Brown Pelican in the
News
Excerpts
from various publications
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Dallas
Morning News
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Rio
Grande Valley Business SOUTH PADRE ISLAND - Whether their guests prefer to take a long stroll on the beach or spend their day one on of the many birding tours, the Brown Pelican Inn will help them make it the holiday of their dreams. The bayside bed and breakfast establishment, run by Innkeepers Chris and Yves de Diesbach, helps guests arrange dolphin watching tours, nature expeditions, or even kite boarding trips. Visitors come here again and again, for the ambiance of an elegant, topnotch hotel but with the warmth and camaraderie of home, the de Diesbachs said. A home with a huge dining room table like grandma's and home cooked breakfasts shared with fellow vacationers is another charm. "We seem to attract small groups of people who come with similar activities in mind." Chris says. "We plan out their programs, schedule their trips. We pay special attention to their needs and baby them. During the short time off from their busy lives that is what they want." And them come from all over the world because South Padre Island attracts them and the Brown Pelican makes them comfortable. "We purchased this place five years ago with those things in mind," Yves said. Traveling and working all over the globe, the Algerian native and his British wife found South Texas inviting, and full of promises of a distinguished business they dreamed of most of their lives. Moving from place to place, to the islands of the South Pacific, the farmlands of the Dominican Republic, and the citrus orchards of the upper Rio Grande Valley finally culminated here, on the shore of the Laguna Madre, with seven comfortable rooms and their ever-changing but loyal guests. "We are not a hotel and definitely not a motel," Chris comments. "People don't just sleep here, they come to enjoy life." For that the B&B must be the extension of their own home, as close as possible but without the chores and the mundane. Therefore, their business is based on paying attention to detail, utilizing available time, and in-depth knowledge of their area. Extensive Internet networking, taking advantage of many professional organizations available to them, and most of all, building a wide range of personal contacts in the hospitality and entertainment business are the keys to the success of the Brown Pelican. "Our guests are coming with some ideas as to what to do, but we are the ones who plan out the details and make it happen," Chris says. "Sometimes they are all into birding, or they are all in the medical field, so they have a common subject to talk about. For your vacation, there are many plans to follow; for your wedding, there is a neat balcony that overlooks the bay for your ceremony with a pastor or the Justice of the Peace, or go to the Chapel nearby. Celebrate your special occasions with hors d'oeuvre and champagne, or with a larger reception at a restaurant. Come and write your book, there are no televisions in the room to distract you, unless you request it. Peace and quiet, friendly atmosphere and very attentive hosts make a pleasurable time for you and a solid business for your Innkeepers. Gift certificates for your corporate clients or elderly parents are also available. Just check out www.brownpelican.com for details. While the real brown pelicans, your noisy neighbors, are swaying in the gentle breeze over the shallow waters of the bay searching for the next meal, Chris is whipping up an elegant breakfast buffet for you. Come in and enjoy it. |
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The Brownsville
Herald The Brown Pelican Bed & Breakfast on South Padre Island caters to birders, brides, their families and friends. This gracious, antique filled, eight-room in is perched perfectly on the native grasses that crowd the Laguna Madre shoreline, creating a natural setting for guests to view the now common brown pelican. From the covered porches that ring the Inn, we saw many species of birds swooping from water to shore and back again. The porches serve many purposes: breakfast, cocktail time after an intimate wedding, sad good-byes after a family reunion, or just rocking in a comfortable rocker, passing the time doing absolutely nothing. Breakfast is a many faceted experience, due to the culinary talents of Innkeeper Chris de Diesbach. The morning buffet provides guests with gourmet coffee, a fresh fruit platter, granola and homemade sweet breads, such as nut, date, banana, enjoyed, whenever possible, on the porch, of course. Then Chris offers a finale: a hot breakfast such as bacon and eggs, or omelets, or perhaps her special frittata (which she starts the night before).
Obviously, having a wedding at the Brown Pelican is not as simple as baking a breakfast frittata. What about a cake? Photographers? A reception? The families? Activities? Not a problem. Innkeepers Yves and Chris de Diesbach will work it out for you! Including an officiating minister or Justice of the Peace, if need be. And guests can depend on the de Diesbachs for many other arrangements while visiting South Padre Island. A favorite is the "Fin and Feather Cruise" of the Bay and the Back Bay with Captain George Colley and his wife Scarlet, who also do a Dolphin Cruise. For dinner, Chris will make arrangements at the Lantern Grill for your wedding party. Or they can outfit you for a day of beaching with their lounge chairs, umbrellas, and coolers. How about a day of bird watching? A sport practiced by the Brown Pelican Innkeepers is wind surfing, but they highly recommend lessons for beginners. Their friends at Wind Surfing, Inc. gave their visiting nine-year-old grandson a real head start. He became competent in a very short time," Chris proclaims. "And kite boarding is getting to be a big thing over here too." Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine honored the de Diesbachs by including them in their April 2002 issue listing the Top 10 Birding Accommodations. They are members of Bed & Breakfast of the Rio Grande Valley and The Great State of Texas (Texas' Finest Bed & Breakfasts, Country Inns, and Guest Houses). Through an international association called the Lonely Planet - printed in Australia - the Brown Pelican has been the destination of guests from other nations, such as France, England, Africa and beyond. Chris came from a B&B family in England, Yves from Switzerland, to settle on Padre. And although the de Diesbachs were not the original owners of this beautiful two story bayside retreat - which they bought at the turn of this century - they brought charm and grace to the sandy habitations of South Padre Island; as well as good food and good fun. |
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Texas Parks
and Wildlife Magazine |
Begin
your morning island-style, with alfresco breakfast on the wraparound
porch overlooking the turquoise waters of Laguna Madre. As if cued each
morning by the smell of gourmet coffee brewing at the inn, a group of
brown pelicans an roseate spoonbills soar above the bay in search of
an easy meal. Distinguished dinner guests include dolphins, which feed
in a nearby channel, and a peregrine that has made its home in the penthouse
of the high-rise hotel next door. Go for a stroll along the boardwalk,
join a private birding tour, or visit a nearby refuge, and when you
return you can settle into a rocking chair for a colorful South Padre
Island sunset.|
Valley
Morning Star ...Overlooking the Laguna Madre, the lodging facility owned by French expatriate Yves Diesbach and his British wife Chris, is an ideal place to watch shorebirds and many of the passing birds heading north or south of the border. "Business is doing well," Chris Diesbach said. "We are very busy, particularly at this time of year when the Island is known to have a migratory fallout. They are happy to host individual birdwatchers, though they get business people and host parties of about 25 people. "We don't have a bar or a swimming pool," she said. "But we offer wonderful sunsets."... |
 BROWN
PELICAN INN |
Innkeeper@BrownPelican.com 207 W. Aries |
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© 2005 Brown Pelican Inn
Hosting by Island Internet @
South Padre Island