Nice quiet location, and great breakfast.

We stayed in the Garden Room, but would probably upgrade next time as the room, whilst comfortable, was quite cramped for space/(be aware that the bed is pushed up against the wall)

We decided to stay in Brooklyn and chose The Stratford Manor because of its proximity to the subway and our daughter's apartment. We arrived at rush hour on Friday, July 3 and were treated to a quick 20 minute trip from Laguadia Airport by car as everyone had already left for the 4th. Our driver told us it would normally be a 1 hr+ trip at that time of day. (we used a car service, Dial 7,[--] which I can highly recommend Prompt and efficient, cost about $60 with tip). Zaleena the owner met us when we arrived, (she lives nearby but does not live on premises) and showed us around the house she finished renovating in the summer of 2008. She did a very nice job and the workmanship shows attention to detail.

The B&B is located in a mixed commercial/residential block, just 1.5 blks and a 10 min walk to the F, G ,N or R subway station at 4th Ave and 10th St. Over the weekend the neighborhood was very quiet, we walked to and from the subway often and felt safe day and night. Monday and Tuesday morning were a different story as the city came alive around 6 a.m. and since our room, the Master Guest Room, faced 10th st and the elevated F and G train tracks we were awakened to the sounds of train horns, back up alarms on the fork lift loading the plumbing supply trucks, and drivers honking at the moving vans parked in the middle of the road. I think I would not choose to stay in this room the next time, although we picked it because it was the only room with a queen bed, the other two have fullsize beds. All in all this is a nice neighborhood, but don't expect a "happening neighborhood" as there are not many restaurants close by. This is not the Park Slope near Prospect Park the guide books will tell you about. However, once the businesses closed in the evening, the neighborhood returned to a nice,quiet place. Couple that with the fact that the owner does not live on premises, and we felt like we were staying in our own private house. (There is not even a sign on the exterior to give you a clue this is a B&B)

Our Master Guest room was spacious, nicely furnished with wood floors, and wireless internet service that worked flawlessly (no extra charge). The bathroom was small but functional; a plus for taller people is the fact that the shower head is about 6'6" high. The towels and wash clothes were very plush and high quality.There was not much of a view out the two windows to 10th street. The A/C worked fine, although it blew directly on the bed at night, which was bothersome as I had to put the chair in front of it to block it; it would be better if either the A/C or bed were moved to prevent this. I thought the bed very comfortable, my wife thought it was a bit on the hard side.

We found a convenient wash and fold laundry [--] (just south of 10th st) where we could drop off our laundry for 65 cents a lb (10 lb min) in the morning and it was ready in the evening (open 8-9 7 days a wk) Zaleena's website says there is a guest laundry on premises, but we didn't see it and forgot to ask about it.

At the back of the house, off the Garden Guest room, Zaleena has started a well tended flower and shrub garden. Guests of the Garden room have exclusive access to this area which includes a porch (but no patio furniture when we were there) Alas, this nice area is private for the Garden Room guests only and not accessible to other guests except by invitation. The Garden room is small and cozy, one drawback is that the full size bed is pushed up against the wall on one side, this would make it difficult for the inside person to get out of bed.

Breakfast was indeed ample with excellent coffee, an assortment of tea, fresh fruit and store bought breads, english muffins, cereal and bagels. Served a 9 am.

We thought the $225/night that we paid was a bit pricey (I noticed today that the Master Guest room is now on special for $199/night, two night minimum). Compared to some other B&Bs in Brooklyn such as Lefferts Bed and Breakfast (closer to Prospect Park, which currently has rooms from $129 (low season) to $179(holidays)-all the beds here are queen or king. Add to the cost a 5% fee if you use a credit card (we paid the balance in cash as requested) and the cost would go up. The web site includes the American Express logo giving the impression that card is accepted, although it isn't. We stayed four nights and there was no housekeeping/maid service the entire time. It would have been nice to at least have the trash emptied and maybe be offered clean towels. Ironically there was an envelope in the room labeled "Gratuity for Housekeeping"