4 Fab Historic Inns of California coast

1. San Diego’s Glorietta Bay Inn – 1908 – Encounter resplendent grandeur at this Edwardian mansion, built for the renown John D. Spreckels and now a historic landmark. Major restoration has preserved many of the original light fixtures, sconces and chandeliers, brass banisters, marble stairs, copper-clad glass doors, hardwood floors and ornate woodwork. The Music Room boasts a baby grand player piano, guest library and board games. Thoughtful modernization of suites and guest bedrooms includes heat and air conditioning, high-speed Internet access, voicemail, cable TV and spa. A generous continental breakfast buffet is served in the Verandah Room. The swimming pool is a popular gathering place and afternoon refreshments are enjoyed on the patio. Enjoy a docent-led walking tour of the island on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. In 1906, Spreckels, 53, contracted Architect Harrison Albright to design and build the Mansion. The building, designed with the simple, classic lines of Italian Renaissance, was complete in 1908 with six bedrooms, three baths, a parlor, dining room and library at the cost of $35,000. At that time, Spreckels’ Mansion featured a brass cage elevator, a marble staircase with leather-padded handrails, skylights, marble floors and some of the Island’s most spectacular gardens. The home was built with reinforced steel and concrete, an earthquake precaution Spreckels insisted upon after living through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

2. Santa Barbara, Cheshire Cat – 1894 –  In the 1890s these three Queen Anne Victorians were built within a mile of the historic Santa Barbara Mission and 1.5 miles from the Wharf. Today the inn is surrounded by beautiful gardens embellished with fountains and flowers. English antiques and Wedgewood china are among the amenities. Breakfast is served in the formal dining area or the patio and in the evening the innkeeper serves famous Santa Barbara county local wine and hors d’oeuvres.

3. Pacific Grove, Seven Gables  – 1886 – This expanded Victorian inn consists of 7 historic buildings built along the rocky coastline is a mile from Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf and 5 miles from the Carmel Mission . You can hear sea lions and watch otters and even whales from the inn. There’s a big breakfast and afternoon gathering with wine and cheese while cookies and milk are available in the evening.

4. Mendocino,  MacCallum House Inn – 1882 – This village Victorian houses a restaurant in the dining room, the library and sun porch in addition to rooms in the main house and surrounding cottages. Even the old barn has been restored and converted for guests, with each barn room offering a stone fireplace. The Anderson Valley wine trails are nearby.