California's historic lodgings offer unique getaways

Anyone who plunks down good money for a California getaway
wants to be sure the experience will be extra-special. With
today’s lodging prices, it’s only natural that
visitors expect something memorable and out of the ordinary.

One way to add that extra touch is to choose a historic
lodging – a place that brings to mind another era and
that transports you to another place and time. We’ve
discovered several such accommodations on our travels
throughout the Golden State, and here are some of our
favorites:

Queen Mary

With all the advertising you see nowadays for cruises to
Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska and you-name-it, it’s
pretty easy to get the urge to get on a big ship and just
go. But if you’re strapped for time – or cash
– there is an alternative where you can get on a big
ship and just stay.

The Queen Mary has been docked in Long Beach Harbor for
many years and will not be taking you to exotic lands. But
it really doesn’t need to – there is plenty to
see and do right in Long Beach.

Pulling up to this giant ship ready to board with your
suitcase-in-hand is reminiscent of that scene in Titanic
where excited passengers are scurrying on board while the
well-heeled are having their trunks portaged and their
automobiles lifted onboard. While the Queen Mary is small
by today’s cruise ship standards, it looks mighty big
from the parking lot.

Up the elevator and along the gangplank you go, just like
you’re boarding the Love Boat headed to the Mexican
Riviera. But once on board, the first thing you notice is
that the Queen Mary is historical – it’s like
entering the lobby of a fine old hotel with its antique
furnishings, although many aspects of the ship and its
quarters have been updated to the 1960s, the ship’s
later years.

The Long Beach area is a colorful waterfront with lots of
restaurants and tourist attractions and major hotels.
It’s well worth carving out a morning or afternoon to
go see the Aquarium of the Pacific, just across the harbor
from the Queen Mary.

For more information, go to www.queenmary.com or phone
(562) 435-3511.

Historic Mission Inn

If you’re like many California people, the most you
know about Riverside is that it’s a seeming
metropolis that passes underneath the I-215 freeway in that
vast extension of back-to-back cities that stretch eastward
from Los Angeles. But get on down off the freeway and
you’ll find one of the most unique getaway
experiences in the state – an experience that
transports you to Early California through architecture and
through the efforts of city fathers to preserve
Riverside’s past.

Just inside the ivy-covered adobe archway of the Historic
Mission Inn, we walked through a courtyard of lush
landscaping before getting our first glimpse of the
majestic lobby area. Spectacular chandeliers and giant
wood beams complemented the elegant flower-patterned carpet
to create a sense that this building was at once luxurious
and historic. The lobby’s grand piano is the only
piano made by Steinway for the1876 Centennial. But this was
only the beginning – the Historic Mission Inn is like
a fun house for those who marvel at historic and creative
architecture. Around every corner there is something unique
or fascinating.

The Historic Mission Inn at first gives the feeling it
might have been a real mission or monastery, what with its
239 guest rooms, including 28 suites. But upon closer
reading of its history, this palace-like inn was actually
built by Riverside town father Frank Miller, who had taken
the original Glenwood Tavern, built in 1874, and converted
it to an inn that opened in 1903. Today, the inn is
situated on an entire city block and has a total of 320,000
square feet. It is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places and is a State of California Historic
Landmark

For more information, go to www.missioninn.com or call
800-843-7755.

Carlton Inn

Imagine a trip to the vineyards of Tuscany where you will
drive through a sun-drenched region with vine-clad
hillsides, stopping off to visit wineries where fascinating
local craftsmen toil at their labor of love.

Now imagine driving just a few hours from Los Angeles or
San Francisco and finding much of the same experience. The
Paso Robles Wine Country is fast becoming just such an
alternative for sophisticated travelers who are often
surprised to find such an exquisite getaway so close to
home.

And, happily, we discovered the perfect complement to
touring the local wineries – an extraordinary hotel
called the Carlton that has just been completely
refurbished and re-opened for business in March 2005. This
hotel is located in the heart of the wine country, taking
up the better part of a city block in quaint downtown
Atascadero.

The Carlton Hotel is a “boutique” hotel,
capitalizing on the growing popularity of boutique lodgings
both in major cities and – with the Carlton as a case
in point – sometimes out in the hinterlands.

The Carlton originally opened in 1929 and was a magnet for
celebrities such as Jack Benny, Bette Davis, Fred McMurray
and Dick Powell. With its recent renovation, the hotel now
has such features as marble bathrooms, deep whirlpool
baths, oversized bath towels, high thread-count cotton
sheets – well you get the picture.

Our guestroom seemed regal with its period furnishings,
luxurious draperies and many special touches that separate
the “nice” hotels from the truly
“luxurious” lodgings.

For more information, visit www.the-carlton.com or phone
805-461-5100.

Glorietta Bay Inn

If there is one place where Southern California charm,
history, style, beaches and sun all converge, it has to be
on the 7.4 square miles of ground you’ll find at the
west end of the sweeping, skyscraper-high Coronado Bridge.

No question, the grand dame of Coronado is the Hotel del
Coronado but, surprisingly, the “Hotel del” as
locals call it, is not the only game in town. Whether
because of price or a desire not to be staying smack in the
middle of all the activity, many visitors opt for one of
several other lodging options on the island. While the
price wasn’t necessarily lower, our stay at the
Glorietta Bay Inn was quite a different experience from the
Hotel del, even though the grand dame is located right
across the street.

Staying at the Glorietta Bay Inn was an opportunity to
experience a historic San Diego mansion – the one
that was built by John Dietrich Spreckles, a figure
well-known in the city as someone who played a key role in
developing San Diego during the late 1800’s and after
the turn of the century. He bought the utility company,
street car system, water company and eventually he
controlled even the Hotel del Coronado.

The mansion itself is an impressive piece of architecture
– Italian Renaissance style, all white, multi-story
with dramatic lines. Inside, the wide marble staircase was
our pathway to Room 126 – the Albright Room, a
spacious second-floor with an open, airy feel and views to
the yacht harbor, the Coronado Bridge and, in the distance,
the mountains east of San Diego. Decorated in a French
Country motif, the room featured flowers, tasteful
paintings and floral bed quilts with matching drapes.
Almost the size of a suite, this room was furnished with
classic furniture reproductions befitting the era in which
the house was built.

For more information, go to www.glorietabayinn.com or call
800-283-9383.

Cary Ordway is president of Getaway Media Corp which
publishes websites focused on regional travel. Among the
sites offered by GMC are http://www.californiaweekend.com
and http://www.northwesttraveladvisor.com .

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