Plenty of room to roam in the Pioneer Valley

Steve and Joan Stoia bought the down-at-the-heels Centennial House Bed and Breakfast in 2004, and set about transforming it into a gracious but still easy-going guest house that lives up to the stately premises. The house, built in 1811, offers six guest rooms and suites.

Traveling with our son, Daniel, 13, we booked a room with a double bed and an alcove for $119. Like all the rooms, it was comfortably fitted with antiquey furnishings and comforters, but a tad cozy for the three of us for two nights.

Fortunately, the huge two-bedroom Deerfield suite was available, and Joan offered it to us at a low-season discounted $159 a night. So we made the switch, and happily. The smaller room would have been ideal with a young child, or for just a night. But we were able to spread out (and pick our own TV programs on separate cable boxes in each bedroom) for a three-day weekend.

We also enjoyed the enormous bathroom and the jetted tub and separate shower. The bathroom was part of a redo of the suite after the Stoias took over the B&B, which used to be the president’s residence for the Northfield Mount Herman School.

But the special charm of the B&B is the amount of common space. Nearly the entire first floor is available to guests, from the breakfast room to a living room with overstuffed couches, and another gathering room. Those spaces overcome the annoyance that often keeps us from opting for a B&B - that we feel like intruders. That’s not the case at the Centennial.

Did I mention the breakfast? Joan Stoia prepared blueberry pancakes on our first morning, delighting my son (and me). The second morning we had a fine frittata, apple scones, and bacon. There was fresh orange juice, fresh fruit, yogurt, and strong coffee. It was a feast that kept us from thinking about lunch until 2 p.m. each day.