance to basically everything. We stayed in the Magnolia Room, which has a full kitchen and is equipped with everything you need to make a meal. The room has two rooms separated by a door. You enter into a small galley kitchen, there is a small dining table outside of that in a small sitting room. The sitting room has a chair and a one-person sofa/loveseat. The bedroom has a queen-sized bed and closet with ample hangers. The room does not, however, feel fresh. I suppose the tchochkes and decor were what some would call charming. I thought they mostly looked cheap. The exposed bricks in the room are hand-patched with gray grout that looks like concrete. It's very unattractive. The exposed wood beams look like they were added as an afterthought and as if they might fall. The room smelled like smoke, and there was grit in the area rug as well as ground-in dust in the corners of the rooms. I did not feel that comfortable walking around the room without socks, and did not allow my baby to do so. The bathroom mat was old and fell apart when it got wet. The towels were faded and stained, and we did not get clean towels when the room was serviced. The bed was on casters and rolled all around whenever we sat down on the bed. Overall, I would stay here again if I had to, but I'd try other places first to see if they were better for the money. Considering house prices in the area, I thought hotels were surprisingly expensive. We got a far superior room for far less in the Dupont Circle area of Washington D.C.

I had a such a nice stay at Bella Vista,I almost didn't want to come home. Barb was more of a friend than a host,she gave directions of all the places I wanted to go, and she even took me to the train station the day I left. My room was so cozy,the bathroom was big and very neat. I will be coming to the states, Chicago for a wedding,but I will definitely come stay a week at Bella Vista because I feel it is another home for me.

It was very private, did not see or hear other guests while staying there. Great location- walkable to nice areas/shopping/restaurants. Beautiful room.

We had a great stay. We had a room with a kitchen. It was quite spacious and well stocked with snacks. Within walking distance of the historic district.

My stay in the Hideaway Suite from 9/25/07 to 9/29/07 was great. The location was a great surprise because it was close to everything I needed to be close to: my daughter's job, Whole Foods Mkt (1 1/2 blk walk to 10 th & South Street), and many, many restaurants located on South Street. I felt safe walking the streets at night as this was important to me because I kept my 3 small granddaughters for an evening of dining and fun. The suite was roomy, clean and well stocked with basic food itmes in case I longed for a home cooked meal. I really appreicate Dan & Barbara's thoughtfulness in stocking Tupelo Honey (not a cheap variety) and Light Olive Oil for cooking. I also appreciate the fresh fruit, bottled water and microwave "Butter Lovers" popcorn and the loan of an umbrella one day when it rained for about 20 minutes. I would recommend this B&B to anyone visiting Philadelphia. Yvonne S Altadena Ca