Going Back in Time at the Old Yacht Club Inn (2012)
There’s nothing like a home away from home when you’re traveling, and the Old Yacht Club Inn provides one while being the only B&B at beach in Santa Barbara.
“Home” here means an actual lovingly restored California Craftsman house on Cabrillo Boulevard, originally built in 1912. A short drive off the 101 freeway, the path through woodsy parks into the spacious residential neighborhood of the B& B, still maintaining the quiet of the ocean. It is the only bed and breakfast in Santa Barbara with a beach location.
Be prepared to enter another century in this languid beach atmosphere just doing nothing in the day or driving under an umbrella of stars in the evening. The Cabrillo Arts Pavilion , straight out of “Ragtime” is break taking, and comes to life with people when it is used for special occasions.
Turns out that the Inn was used by the Santa Barbara Yacht Club in the 1920’s to replace a clubhouse washed out to sea in an unusual winter storm. The main building was refurbished in 1980 for use as an Inn, and has been continually upgraded over the years.
As the Inn became more and more popular, the Hitchcock House next door was enlisted to accommodate visitors in 1983. Both homes are furnished with period appointments, Oriental rugs, colorful fabrics and wallpapers that make it as comfy as the hospitality of the innkeepers. All rooms have telephones and private bathrooms, many with a balcony, patio or private deck.
“Those in the know say you couldn’t afford to duplicate the intricate design again,” owner Eilene Bruce told us. “The only occasional complaint we get is that “it is not modern enough” but most people love the push button lighting and the antiques.”
Our generously sized second story suite in the Hitchcock House next door overlooked the back deck below. Bowers of trees and chirping birds all around that thrive on the ocean air and temperate year round climate.
There was plenty of room to park our car in the roomy area behind the homes. Once we parked we used bikes from the rack outside or the open air trolley that stops near the B&B.
Editor Flick Conot in our party was taken with “the homey feeling that you immediately got even as you walked up the front stairs of the main building. It was so welcoming and not at all slick. And it carried through the entire visit.
Like “family,” the Inn is open every single day of the year, “24/7.” A bit different than the usual home is the opportunity to add a champagne gift basket or vase of arranged fresh flowers with a card to your room upon arrival. .
“Each suites feels more personal by being named after the Innkeeper’s families,” according to Flick. “Tamily photos on the wall added to the feeling of being in a relative’s home. And I absolutely loved sleeping in the big Queen Size bed.”
A separate sitting room with French windows on three sides invites anyone walking into the rook to relax. I slept in its day bed, where I could see sky all around and smell the ocean air.
In the evening we were invited to a wine and sherry tasting in the front room and on the front porch. We talked with other guests and relaxed while “watching the neighborhood world go by.”
Next morning we dressed and only had to walk a few yards to the Main House dining room for complimentary breakfast at the big common table. Two young couples shared the ;more private built-in nooks. Inviting fresh fruit juices and fruits covered one sideboard while attentive but unobtrusive servers filled coffee cups and brought out steaming plate of Mexican omelettes. Stuffed with cheese and salsa, they were tasty and filling.
Even without the overcast early morning air giving a cozy feeling to being inside, the atmosphere encourages people to talk to each other. The guests talked over everything from helping one city guest find a slicker for her boat ride out on the ocean to another sophisticated east coast guest reporting her surprise at the red sheets on her bed.
Owner Eilene Bruce, purchased the Inn in 2000 from the original four school teachers, never having seen the inside, and she never looked back. “When I bought it, I just took the keys and continued what the owners had been doing for 20 years, including upgrades that keep the character,” she laughs.
“In fact, thinking back to my first day there, ” she recalls. “As I was serving breakfast a guest asked me how long I was doing this. I looked at my watch and said, ‘oh, about 20 minutes.’ We laughed. It felt as though I was doing this my whole life. ”
And though the people may have been new to her, many times they were not new to Old Yacht Club Inn, Eilene notes.
“One day when I first took over, a group of sixty year olds was sitting around the living room in their pajamas, having a jolly good time,” she recalls. “It turned out the group is from all over California. They met years ago at the Inn during social hour. They come back every year for their “pajama party” and even stay in the same rooms!”
The Old Yacht Club Inn Bed & Breakfast
431 Corona Del Mar Drive
Santa Barbara, California 93103
Phone: (805) 962-1277
Calif. (800) 549-1676
USA (800) 676-1676
E-mail: [email protected]
www.oldyachtclubinn.com