Spotless bed & breakfast is family friendly

When Robert and Vivian Rodriguez purchased the Farnsworth House Bed & Breakfast in Mount Dora, Fla., in 2007, it was a dream come true for the couple originally from Miami.

They had never heard of Mount Dora before stopping for a lunch with relatives. After visiting the for-sale inn, they were hooked on the quaint city.

“We wanted to own [a bed & breakfast] for years, but never thought we had the opportunity or chance to do it,” Vivian said. “The moment we stepped on this property we knew we were home.”

The early Victorian-style home was built in 1886 and it has been serving the Mount Dora community as a bed & breakfast since the early 1990s. However, before the Rodriguezs reopened the bed & breakfast after purchasing it, they updated it from top to bottom.

“When we first bought the place we didn’t immediately open to the public,” Robert said. “For three weeks we worked on updating the bed & breakfast.”

The Farnsworth House Bed & Breakfast features three suites on the second floor of the Victorian house and two additional efficiencies are located on the ground floor of the carriage house. The spacious grounds of the bed & breakfast includes a large Jacuzzi enclosed in a screened-in gazebo. Within walking distance of the Mount Dora historic shopping district, the bed & breakfast attracts all types of guests, including residents of Orlando that are looking to get away for the weekend.

The large dining room of the establishment is the ideal setting for the daily family-style breakfast with healthy portions of fruit salad, breads, egg casserole, breakfast meats and potatoes. The breakfast is not the only family oriented part of the Farnsworth House Bed & Breakfast.

“We have had from one-month olds to teenagers stay at our bed & breakfast,” Vivian said.

In addition to welcoming children, the bed & breakfast accepts pets. While the pitter-patter of children’s feet and a family pet may be occasionally heard throughout the home, there is no evidence left behind on the home’s pine hardwood floors. In 2008, the Farnsworth Home Bed & Breakfast was the only small accommodation in Lake County to receive the White Glove Award from the Superior Small Lodging Association.