Central Florida Amazing Bed & Breakfast Special Deal!

Not often does a special this good come along. Thurston House in North Orlando, Maitland is offering a 30% discount for reservations booked by 6/20. Everyone loves a deal, and when it has to do with a two night stay at a lovely bed & breakfast, all the better! Book by the end of day June 20th for a two night stay and receive a 30% dicounted price! This deal is only available for August 16-26, and October 1-31. Rooms must be prepaid in full, and there is no cancellation allowed. Enjoy the best of Central Florida with many special places to see, areas for shopping and great dining options. This great deal may only come once in a lifetime so BOOK NOW! When you book online, the innkeeper will make the neccesary adjustments then send an updated reservation confirmation to you. Or…you can just call and take care of it.

The August dates will show you Sizzling Central Florida Summer at its best! The October dates will introduce you to foliage, Florida style. The Golden Rain trees will show off their fall colors just for you. There are also two arts festivals the month of October – The Maitland Rotary Art Under the Stars 10/5-7 and the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival 10/13-14.    

With such a great deal you’ll have plenty of money left for enjoying all that Central Florida offers to you! HURRY!

May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month!

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States(70,000 worldwide). 

I know all too well how devastating this disease can be. A friend of over 50 years has a son fighting for his life and awaiting a double lung transplant. The financial burden is tremendous and could end up costing as much as $100,000! Dominic Quagliozzi is 30 and an accomplished artist who is just finishing his Master of Arts Science Degree. He is engaged and plans to wed in August of this year. When he was diagnosed 30 years ago they were told to not expect him live to his 5th birthday. He has proven them wrong and now awaits a life saving double lung transplant. Without this he will die.

For every reservation this month, Thurston House is donating $5 towards Dominic’s fundraising efforts. Guests will be made aware of this and can donate additional funds if they care to. HelpHOPELive is a non-profit organization who will manage these funds and will make them available when they are needed. They have been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years now!

Book now, come stay and help Dominic!

Please make others aware of this disease. It is likely that someone in your life has someone or knows someone with Cystic Fibrosis. Our nephew is also fighting this and we will collect and donate for him when the time is appropriate.

 

Central Florida Last Minute Gift Idea!

What do you get someone who has everything they need? How about an eagle, osprey or even an owl? At the Florida Audubon Birds of Prey Center in Maitland there are many birds just waiting for a family to adopt them. Click on their website link and start shopping for that perfect bird gift. Then, plan a trip to Thurston House Central Florida B&B to visit your bird. We are just a short stroll away!

Autumn at Central Florida B&B!

Golden Rain Tree at Maitland B&B

When you mention Fall, those from up north picture colorful maple leaves over vast hilly areas. We in the North Orlando Maitland Winter Park area also experience Fall, but in a different manner. The days are cooler and less humid, the yards are greener and the beautiful Golden Rain Tree shows off it’s spectacular colors. They start with their green leaves, then beautiful little yellow flowers in clusters, then last are pink pods everywhere!

Butterfly on penta plant

The birds and other wildlife seem to notice the change too. Just the past week I have noticed so many more birds flying around, along with many beautiful butterflies trying out our landscape. It is glorious here! Aren’t you due for a visit to our North Orlando bed & breakfast soon?

For a really special deal, check out our latest Living Social Escape deal that just went live today. It’s available for only a limited time so hurry!

A Chickering at Maitland B&B!

Thurston House front parlour morning

The front parlour of Thurston House, our North Orlando Bed & Breakfast, is home to a beautiful 1858 Chickering Square Grand Piano. The Smithsonian Institution considers this exact model piano to be of such historical significance to include it in the museum’s “Piano 300” Exhibition now on display in Washington, D. C.
The Square Piano was the mainstay of the American home during the latter half of the 19th century, and the Chickering Company was at the very forefront of innovation at the time. Superior action design and the first patented use of the full iron frame provide this piece with tone quality and repetition speed unrivaled by most other manufacturers of this period. Brahms, Liszt, Strauss, and Tchaikovski were still composing in 1858, when this piano rolled out of Chickering’s Boston factory. Such Romantic era music can be faithfully reproduced on this period piano, and the cabinet beautifully reflects the early Victorian style.

Beautiful gold colored iron work inside the Chickering

On loan from the Art & History Museums – Maitland, this beautiful piano graces the area of the front parlour polygonal bay windows. In the morning, subdued sunlight comes through the elegant lace curtains, making the entire room glow softly. Bed & breakfast guests appreciate the beauty of the rosewood case, and the interior decorative gold colored iron castings. This piano is quite fitting for our circa 1885 home!

The lure of a hammock…

North Orlando B&B Thurston House hammock

Many guests come to our North Orlando bed & breakfast exhausted and ready for much needed relaxation. Cell phones, laptops and I pads are often left in the car or hidden out of sight in their guest room just so they can experience what true peacefulness is. They usually find their way to our special hidden place, the upstairs sleeping porch. The highlight of this porch area overlooking Lake Eulalia is the wonderful string hammock. Many a guest has fallen asleep as the hammock gently rocks and the sun shines lightly on their faces.

Don’t you need some hammock right now? 

Announcing Bocce at Thurston House!

Throwing balls toward a target is the oldest game known to mankind. As early as 5000 B.C. the Egyptians played a form of bocce with polished rocks. Graphic representations of figures tossing a ball or polished stone have been recorded as early as 5200 B.C. While bocce today looks quite different from its early predecessors, the unbroken thread of bocce’s lineage is the consistently common objective of trying to come as close to a fixed target as possible. From this early objective, the basic rules of bocce were born.

Thurston House bocce set

Now that Joe has finished working on our side lawn area, it’s a perfect place to be our bocce court. Book your room, check-in, grab the bocce bag, pick your color and have some outdoor fun at our Central Florida bed & breakfast.

18-1/2 years ago in Maitland, FL…

Thurston House before renovations 1990

Amazingly, Thurston House Bed & Breakfast opened it’s doors 18-1/2 years ago! Our Central Florida inn has since enjoyed having guests from 24 countries, every state and even 4 territories! We’ve seen regular guests through their personal good times and bad, as well as a few of our own.  Every year brings a bit more fine tuning, to everything from the room decor and amenitites to the garden areas. This glorious 125 year old Queen Anne beauty would still make Cyrus Thurston proud, as it does us. Come see…book now!

February Romance in Central Florida!

Time is going quickly and we will soon be in that most romantic of months, February. We will celebrate romance all month long! All guests will enjoy special chocolates along with little gift items, complimentary of course.  With only three guest rooms in our cozy inn, rooms book up fast.

porch dining area

So, book your room now, then look at the many fine restaurant options for your special dinner.  If you prefer, take out food and enjoy our cozy porch dining area, complete with candlelight. Make your stay special with custom photography, done by one of several premier Central Florida photographers. Look at our photography page for more information on this great option!