Talcott House B&B in Westbrook

Everything about Ellie%26#39;s suggestion for our CT coast stay -- Talcott House B%26amp;B in Westbrook -- looks good to us. Opening my eyes in the a.m. to see the ocean...I%26#39;ll love that! But before we book, I%26#39;d like to hear from someone who%26#39;s had firsthand experience staying at Talcott House. Only one TA review from 2005...it%26#39;s positive, but that was a while ago.

Talcott House B%26amp;B in Westbrook

I used to live in Westbrook, just a few minutes walk from the Talcott House. I used to walk my dogs past there twice a day. Alas, I have never stayed there. Walking by, it looked as charming and lovely on the inside as it does on the outside. Seemed very well cared for and immaculately maintained. There are several other B%26amp;B%26#39;s in Westbrook, all very close to the Talcott House. But they aren%26#39;t on the beach. Talcott is on Seaside Avenue, which truly is by the seaside. The other B%26amp;B%26#39;s are off of Boston Post Road, aka US Route 1. Living in Westbrook for 6 years, I never heard anything bad about any of the B%26amp;B%26#39;s, only good things.

Talcott House B%26amp;B in Westbrook

If you do stay at Talcott House, definitely splurge on dinner at Cafe Routier. Expensive, yes. Fabulous, yes. I can only afford to go maybe once a year, or every other year. But it is soooooo good!

So Café Routier isn%26#39;t actually truck stop dining! Maybe we%26#39;ll try it out (depending on the price of gas just to drive to CT and state of our vacation budget!)

Honestly what I%26#39;m most looking forward to eating while we%26#39;re in CT is a lobster roll.

Cafe Routier calls itself the truck stop cafe, but what it really is a very good continental bistro! As for lobster rolls, make sure it is a a hot lobster roll, for a true Connecticut experience! The hot lobster rolls are real lobster meat, shelled and served in a New England Style hot dog roll covered in melted butter. Cold lobster rolls, if you can even find them in CT, are lobster mixed with mayonnaise in a New England Hot Dog Roll. Also very good, but the butter drenched variety is really the Connecticut thing. Lenny and Joes in Westbrook and Madison has good ones, so does Johnny Ad%26#39;s in Old Saybrook. I%26#39;d bet Westbrook Lobster serves them as well.

Yes, defintely a hot lobster roll with real lobster meat, shelled and served in a New England Style hot dog roll covered in melted butter is just what I%26#39;m craving. Thanks for telling me exactly where to look.

My former college roommate introduced me to this extraordinary fare on a visit to the CT shore about nine years ago. Can%26#39;t get it in OH...and even on a trip to Boston two years ago it was nearly impossible to find anything but cold lobster mixed with mayonnaise. The concierge at the Millennium steered us to the Neptune Oyster in the North End where my hot lobster with butter was served on a BRIOCHE for goodness sake!

All day yesterday I found myself daydreaming about our stay at Talcott House -- ';The gentle lapping of waves gives way to the exhilarating panorama of Long Island Sound in your first waking moments.'; Was it mere coincidence that when my husband and I were browsing in Barnes %26amp; Noble, I opened a book of children%26#39;s poetry to an e.e. cummings favorite, ';maggie and milly and molly and may,'; which ends with:

';For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)

it%26#39;s always ourselves we find in the sea';

I drove along Seaside Ave for old time%26#39;s sake earlier in the week. Looks as lovely as ever! A bit deserted, there are less than 7000 people living in Westbrook when it%26#39;s not summer. It%26#39;s a nice little town. It was a beautiful day and I could see Long Island (it%26#39;s only a few miles across the Sound at that point) especially clearly.

Ellie, we expect to walk along the beach daily, but what other sorts of places might we reach on foot...restaurants or shops?

Westbrook is very small. There is Westbrook Pizza Westbrook Deli in Westbrook Center, probably a 10-15 minute walk from Seaside Avenue. Also the Muffin Korner, for breakfast and lunch, try their grilled muffins. There%26#39;s a Subway and a Dunkin Donuts within walking distance. Also Whole Enchilada, a Mexican place, but I%26#39;d choose Cuckoo%26#39;s Nest in Old Saybrook or Su Casa or Jalapeno Heaven in Branford over Whole Enchilada. Cafe Routier is not to far from tthe center of Westbrook, and Creative Cooking (Cajun) too. Off to the west is New Deal Steak Place. Also a 10-15 minute walk. Tanger Outlets you would need to drive to, it%26#39;s tucked way back on a service road off I-95. Same with Lenny%26amp;Joe%26#39;s Fish Tale, it%26#39;s close to the Clinton town line, and quite a long walk. There are outlet stores in Clinton, too.

There are a few small shops along Boston Post Road to explore, but not many. Westbrook doesn%26#39;t even have a grocery store, residents shop in Clinton or Old Saybrook. The antique stores are mostly in Clinton, the next town to the west from Westbrook.