Innisfree Celtic Bed & Breakfast

Innisfree B&B was a great place to stay in South Bend for a stopover on our road trip to Minneapolis. We contacted Cindy to say we would be late checking in and she got back to us right away, saying we could let ourselves in with a locked keypad. The driveway is long and wide and can fit several cars. We felt the neighborhood was safe enough to leave most of our luggage and a bike in the car. After a 12-​hour drive, all we wanted was a comfortable, clean accommodation, which is exactly what we got. We stayed in the Seamus Room which was beautifully decorated and fine for the two of us. The bed was so comfortable and the room was impeccably clean.
The bathroom is a little unusual in the bedroom — it’s a small alcove with a toilet and shower (no door.) We realized later that night that there is a beautiful large separate, shared bathroom next door. Cindy kept all of the bathrooms stocked with various beauty products — lotions, shampoos, soaps, bathroom sprays, etc. Such a nice treat! Also — water pressure was great!
During the week, guests serve themselves a cold breakfast. We were a little disappointed at first that there was no hot breakfast available, but the assortment of breakfast options changed our mood! Cindy had the fridge stocked with yogurt, juices, and milk. There was a variety of cereals and granola, bagels, granola bars, coffee (Keurig with different K-​cup options), and fresh muffins.
The only minor complaint I had was lousy wifi access in the rooms.
We would absolutely stay at Innisfree if we are ever in South Bend again. It was affordable and within walking distance to a few restaurants/​pubs.
**Tip: Call Innisfree and book your stay directly with Cindy. She will likely give you a better deal than you will find on Expedia or other discount travel websites.

BEWARE the manager and owner of this establishment kind of scam you by contradicting one another. One told me I was ok rescheduling and the other charged me a huge fee of a couple hundred bucks AFTER the date had passed and I was no longer able to use the reservation. According to travel reviews, I’m not the first they’ve pulled this on. Thank goodness my credit card company sided with me.

My sister and I stay here when we return to South Bend (where we grew up) for family functions — Innisfree has become our second home while in South Bend. In fact, we just threw a small 80^th birthday for our father — and we had a small post-​reception in the parlor rooms at Innisfree to accommodate a group that could not attend a dinner earlier in the night. The owner, Cindy, is a gem. She makes us feel at home in her home with the just the right balance of fuss and freedom. Unlike some B&Bs, you have privacy in this spacious inn. Cindy manages the property with perfection, attention, good taste — and is very generous in the way she allows guests to use her great home. We plan on many happy returns! Thanks, Cindy!

Really nice place. Cute décor, clean rooms, impeccable details. Super awesome architecture really cool historic building. Great breakfast. I would «highly» recommend Innisfree Celtic Bed & Breakfast.

I checked out of Innisfree this morning after a 1 night stay. It had some pros and cons — though really, which places don’t? — but the former certainly outweigh the latter, and I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone spending the night (or a few) in South Bend. I’ll take you through my experience as briefly as I can (which probably won’t be very briefly):
–Pro: PLENTY of parking. Seems like a very safe neighborhood. Very nice looking house. Awesome front door keypad which makes getting in and out very easy and safe. Ramp along the house to the parking area so you can wheel luggage easily.
–Pro: Beautiful interior. Granted, overly decorated as most homey B&Bs tend to be, but tons of common spaces and plenty of snacks in the kitchen and two dining areas to be enjoyed. Coffee (flavors!) whenever you want it, cereal, bottled water, yogurts/​applesauce in the fridge, granola bars, cookies, and bowls of hershey’s kisses littered throughout upstairs and down.
–I won’t call this a con, but there are a gazillion crosses and signs about god all over the place. You’re in Indiana, so what else would you expect? I can easily ignore that stuff, but for someone who can’t, it’s something of which to be aware. Another thing of which to be aware is that you’re very close to train tracks, so if you’re a light sleeper you might get awoken by train horns, but it was no problem for me.
–Pro: The rooms are adorable. I stayed in the Seamus room which is perfect for one person (but no more than that). It’s pretty small, but it had private bath facilities as not all the rooms do. It’s kind of cool in that the toilet/​shower are in a nook around the corner from your bed, but very much in the room with no door, and the sink/​mirror are further around the corner by the door to your room. Something to note, but I found it very charming.
–Con: The seamus room could seriously use a small desk, or at least more table/​counter space. Maybe a nightstand on both sides of the bed?
–Pro: Definitely warm enough, but a little space heater included that worked really well for the colder moments. Shower water got as hot as you would want, and the water pressure was perfect.
–Pro: Lots of cute little body products littered around for your enjoyment. Plenty of towels. Very nice bathrobe included for your use. Bed was super comfortable — I wanted to steal the pillows!
–Con: Probably the biggest con of the experience, the internet really doesn’t work very well. It will work well enough if you need to check one thing here and there, but if you’re trying to multi-​task and/​or get a lot of work done, you may have difficulty. It seemed to go in and out quite often, and certainly would not hold up to streaming video.
–Pro: super friendly staff. Very quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
–Con: I feel bad calling this a con because it’s clearly a small, very personally run establishment, but I was told breakfast was at 9am and it didn’t seem like that was particularly flexible. I mentioned that I usually run at 9/9:30am and could I have breakfast more like 10am or 10:15, and she reluctantly agreed, but I both felt bad about it and also was unsure as to whether that would really happen. She mentioned she wouldn’t be there the next day but her assistant would be, and she would pass along the message. Sadly she didn’t, and so the assistant the next day wasn’t actually sure if I was coming down for breakfast. Luckily when I showed at 10am she had put aside a plate and microwaved the sausage/​egg casserole for me. It was tasty, the fresh cut fruit was nice, and the banana bread was super awesome.
–I didn’t really «check out» with anyone — assistant was upstairs cleaning rooms, so I just left my key on the kitchen table and headed out.
–Pro: The cost is super low for what you get. I definitely recommend it!

Over the last decade, my family has conducted something of a tour of small Midwestern towns, and we prefer B&B’s over hotels. Even in small town America, the hotel market has consolidated to just a few large chains where every hotel is like every other one. But B&B’s still reliably offer the kind of personal touches that allow one to feel at home while away.
Of the dozens of B&B’s we’ve tried, Innisfree is the one to which we always return. We’ve stayed multiple times each year since 2007 or so. I’ve stayed in three different rooms, and each has its own unique charms. My most recent stay was this April, 2011. I always leave wishing I could stay just one more night.
The photography on the Innisfree website hints at the majestic edifice. We see details of the fine woodwork, the wall paper, the furniture – and we tend to expect these things at a B&B. But one thing the photos can’t convey is how natural these details feel when you’re inside the house. It feels like a house that’s evolved over the last 100 years, not something that was slapped together as part of a business plan.
One criticism I have of many B&B’s is an irksome tendency to overplay their themes and the decorative flourishes they suggest. Too often, they all but drown themselves in a profusion of ruffles and lace. Innisfree escapes this with genuine period-​appropriate furnishings and treatments that look and feel like objects real people thoughtfully used and respected. And while there is a definite Irish/​Celtic theme at play here, it’s understated and tasteful. This is a home, not an Irish theme park.
The beds are comfy, the common areas of the house inviting and restful. And with hundreds of novels, picture books, magazines, CDs, and videos, as well as televisions in each room and house-​wide Wi-​Fi, the house is a library with something to satisfy anyone’s taste in entertainment. (If you care to extend the Irish theme, after cheering the Fighting Irish, make sure to stop in at Fiddler’s Hearth, a terrific pub just a ten-​minute walk from Innisfree, with great pub fare, good brews, live entertainment and a convivial college crowd.)
Innisfree’s proprietor, Cindy, demonstrates a keen eye for the little details that make Innisfree especially comfortable. A refrigerator stocks bottled water and other beverages. Any forgotten toiletries are readily available (without having the ask), as well as some rather lovely bath products, soaps, and lotions for those who enjoy such things. One can even find a sewing kit for an unexpected repair. My most recent stay included a plate of homemade cookies in my room. Pre-​breakfast coffee is always waiting downstairs for those who like to read the paper or sip a cup while performing their ablutions.
Any seasoned B&B guest understand that some revisions are required for any old house like this to become a functional inn. For instance, it’s often difficult to arrange for a private bathroom in every guest room without compromising the architectural integrity of the house. The modifications here are sensitive to the architecture, while displaying honest craftsmanship. As a result, some of the rooms do share a bathroom. In my experience, B&B patrons tend to be respectful, tidy folks, so sharing a bathroom is just fine with me. And the shared bathrooms are large, and beautifully appointed.
Breakfast is satisfying, and if you stay more than one night, you’ll sample the variety of Cindy’s capable cooking, with quiches, pastries, french toast, fresh fruit – the kind of dressed up yet unpretentious fare you expect from a B&B. If you communicate your food preferences in advance, Cindy will ensure that you won’t find things on the table that you don’t enjoy.
Up to this point, I’ve said little about the proprietor herself, Cindy, but I can’t conclude this review without acknowledging what a wonderful host she is. Others have commented that they appreciated how she wasn’t overly chatty. On the other hand, my family and I have delighted in many long conversations with Cindy about myriad topics: the inn and its history, our respective families, South Bend and it’s various attractions. I think this speaks to Cindy’s perceptiveness and sensitivity. Quiet people who prefer solitude will scarcely be aware of her presence in the house. Social, talkative types will enjoy a more personal connection.
My family has grown so familiar with Cindy over the years that we greet each other with hugs. Walking into Innisfree is like walking into our home away from home. I look forward to many more stays!

Great place. Wonderful rooms, very comfortable and welcoming. Delicious breakfast and overall an excellent stay in South Bend.

Very nice place. The décor is great and the rooms are comfortable, we had a really nice claw foot tub. You are also within walking distance of downtown South Bend. The breakfast was decent, nothing spectacular, but good. The hostess was also super nice and didn’t try to talk too much. I hate going to B&Bs and having hosts want to talk for hours.
If I ever needed to go back to South Bend I would definitely stay there.

My wife and I stayed here last winter. It was a great weekend getaway for the both of us and it was reasonably priced. Each room had a particular theme that tied into the Irish neighborhood. We enjoyed the great hospitality by the staff the whole time. My wife particularly liked the breakfast we were served in the morning. I liked how we were not rushed to leave.