We are Jennifer and Mark Arriola, and we welcome you to LakePlace Bed & Breakfast. Like many others, 2020 gave us time to reflect and consider what to do once the world returned to “normal.” The answer was to open a bed and breakfast on a lake, and for Mark to become a skilled home baker.

In June 2020, three months after the lockdown began in Minnesota, we needed a quiet getaway, so we traveled to Leech Lake, Minnesota, to stay at the Leech Lake Bed and Breakfast. The hosts, Gary and Sandra, were lovely, their home was comfortable, and we relaxed immediately. And we decided that we could do this, too.

Before that stay, we always thought that a B&B had to be a historic home in an interesting town, but this place made us realize it could be a place where guests can have an experience that is new and a place to stay that is welcoming and relaxing. It has always been our dream to live on a lake and this could be a way to realize that dream and have it pay for itself! After three years, 16 house tours, three offers, and lots of learning, we found a home on Poplar Lake in Polk County, Wisconsin, and we opened for guests on November 17, 2023.

To own a lake home is a great gift, and we are using this gift to provide a haven from life and its many stressors. We want to provide for guests the experience of starry nights, a relaxing paddle, restorative time just watching the water, a home base for exploring the area, a delicious breakfast, and a place to unwind and spend a weekend at the lake.