What there is, however, is the freedom to cook for yourself – and Mary's buzzing little cafe next door, the walls scattered with local art for sale, rustic wooden floors, fairtrade teas and a piano in the corner.
The owner, Kate Humphrey (right), has given the place a warm, almost colonial look with rustic cabinets (all for sale) alongside shelves filled with the latest in pots, pans and professional baking tins.
Furniture and decorative objects from China, Thailand and Vietnam are on sale at Asia Rustic through Aug. 31 (table lamps, originally $250 to $350, are about $100; silk throw pillows, originally $60 to $150, are $30 to $75; a painted armoire, originally $2,500, is $1,250); 37 West 23rd Street (Fifth Avenue), (212) 414-5939 or asiarustic.com.
It helps to remember that after a few tours of duty rounding up ancient oil paintings for the garage sale and weeks at the rustic cabin for the silent auction, it's fair to pass the mantle on to others.
Sicily on sale Cobbled streets, ancient palazzi and rustic restaurants are just some of Taormina's attractions.
As well as the farm gate sales, there's the Big Red Café, which has a rustic laid-back feel, set in a large well-lit corrugated iron tin shed.
"It's really refreshing," said Faye Domonkos, sales manager for the lodge and its sister hotel, the less rustic Brewster's Mountain Lodge in downtown Banff.
The layout is handsome and the concept appealing: pared-down accouterments, a rustic look (knotty pine tables, benches and cabinets full of Belgian oils and condiments for sale) and simple, healthy food well-prepared and reasonably priced.
They've put the rustic three-story, which features a pair of recording studios, among other things, up for sale at $1.695 million.
Both of the big houses hold sales this week devoted to lush nineteenth-century canvases, with subjects ranging from exotic locales to idyllic rustic scenes and comely ladies resting in spacious interiors.
