Nestled halfway between Hamilton and Brantford is one of the city's best kept secrets — a bed and breakfast so good, it was just rated number one in the country by TripAdvisor.

Serenity Ranch Bed and Breakfast is the child of co-owners Shane Burry and Alan Campbell-Moscrop, and to hear Burry talk about the place, you'd believe he loves it like his own flesh and blood, too.

"We treat people how we would want to be treated — like we've known them their whole lives," he said.

Serenity was rated the best bed and breakfast in the country for TripAdvisor's 2017 travellers' choice awards, and number 14 worldwide in the same category, which is no small feat.

"Honestly, it's awesome," Burry said. "We were quite thrilled."

The property is found halfway between Hamilton and Brantford, at 2171 Wilson Street West. (Serenity Ranch Bed and Breakfast/TripAdvisor)

When he first bought the property nine years ago, it was nowhere near the picturesque beauty that it is today.

Burry bought it as a foreclosure, and at the time it was severely damaged. There were holes in the walls and all the plumbing and wiring had to be replaced inside. The property was boarded up for some time, he says, and it seemed like someone had broken in over that time.

"I had no idea when I was going through it that I was going to open up a bed and breakfast," he said.

But, he saw opportunity, and struck. Burry, alongside Campbell-Moscrop (a retired local hand surgeon) renovated the place from the ground up. That meant meticulous landscaping, indoor renovations and tech updates like charging stations, flatscreens and wifi.

Serenity Ranch opened up nine years ago. (Serenity Ranch Bed and Breakfast/TripAdvisor)

Now, Serenity can accommodate ten people in five full suites and those suites are increasingly booked up. "Summertimes are crazy," Burry said and there are lots of regulars who keep coming back once they get a taste.

Currently, Serenity has 430 "excellent" reviews on TripAdvisor, followed by six "very good" ones.

And that's it. No average, no poor, and no terrible. On Hotels.com, the bed and breakfast boasts a similar five star rating.

Burry, who is originally from Newfoundland, chalks at least some of the experience up to his east coast roots.

"It's that Newfie hospitality," he said. "It's who we are."

You can find Serenity Ranch Bed and Breakfast at 2171 Wilson Street West.