In case you missed it, last month we announced the winners of our 2012 Best of BedandBreakfast.com Award winners. Each fall, we select winners by a thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis of guest reviews from the past year. We have over 13,000 member inns, and with so many having stellar reviews, it's a very difficult to pick just 30!

This year, eight of the 10 U.S. award winners and two of our Canadian winners are BedandBreakfast.com Diamond Collection members. The inn names that are bolded below are in the Diamond Collection.

Top 10 B&Bs in the United States

• Bed & Breakfast on Tiffany Hill in Mills River, North Carolina
• Belfast Bay Inn in Belfast, Maine 
• Bufflehead Cove in Kennebunkport, Maine
• Chestnut Hill Bed & Breakfast in Orange, Virginia
• Historic Webster House in Bay City, Michigan
• Hoyt House Bed & Breakfast* in Amelia Island, Florida
• Port d’Hiver Bed and Breakfast in Melbourne Beach, Florida
• The Farmhouse at Veritas in Afton, Virginia
• Twin Pine Manor Bed & Breakfast in Ephrata, Pennsylvania
• Villa D’Citta in Chicago, Illinois

Top 10 B&Bs in Canada

• Abbeymoore Manor Bed and Breakfast in Victoria, British Columbia
• A la Carte B&B in Montreal, Quebec
• A Touch of English Bed & Breakfast in Kelowna, British Columbia
• Binners’ Bed and Breakfast in Victoria, British Columbia
• Cartland Estate Bed and Breakfast in Niagara Falls, Ontario
• John Lewis House in Victoria, British Columbia
• Queen Anne Inn in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia
• Sweet Dreams Luxury Inn in Abbotsford, British Columbia
• The Refuge Bed and Breakfast in Mont Tremblant, Quebec
• Trout Point Lodge of Nova Scotia in East Kempville, Nova Scotia

We do not yet have a Diamond Collection program outside of the U.S. and Canada, but here are our top 10 international winners:

• Bed & Breakfast Pegaso in Valeggio sul Mincio, Italy
• Casa Lima Bed & Breakfast in San Jose, Costa Rica
• Casa Roa in Mexico City, Mexico
• Estinfil Guesthouses in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
• Le Roulage in Longueville, France
• Lippergüt’l in Füssen, Germany
• Los Artistas B&B in Ajijic, Mexico
• Maison Maurice in Biron, France
• Suites Plazza del Popolo in Rome, Italy
• Villa Los Paraisos in La Puebla de Cazalla, Spain

By Emily Starbuck Crone

This gorgeous bedroom is Room 12 at Chanticleer Inn Bed & Breakfast, a Diamond Collection property in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. The inn has over 120 reviews with an overall perfect rating on BedandBreakfast.com. It sits high on Lookout Mountain and has beautiful views of Chattanooga Valley.

All 17 guest rooms have private bathrooms, pillowtop beds, flat-screen TVs with DVD players, and free access to a DVD library. Some rooms also offer plush robes, small refrigerators stocked with complementary water and soft drinks, whirlpool tubs, and electric or gas fireplaces.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

The Farmhouse Inn is a luxurious Diamond Collection B&B located in Forestville, California. This Wine Country B&B has some of their guest rooms in a renovated barn. To celebrate the barn turning three years old, they are offering their "You Choose Your Prize" Sweepstakes! Some of the prizes are quite unconventional.

Here are the four incredible prize options:

1) "Visit"
Win a two-night stay to the B&B in a luxury barn room. You will also get a four-course dinner and wine pairings for two in their Michelin Starred restaurant, and a private tour and lunch at one of their exclusive winery partners. (Value approx. $2,500)

2) "Sip"
You and Farmhouse's Wine Director, Master Sommelier Geoff Kruth, will collaborate to create your dream wine cellar*. They ship you a wine refrigerator and loan you Geoff and his expertise to help you choose and procure your dream collection. *Does not include the wine itself, but up to six hours of Geoff's time. (Value approx. $2,000).

3) "Sleep"
Win your very own famous and much sought after Farmhouse Bed--the mattress and the luxury layers of feather bedding and pillows will be delivered to your door (does not include bed frame or linens). You choose the size. (Value approx. $2,000)

4) "Farm"
Farm for yourself and dine on the fresh eggs that are such a part of the Farmhouse stay, every day, at home! The innkeepers will send you a custom-built coop, six heritage breed chicks and a sack of organic chick feed to get you going. Six fresh eggs a day...imagine the possibilities. This also includes a selection of Farmhouse breakfast recipes. (Value approx. $1,800).

To enter, simply like them on Facebook and submit your email address. If you invite friends and they sign up, you will earn additional entries. Good luck!

By Emily Starbuck Crone

The following recipe for Louisiana Cheddar Biscuit Ya Ya comes from Avenue Inn Bed and Breakfast in New Orleans, Louisiana. This turn-of-the-century home is at the edge of the Garden District on the historic St. Charles Ave streetcar line.

Servings: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self-rising sifted flour
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhommes Vegetable Magic Seasoning
• 3/4 cup milk

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl add flour, cheese and seasoning, mix well. Cut shortening into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. With a fork, stir in enough milk to form a soft dough or until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn dough onto lightly floured board or pastry cloth; knead just until smooth. Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with floured 2-inch round cutter (a correct-sized juice glass will do in a pinch).
4. Place biscuits, just touching each other on an ungreased baking sheet (a little cooking spray wouldn't hurt, however). Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12-14 biscuits

By Emily Starbuck Crone

The Lodge at Moosehead Lake is a Diamond Collection member in Greenville, Maine. The lodge started offering moose safaris for its guests 20 years ago. According to the innkeepers, "It's a fact that more moose live in the North Woods of Maine than anywhere else in the lower forty-eight states, so the chance to view them in their natural habitat is great. The months of May, June and July are primary moose sighting opportunities, but you can see moose long into October. Early spring brings new calves and twins are not uncommon."

The safaris are offered early morning or late afternoon and are led by Ed Mathieu, a Registered Maine Guide. You take off in canoes to explore the wildlife, though they also offer trips for those who prefer not to take a canoe. In addition to moose, you might also see deer, beavers at work building a dam, loons, snowshoe hare, gray squirrel and possibly a bald eagle.

Below is a photo of a moose spotted on one of the safaris.

By Emily Starbuck Crone