Please note: the amenities referred to in
these articles were current at the time that article was
written, but may not be current now. Please check our home
page for current amenities.
The following are word for word reviews about
Cricketwood from various publications.
~Northwest Palate
Jan/Feb 2008
Ten minutes from downtown Bend and secluded on 10
acres of property, the Cricketwood Country B&B is ready to
spoil you rotten. Owners Jim and Tracy Duncan start by putting
as many chocolate chip or peanut cookies as you want outside
your door at bedtime, along with the beverages of your choice.
How sweet is that?
Your room-large and bright and decorated along garden and
forest theme – will have a flat screen TV, candles, a soft
sofa, dimmers on the lights, chocolate, robes and slippers, CD
player and romantic cards (hubba hubba). Not in the mood?
You’ll also find a computer with satellite Internet in your
room, as well as premium cable and no fewer than three
remotes.
In their ninth year of operation, the Duncans have hosted more
than 15,000 guests from Washington to Florida. “Half of the
people who stay here come for a romantic getaway,” says Jim,
whose B&B was recently profiled in Best Places to Kiss in
the Northwest. “The other half come for snow activities,
like cross country and [alpine] skiing.”
International dining options, minutes away, include Yoko’s
(sushi and Japanese fare), Demetri’s Greek American Cuisina,
and two Mexican choices, Hola! And El Caporal. The 541 Lounge
and Restaurant is a hip new hot spot in the area with an
extensive bar, an eclectic menu that includes
aparagus-and-prosciutto wontons and pan-seared ahi, as well as
private dining alcoves and live music.
When you awake at Cricketwood, your chosen beverage will be
waiting outside your door. For breakfast, order a customized
meal from the extensive menu, including crème brulee-baked
French toast and smoked salmon hash. Eat breakfast in the
dining room or enjoy it in your own room, on your own
schedule.
When afternoon comes, arrange yourself in front of the living
room’s fire with a glass of wine or a good book and let the
world drift on by.
Time magazine, May
2000, lists Cricketwood Country Bed and Breakfast LLC under "Best
Places to Stay"
Inn Traveler's readers
voted Cricketwood "BEST IN THE WEST" (2004
Karen Brown Guides to the Pacific Northwest
(2002)
Talk about pampering! Jim and Tracy have thought
of everything. Meals, for example: hors d’oeuvres with complimentary
beer and wine are served at 6 pm—you won’t want dinner afterwards—then
there are cookies and milk at bedtime and breakfast options
as extensive as your imagination, from chocolate-chip bread
pudding with orange rum sauce to eggs Benedict to cinnamon
rolls. Comfortable, completely low key, a tad kitsch, and
genuinely fun, Cricketwood is a perfect place to stay when
exploring the Bend area. There’s a hot tub on the deck, wine
and beer in the fridge all day, a 2-mile loop for walking
or running on the 10-acre property, stellar mountain views,
wild ducks, videos, popcorn, peanuts. Guestrooms are a scream.
Check out the full-scale urinal in the Secret Garden’s bathroom.
Or Exotic Island, where in three unique alcoves you’ll find
a king and two double beds. At the entry to each alcove is
a swath of sheer nylon in an iridescent green-purple, reminiscent
of mosquito netting. It has a large table with a leopard cloth,
recliners with leopard throws, and a spacious bathroom with
jungle mural, a shower, and a 6-foot claw-foot tub. A cottage
is also available.
Best Places to Kiss in the Pacific Northwest, 8th Edition (2004)
As its name suggests, the Cricketwood Country
B&B is all about country living. Set on 10 of parklike
lawn and grassy fields, the inn is just 5 miles from Bend-but
you and your love will feel as though you're in another world.
Three guest rooms-two are suites-have garden themes; the Secret
Garden Room doubles as a honeymoon suite, and features a double
Jacuzzi, portable massage table, candles, scented oil, and
even some romantic (naughty but nice!) games. But it's the
hospitality here that makes the B&B stand out. Innkeepers
Jim and Tracy Duncan have mastered the fine art of providing
superb service-they do just enough to make you feel entirely
welcome, without annoying you with their constant presence.
They provide both breakfast and dinner, with wine,
for guests every night (both meals come with the price of
the room). Breakfasts are made to order, and may include such
delights as creme brulee-baked French toast or New Orleans
bread pudding with rum sauce. Guest refrigerators are fully
stocked, and bedtime cookies and morning beverages are on
the house. After you've fed the local ducks or taken the perfect
2-mile walk around the countryside, continue to enjoy the
bucolic scenery-from the hot tub.
Insiders Guide - Bend & Central Oregon
(2002)
Jim and Tracy Duncan welcome guests into their
lovely country home on the east side of Bend, just eight minutes
from downtown. Peace and quiet reign supreme in this area
of mini-ranches. The couple purchased this preexisting inn
in 1999 and gave the place quite a remodeling to fit their
idea of the perfect bed-and-breakfast. Sumptuous is the one
word that describes the Duncan's Cricketwood experience.
Outdoors, the expanses of manicured green lawns,
artfully framed by mature trees and a winding seasonal brook,
offer a respite of peace and tranquility from the hustle and
bustle of life in the 21st century. In the distance are hay
fields and pastures, and the tops of mountains peeking over
the trees. The west-facing verandah on the front of the cedar
house and the east-facing decks with their umbrella tables
offer the first inklings of the pampered life that awaits.
To the side of the house at the end of the driveway are to
signs over the garage that read: GUEST PARKING, another clue
to the character of this inn.
The guests' welcome is perfectly orchestrated,
right down to the soft background music that bathes the spacious
dining room and living areas. On the dining-room table are
clipboards with the breakfast menus. The initial tour takes
you past their library of sights and attractions in Bend and
Central Oregon, past the fountain in the Roman Garden-styled
sitting room with its demure statue named Rebecca, and on
to your guest room.
On the ground floor is a spacious guest room
called The Secret Garden that they like to call the honeymoon
suite because of its king-size bed, fountain, two-person spa
tub, and huge walk-in shower. Garden murals decorate the walls
above the bed and around the spa.
Upstairs is a very large suite called the Exotic
Garden Suite, and exotic it is with leopard-print pillows
and throws. A king-size bed occupies the central alcove behind
some very sultry sheer curtains. Double beds fill two alcoves,
one on each side of the center alcove. The pair of La-Z-Boy
recliners parked in front of a TV that rests on a bamboo chest
reminds you that you are still in the United States. The 6-foot
claw-foot tub, surrounded by a mural of a jungle scene, has
been cast in infamy by a photo of Jim using the tub that you
can see in their brochure and on their Web site.
Also upstairs is a smaller room called The Country
Garden, with a very picturesque mural of the view from the
back of their house and a picket-fence headboard.
All three rooms have a TV/VCR and CD player,
robes and slippers, mini-refrigerators, candles, and private
baths stocked with bubble bath.
In the morning you can take a stroll through
the countryside before breakfast. Serious walkers should ask
the Duncans to tell them about the 2-mile loop through their
rural neighborhood of small ranches and two-lane country roads.
There are two acres of parklike lawns surrounding the house-perfect
for croquet and badminton. In summer the tiny bridge over
the brook is a great spot to pose for a snapshot.
Jim and Tracy are co-chefs, and they cook up
a storm for their guests. On arrival you will be provided
with a mouthwatering checklist of breakfast items that's longer
than most restaurant menus, including Creme Brulee Baked French
Toast or a hearty Breakfast Potato Casserole with smoked or
fresh salmon, cheeses, and sour cream. You may have your breakfast
on the oak table in the dining room or outside on the deck,
or even delivered on a tray to your room. If you have a special
request, go ahead and ask.
With advance reservations, and at no extra charge,
you will be invited to join the family at 6:00 p.m. for what
they call Light Hors D'oeuvres. Available nightly except on
Saturday, this repast could more appropriately be called a
light supper. In the evening, relax in the guest living room
with its La-Z-Boy recliners, TV, VCR, beverage filled refrigerator,
and big fireplace. Or, go and take a peek in the closet of
your bedroom. There, among the labeled shelves ("extra
blankets," "extra pillow," "guest robes,"
guest toilet articles," etc), will be a box labeled "Games"
and inside it are cute little games a couple on their first-or-second-honeymoon
might want to indulge in. On the more mundane side of things,
the downstairs hall closet has a large collection of videos
as well as the games, toys, and puzzles that you might expect
to find at a bed-and-breakfast.
Since the Duncans have gone to a great extent
to make their inn a wonderfully romantic getaway, it's probably
not the best choice for families traveling with small children.
However, their little guest cottage out back next to their
hay field would serve nicely for a family with kids. Although
the cottage is usually considered a vacation rental (lacking
food service), it wouldn't surprise us if the Duncans just
might be able to come up with some special arrangements for
a modified bed-and-breakfast experience. Pets are allowed
in the cottage.
Summer weekends are usually booked by February,
and for an impromptu visit during the rest of the year you
may have to call a month or so ahead for a weekend reservation.
By prior arrangement, Cricketwood may be able to board you
dog for $10 per night. In keeping with their policy of saying
yes, the Duncans accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.
Although the new owners of Cricketwood have only been in full
swing since 2000, they have earned a faithful and enthusiastic
following. About 40 percent of their visitors are repeat guests,
and they'll try their best to make a repeat visitor out of
you, too.
CASCADES EAST (2002)
For those who prefer a country setting but wish
to be close to town, the Cricketwood Country Bed and Breakfast LLC
is just the place. Located only minutes east of downtown Bend,
guest can relax in the peace and quiet of a beautiful park-like
setting on 10 acres. Owners Jim and Tracy Duncan bought the
Cricketwood Country Bed and Breakfast LLC in 1999.
"We both love people and love to cook,"
said Jim. "Everybody loves vacations. We want to make
it more romantic and more fun." Perhaps that's why they
have such a high number of repeat guests each year.
"It gets to be like friends returning every
year," Tracy described. Walk in the door and you'll be
offered a glass of wine. They host several corporate gatherings
each year, and Tracy jokes that company bosses keep asking
their employees if they really have to come to Bend that often
for business meetings.
When they first thought of opening a B&B,
the couple traveled around and stayed in several. They asked
themselves what they would like if they stayed at a bed and
breakfast. The Duncans came up with quite a list.
Since most people don't want to hop back in
their car and head out to eat upon arriving at a Bed and Breakfast LLC,
they had the idea to offer such substantial hors d'oeuvres
in the evening that most guests won't even feel like eating
dinner.
The Duncans also offer an individualized custom
breakfast each morning, so it doesn't matter if guests want
to get up early and see the sights or would rather sleep in
a few extra hours. In the evening, guests check off items
on a menu that they wish to have the next morning and what
time they plan on eating. The beverage of their choice will
be placed outside their door in the morning at a time they
choose. Guests can even check off "flexible" for
time, then just stick their heard in the kitchen and let Jim
or Tracy know that they will be ready to eat in 15 minutes.
"People really appreciate having choices,"
Tracy said. Guests also go crazy over warm chocolate chip
cookies at bedtime with a choice of beverage. Simply order
the number of cookies you want and they'll be waiting outside
the door.
Cricketwood's three bedrooms include private
baths, satellite TV/VCR, (100+ channels), candles, dimmer
lights, bath salts or bubble bath, bathrobes and slippers,
CD/tape players, refrigerators, chocolates, and more.
Also available are videos; books; games; popcorn,
outdoor spa; and a complimentary, fully stocked beverage refrigerator
with beer, wine and soda. The guest living room is decorated
in a Roman garden style. An eight-foot high waterfall statue
of Rebecca and tiny white lights set a romantic mood.
Each bedroom has a garden theme. The Secret
Garden is a spacious suite (500 sq. ft.) with lots of windows
and fabulous views. The suite includes a water fountain, king-size
bed, comfortable furniture (recliner and rattan/wicker chairs),
double Jacuzzi tub, huge tile shower, walk-in closet, double
sinks, and more.
The Exotic Garden Suite includes two comfortable
recliners, a king bed with sheer drapes that divide the sleeping
area, a six-foot clawfoot tub surrounded on three sides by
a fabulous mural, and two extra double beds hidden away in
alcoves.
The sunny Country Garden room makes one feel
like they are relaxing in a bountiful summer garden. It has
a custom-made picket fence headboard on the queen bed that
extends to the walls. Behind the picket fence is a beautiful
mural of the local countryside.
Also on the property is a 765 square-foot cottage
which offers a romantic and private getaway from the world.
It has beautiful carpet and tiles, gas fireplace, deck with
BBQ, and fully equipped kitchen. Sleeping accommodation include
a king bed and hide-a-bed in the main room and queen bed in
the bedroom. B&B food amenities are not available to cottage
guests.
