MANDEVILLE, LA – Blue Heron Bed and Breakfast, located at 510 Girod St. in historic Mandeville, LA, will officially open on August 1, 2016. This North Shore B&B is just a 30-minute drive from New Orleans, located on the main street through Old Mandeville, centered between the lakefront and the Mandeville Trailhead of the Tammany Trace.
Blue Heron is owned and operated by third generation restaurateur Steven Federer and second generation bed and breakfast owner Sarah Chambless Federer who purchased the 100-year-old home in 2014 and spent the past two years fully renovating it.
“When we bought the house, it needed an enormous amount of work, but we could see that it had so much potential,” Steven Federer said. “It was also within walking distance of everything in Old Mandeville – the Tammany Trace, the Dew Drop Jazz and Social Hall, the Pontchartrain Yacht Club, restaurants, shops, farmers markets and more – the perfect place for a bed and breakfast.”
The couple said they took great care to maintain the home’s character, including restoring the original windows, doors and hardwood floors. They also added a large porch to the side of the house so that guests could have private access to their suites. Inside, the rooms are decorated with architectural salvage pieces and shabby chic décor that reflect the area’s historic charm and close proximity to the lake.
“As a young child growing up in my parents’ bed and breakfast in downtown Covington – in a home which they also fully renovated – I swore I would never subject my own children to such a fate,” Sarah Chambless Federer said jokingly. “But the older I got, the more I grew to appreciate the uniqueness of growing up in a home filled with fascinating strangers from all over the world. Owning my own bed and breakfast eventually became my dream as well.”
Blue Heron has two king size accommodations – the Girod Suite and the Monroe Suite – which are each accessed by private entrances from a large porch overlooking the property’s gardens. Daily breakfast is provided en suite and consists of fresh pastries, quiche, fresh fruit, coffee, tea, and other items, which are sourced primarily from local bakeries and merchants.
The attention to detail at Blue Heron is what truly sets it apart from other bed and breakfasts and hotels, the owners said. Each room includes a number of surprising touches, including books, air purifiers, Young Living essential oil diffusers and oil samples and more.
Nightly rates range from $155-$175.
