BELHAVEN — Belhaven native Yvonne Evans DeRuiz has seen many different places and cultures around the world. Serving tours in various countries throughout two decades in the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Services, DeRuiz retired and returned to Belhaven, opening a bed and breakfast that distinctly reflects her life of travel through her illustrious career.

DeRuiz’s Bellport Inn Bed and Breakfast in Belhaven is not like any other B&B in the area. Built in 1924 by a local doctor, DeRuiz purchased the property in 2009. And although the former residence is immensely decorated with items from all around the globe, DeRuiz says she kept the house in its original form structurally; it has its original hardwood flooring and plaster walls.

“I renovated the house, but I did not change anything,” DeRuiz said. “It’s a lovely house.”

DeRuiz decorated the four-room property with artwork, pottery, oriental rugs and paintings she collected from various regions of the world, an homage to her cultural exposure throughout her career, as well as her roots: an Asian room is full of items from China, Korea, Burma and India; a European room is donned with a collection of items from Portugal, France and Czech Republic; a Latin room portrays the cultures of Central American countries like Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama; and lastly, an American room illustrates the local area, a nod to Belhaven and the surrounding areas. Even the name of the B&B is a tribute to one of Belhaven’s former names — Bellport, meaning beautiful port.

“That’s how I furnished the house. It’s an around-the-world theme,” DeRuiz said. “I get a lot of people who’ve also traveled a lot, and you’d be surprised. Some people are excited to see things from Europe or other places due to their past travels. The conversation (with the clientele) is worldly because of the way the house is decorated and who I am. I get lots of great comments because things are so different.”

For her clientele, DeRuiz offers a home-cooked, made from scratch breakfast each morning, something she incorporated from her love of cooking and her experience in cuisine from different parts of the world. DeRuiz participated in cooking classes everywhere she was posted throughout her 20-year career, she said.

“I love cooking and entertaining,” DeRuiz said. “I’m one of those scratch cookers. I like to make things the original way.”

And though DeRuiz experienced a life that many don’t have the opportunity to do, she is glad she came back to her roots. Throughout her career, she met heads of state, prime ministers, presidents, important people in U.S. government and other major world players, including the Bush family. But coming back to the area that she was raised was due. Her 86-year-old mother is still living in the area, providing an opportunity for DeRuiz to spend valuable time with her, she said.

“(The area) kind of gets in your blood,” DeRuiz said. “My family has been in this area since the late 1600s. I couldn’t stay away. I had been away for 40 years, and it was time for me to come back and be here with her. The truth is, I know how to get out. Me being away, it changed the way I thought about life. It just changes the way you think about the world and who you are and what you can do in it.”

Bellport Inn Bed and Breakfast is located at 723 E. Main Street, Belhaven. For more information, call 252-943-9910.