Hi Josh,
I like what you have so far. My sister used to find sites like yours when she and her husband wanted to get away for a weekend. The sites were usually practical and appealing, down to earth, not too professional looking. Otherwise people think you're a corporate outfit. I'm under the impression you're a smaller operation. People like that.
I like your background concept, with the silhouetted trees.
The main thing to fix, I think, is the navigation strip. The gradient just doesn't work in this case.
There's plenty of different things you can do as you like to.
I'm just dying to see some sort of waterfall image/illustration bursting down behind the title.
Pastels are fine. You might consider, though, using "nature colors" (light tan, burgundy, sky blue, the colors in your picture there) in the center design area, as these are very appealing and reflect your location. The white at the top is a little stark.
For example, a warmer color behind the title might ground the design a bit. Leave the white to the content area below. You might have the picture fade to a color, and have that color (something light, a little warm and cozy) continue into the navbar, so it's continuous. If you play around with different colors you'll see what sits nicely. Just something to consider trying.
Another thing to consider for practicality is identify the location (city, state) in the title area.
The navbar links could be a different color/more readable font. Maybe arranged a little differently as well.
Those are a few things that come to mind. Hard to suggest until I see it. These ideas may not work out.
All in all, I think you're well on your way to having an attractive site for your bed and breakfast!
