We had a delightful experience staying at Fairfield Place Bed & Breakfast a few weeks ago in my hometown of Shreveport, LA.

First I have to tell you about Shreveport lodging – or lack thereof. The first night I spent in a Shreveport hotel was after I got married. Located downtown, we stayed at a hotel surrounded by 7 off-ramps from I-20 outside our window. At the time, that was one of Shreveport’s premier downtown hotels.

Most newer hotels sit near the Shreveport airport or along the interstate in Bossier City. Neither locations are convenient to my old stomping grounds. In recent years, a couple of hotels have cropped up near LSU-S, but they have gotten expensive due to proximity to the campus and one of the larger hospitals.

On this last trip, I decided to try one of the bed & breakfast places in the Fairfield Historic District. I’d always heard about Fairfield Place since it was one of the first historic houses that converted to a B&B in the early 1980s. Also, Chef John Carriere of Monjuni’s fame bought the place around 10 years ago.

I parked in the circular driveway and went through the wrought iron gate where a large, brick-walled courtyard patio with plants greeted me. Climbing up the four stairs to the large porch, I found the front door locked but pushed the doorbell. An employee greeted me and handed me an envelope with the keys to my room, “Bryan.” Before showing me to my room, I feasted my eyes on the bountiful snacks for guests in the large foyer.

To get to my room, we walked back outside through the courtyard and around the side of the 2-story, blue Victorian house to a set of wooden stairs. On the second floor, she unlocked the door to a covered seating area with high ceilings. She explained only two guest rooms share this space. Then, we walked through another locked door to a hallway with a fully stocked coffee station flanked by two guest rooms – “Rebecca” and “Bryan.” 

After settling in, I walked all around to get my bearings. The carpeted room featured a queen size bed, a microwave and a large bathroom with a closet, hairdryer and bidet. Numerous paintings and antiques filled the walls. I even recognized one painted by a high school friend of mine, Kristi Jones. 

I loved the privacy of everything – especially since I was alone the first night. A funny thing happened the next morning before breakfast. I’m a tea drinker and all I could find was the Keurig machine. The Keurig pods offered every imaginable flavor or coffee and hot chocolate, but no tea. I did see tea bags so I decided to grab one of the cups and microwave hot water back in my room. That was a bad idea as the plastic cup began to melt and smoked up the room! Thankfully, the bathroom vent and an open window got rid of the smoke before the fire alarm woke up the entire house. I now know how to run hot water through the Keurig. 

Walking downstairs and into the main house for breakfast, I noticed the garden pathways lining the side of the house and how very “New Orleans” this place is. For reference, Shreveport is in Northwest Louisiana, part of the Ark-La-Tex area, which is about a 5-hour drive to New Orleans. So New Orleans details and architecture aren’t as prevalent this far north.

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Inside the main house, I met other guests gathering for breakfast. John and his staff serve it daily from 8:30-9:00 am. A couple from England talked about their travels to Laurel, Mississippi where HGTV’s hit show, “Home Town” is based. They were on their way to Texas for a few days before returning home.

I sat down across from a woman traveling from New Orleans. A couple from Oklahoma City sat at the table next to us. Shortly after, John and his staff presented us with covered dishes revealing breakfast of eggs, sausage, potatoes, blueberries and muffins.

Everything was delicious. Jalapenos and other ingredients seasoned the scrambled eggs. Same with the biscuits and other items. The breakfast alone could have been a $30 meal.

I walked back into the main sitting area to get more hot tea and headed to the airport to pick up my husband. When we returned later that evening, we talked to the owner more and had a glass of wine from the fully stocked bar. He showed us some of the paintings in the other rooms including Harry Connick Jr. 

John also bought the house almost directly across the street called Fairfield Manor. This weekend, they placed white chairs on the front lawn for an outdoor wedding.

Back at the courtyard at Fairfield Place, employees were setting up for an Italian-themed rehearsal dinner. With red and white checkered tablecloths and plenty of bottles of red wine, the event was sure to be a success.

Our stay was wonderful and I’d like to come back. As always, nobody compensated me to write this review. I’m just so excited to find a neat place to stay in Shreveport. It offers a nice respite from the busy-ness of visiting friends and family.

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