by Ward Morehouse III 

Call it Love, with a capital “L.”

I have never felt as looked after as I have at the Maple Leaf Cottage Inn in Elsah, Illinois.

Steps from one of the most picturesque parts of the Mississippi River, the five-bedroom Maple Leaf Bed and Breakfast is designed with comfort and beauty in mind at every point.

Our bed was as or even more comfortable than any my wife and I had slept in from The Waldorf-Astoria in New York to the Millennium Chelsea Harbour in London.

The windows of the Maple Leaf Cottage are graced with stained glass; The “garden room,” where my wife and I stayed when my son graduated from Principia College, overlooked rose and other gardens and was wonderfully and conveniently located next to the inn’s dining room.

The college is located on the bluffs overlooking historic Elsah, Illinois and the Mississippi. The area abounds with biking, hiking and jogging trails.

To say breakfast is included in our $150 room rate is a serious understatement as our country breakfasts were feasts indeed.

Selected as one of the top 25 “Best Romantic Getaways in Illinois” by Lonely Planet Guidebook, “Imagine sitting under the stars by firelight surrounded by peaceful nature,” says a Maple Leaf Cottage brochure.

In 1949, The Attic Room was the inn’s first guest room with antique items dating back 150 years. A room called The Maples features two queen beds. The Garden Room has one queen bed. Other charming rooms that offer comfortable accommodations are The Wash House and The Gables. See their website for photos of each country room: www.mapleleafcottageinn.com

For reservations call 618-374- 1684.