Santa Barbara is the quintessential California paradise. It can be compared to the French Riviera; it has so much to offer in so many different ways. It has mountains and beaches, great food and wine, and some of the most romantic bed and breakfast’s in all of California. The Cheshire Cat is another reason to high tail it to Santa Barbara for a weekend getaway.
Innkeeper Suzanne greeted me with a warm smile upon my arrival and showed me to my lovely room, The Cheshire Cat was so charming and conveniently located right along side the dining area. I was there to escape the heat in LA but it turned out to be a hot week in Santa Barbara as well.
The room was a little stuffy so Suzanne showed me the thermostat. To my surprise there was no individual air-conditioning in that room, just a fan to keep you cool. When I called up to ask about the air conditioning Suzanne said she could move me to another room that had air conditioning. She very graciously gave me a huge upgrade to the Prestbury Cottage. Wow! So many amenities, I truly got spoiled. This adorable cottage has 2 bedrooms, a fireplace, full big kitchen, stove, full bath and shower, and a private Jacuzzi in a private back patio. Pretty much everything your heart would desire for a very posh elegant stay. I was jumping for joy!!
The theme for the inn is taken from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland; all the room names are the characters in the story. There are also lots and lots of cats trinkets all around the inn.
The Cheshire Cat is an elegant Victorian Inn with old oak trees, fountains and flower filled gardens. It has 18 guest rooms, suites and cottages, some having in-room Jacuzzi tubs, fireplaces, private decks and outdoor hot tubs. There are 3 separate houses with rooms as well as 4 different cottages. The Main House is a Queen Anne Victorian as well as The Eberle House. The Coach house, which has 2 honeymoon suites, was built in 1991, these suites are in the back overlooking the lovely English Gardens. There is a fountain with an old oak tree that houses a built in beehive. As long as you stay clear of the beehive you’ll be relaxing in this luxurious back garden.
Across the street from the Inn are 4 cottages the Bramhall, Mobberly, Prestbury & Woodford; I stayed in the Prestbury. Dating back to the 1940’s, these early California Craftsman Cottages have been upgraded and enhanced to include living rooms, private decks, fireplaces, full kitchens and dining nooks.
They do a very gracious happy hour with nice local Santa Barbara wine and delightful hors d’oeuvre; curried deviled eggs, homemade vegetarian wraps, warm stuffed mushroom caps, crudités and dip, British farm cheese and traditional crackers.
Their breakfast consist of a delicious buffet continental breakfast served either on their flower filled brick patio (weather permitting) or in the Main House. An array of choices greet you consisting of homemade granola, assorted breakfast cereals, fresh fruit salad, yoghurt, cinnamon bread, English muffins, homemade scones and lemon curd, hard boiled eggs, fresh juices and of course our delicious local Santa Barbara Roasting Company coffee and assorted teas.
A daily addition of alternating dishes is also served, including cream cheese stuffed Danish Ebelskivers, homemade flaky pastry vegetarian quiche or bagels with cream cheese and Scottish smoked salmon.
They serve Bedtime treats of home made chocolate chip cookies and brownies as well as Keurig coffee, hot chocolate and sleepy teas at our 24-hour refreshment center located in the Eberle House.
The Cheshire Cat Inn is truly the perfect getaway destination, and only 94 miles from Los Angeles! Santa Barbara provides such a great mini vacation why would anyone spend any serious money on traveling anywhere when we have a charming town in our own back yard.
Cheshire Cat Inn
36 W. Valerio St,
Santa Barbara, CA.
(805) 569-1610
cheshirecat.com
