It's been a strange winter! The United States has seen very little snow, while Europe has experienced a record cold spell. Luckily, the tables have turned, and many states in the Northeast have finally enjoyed snowfall! The snow was much-needed in Vermont, so many happy innkeepers are offering great deal for snowbunnies to come enjoy this last bit of winter.

To see all current 31 deals, go to our Hot Deals page and select Vermont from the drop-down menu.

Here are just a few of the amazing offers! They are only available for a limited time, so call the inns now to book.

• Black Bear Inn - Bolton Valley: Stay one night, Sunday-Thursday, now through March 22, 2012, and get two free adult lift tickets to Bolton Valley Resort!
• Marble West Inn - Dorset: Stay on a weeknight and save 45%, with nightly rates starting at only $69! Valid through April 30.
• 1824 House Inn & Restaurant - Waitsfield (pictured): Stay two nights or more and pay just $99/night, which includes ski storage! Valid through March 7.

The holidays can be an incredibly stressful time. If you want to be able to just relax with your loved one or your family, why not spend your holidays at a B&B? The innkeepers take care of the cooking and cleaning, allowing you the time to unwind and enjoy good company.

Many inns offer special Thanksgiving packages to make a holiday getaway more affordable, whether you want a romantic getaway or a family vacation. You can view the specials here.

Here is an example of just one of the amazing Thanksgiving packages available:

Cabernet Inn - North Conway, NH
Cabernet Inn-timate Thanksgiving Getaway
November 23 & 24, 2011
Package price per couple, per room. Standard (with shower bath) $369, Deluxe (with fireplace or Jacuzzi) $459, Premium (with fireplace and Jacuzzi) $539, Luxury Suite $629

This all-inclusive holiday getaway package includes:

• Two nights' accommodation in a room category of your choice

• Full cooked-to-order gourmet breakfast each morning

• Champagne or sparkling cider upon arrival

• Romantic candlelit Thanksgiving dinner for two and a bottle of wine served in the dining room with all the trimmings

• Holiday keepsake and a collection of recipes

Fall officially starts tomorrow, and trees around the world are turning brilliant shades of red, yellow, and orange. Dozens of bed and breakfasts have listed fall foliage specials and packages on BedandBreakfast.com that make it more affordable to go leaf-peeping.

Here are two examples of the deals you will find:

Inn at Lower Farm Bed and Breakfast - North Stonington, CT (pictured right)
Mid-Week Fall Foliage Special: Experience fall in Mystic Country, when the days are warm, the nights are cool, and the countryside is ablaze in color. The package includes two weekday nights (Sunday thru Thursday) in one of the beautiful guest rooms. A full country breakfast is served by candlelight each morning in front of the open hearth. Also includes fresh apple cider from the local cider mill, crisp apples from nearby orchards, and pumpkin cookies served each afternoon. You will also enjoy dining at one of the areas best restaurants; The Captain Daniel Packer Inn in downtown Mystic, or the Skippers Dock or Noah’s in Historic Stonington Village. You will get a pumpkin to take home with you. Package price is $385 (tax is included). Call 1-866-535-9075 or 860-535-9075 to book.

Greenville Inn - Greenville, ME
The innkeepers will arrange a foliage trip with their Maine guide, where you will be taken to fantastic "secret" peeper spots. You will probably see a moose, too! The package includes a two-night stay with four-hour guided trip starting at $540 per couple, with breakfast included each morning at a private table. Must be consecutive nights, tax and gratuity not included, subject to availability, cannot be combined with other discounts. Call 1-888-695-6000 or 207-695-2206 to book.

Want to sip a cool cocktail while watching the sunset this summer? Here are five tasty and fruity alcoholic drink recipes from B&Bs that are perfect for cooling off in warm weather.

Mango Margaritas
from The Mango Inn B&B in Lake Worth, FL

Ingredients

The following is a guest post by Wendy Harrop, owner of It’s Your Day! and Director of Wedding Planning Instruction for New Wedding Planet.

As a California event planner for 20 years, I’ve had the pleasure of planning wonderful weddings with creative clients at a variety of unconventional venues. Naturally, winery weddings are popular here. So are beach weddings, parties in the park, and receptions at ranches and farms. But for three reasons, bed & breakfasts have a special place in my heart.

1. For small weddings, B&Bs are intimate, economical, and distinctive.

For a wedding of fewer than 50 guests and a couple on a budget, an owner-operated B&B with the necessary permits makes planning easy and economical. Ambience and atmosphere are built in, saving significantly on décor expenses such as flowers. Small ceremony and celebration spaces at a single location reduce time and transportation costs. Beautifully restored Victorian B&Bs–and California has more than any other state–provide the kind of theme that’s easily carried out, from invitations to attire. In addition, I’ve found B&B venues to be quite flexible about the vendors I’m allowed to hire for the event. (I wish hotels were equally open-minded!)

2. B&Bs near wineries help larger weddings work especially well.

Although legendary Napa is strict about winery weddings, nearby Sonoma County–like several other California wine-growing areas–has an abundance of wineries with facilities for a ceremony in the vineyard followed by a party in the tasting room. Some can accommodate as many as 200 attendees. By definition, most are far from cities, so it’s really helpful when there are block-bookable B&Bs located nearby to accommodate overnight guests. It’s safer for partiers at a winery wedding held in Healdsburg to drive the short distance to any of a dozen attractive Russian River B&Bs than having to make their way back to a hotel in San Francisco, hours away, following a reception featuring a dozen local wines!

3. B&B owners are friendly, fun, and well-informed.

Because they’re passionate about their properties, the B&B owners I know are a joy to work with in planning a wedding on-site, or simply blocking guest rooms for overnight guests. Like me, they’re hands-on managers used to rolling up their sleeves to get the job done. Unlike hotel catering staff, they tend to stay put in one place. And they often know more about restaurants, attractions, and transportation options in their area than anybody else around. Most aren’t shy about sharing local lore, opinions, and advice. Like their properties, they have personality!

I wish even more B&Bs offered weddings. And I love helping B&B owners become wedding planners. That’s why we created a dedicated video course tutorial on B&B weddings for the online wedding planning course I helped develop.

First photo: Nunan Estate in Jacksonville, OR
Second photo: Inn on Crescent Lake in Excelsior Springs, MO