Eclectic mix of travel finds makes for a unique experience

Not all ideas are born overnight. Take for example the one-of-a-kind Coconut Cottage Inn Bed & Breakfast of Mount Dora, Fla.

As freelance travel writers for the past 15 years, the husband and wife inn-keeping team of Nancy Howell and Gary McKechnie toured the countryside taking mental notes of what they liked and didn’t like about inns. The couple’s remarkable journey to bed and breakfast ownership didn’t end there. Like any good journalist, Howell dug deeper locating an internship opportunity with a North Carolina inn.

“We got an incredible learning process from the ground up,” she said.

The result of the studious background work allowed the couple to not only open their own successful bed and breakfast in 2000, but they were able to create an atmosphere for guests that is truly unique.

From the outside the two-story inn appears to be no different than any other historic home in the Mount Dora area. But once inside the overall theme of world travel provides for a whimsical journey walking from one room into the next.

For instance, the red “Zen Den” features an array of ornamental masks and an impressive lot of travel books, including McKechnie’s “Great American Motorcycle Tours.” Upstairs the spacious Asian and Arabian guest rooms are trimmed with furnishings and decorations from the respective cultures.

The traveling theme of the Coconut Cottage Inn does not end with the interior decorating. At the breakfast table, the innkeepers frequently swap travel stories with guests.

“What we found is this is an extension of our travel writing,” Howell said. “Just the items we have in here provokes conversation.”

The influences of Egyptian, African, Chinese and Japanese cultures throughout the inn are a result of eight years of collecting interesting pieces. By visiting consignment shops, auctions and antique fairs through their travels, the couple amassed an eclectic mix of furnishings and decorations.

“The great thing about all this [stuff] is we’ve had guests that have stayed with us several times through the years and they’ll say one time when did you get this piece and I’ll tell them it has been here the whole time,” McKechnie said. “It definitely gives you the illusion of travel just walking around the inn.”

The majority of the guests of the Coconut Cottage Inn Bed & Breakfast are from the Sunshine State. The relaxing and charming downtown district of Mount Dora draws in-state guests year round, especially for the 20 major festivals the city hosts annually.

“It’s amazing how many people don’t know about Mount Dora, but when they come here they’re hooked,” Howell said. “Most of our guests come here just to get away from everything.”

Whether you’re visiting Mount Dora for its culture, nature parks or shopping district, you’ll never be at a loss for good company at the Coconut Cottage Inn.

“I think what guests like is we’re never stumped for a conversation,” McKechnie said

Howell added, “We have something to talk about all the time.”