Simpson House Inn
121 East Arrellaga Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Ph. 805-963-7067, Reservations
800-676-1280

Highlights
* Registered historic landmark
* "Best Bed & Breakfast, southern California" Focus magazine 1993
* Set on one acre of lushly landscaped grounds with fountains and mature trees
* Six rooms in main house, three detached cottages and four suites in a restored circa-1876 carriage house.
* Exquisite full-breakfast specializing in vegetarian (non-meat) selections and fresh, organic California juices, served on veranda and in the gardens as well as in the dining room or delivered to your room.
* Bicycles, English lawn croquet and beach equipment
* Rates from $105 to $275 per night, including full breakfast and afternoon wine and cheese. Inquire about business rates and seasonal specials.

If you're contemplating opening your own bed and breakfast inn, it is strongly suggested that you first make a pilgrimage to the Simpson House and take heed of everything you see there. The success of Simpson House dates from the moment Linda and Glyn Davies purchased the property back in 1975. The one-time showplace Italianate-Victorian estate had degenerated into a hippie crash pad. The land, prime commercial property, was for sale, and the house, considered a major liability, was slated for imminent destruction by the bull dozers of progress.

Glyn and Linda didn't know what they wanted to do with the property, but they did know they had to save the old structure. "For a while we contemplated turning it into apartments, but in the meantime we raised our family in the house." When the kids left for college, the Davies transformed their home into an inn and opened the rooms to the public in 1985. The Davies are still actively involved in running the inn, and most importantly they left intact the house's radiant sense of home. Guests may enjoy the fruits of 18 years of restoration and collecting.

During the restoration, the main house was extensively remodeled, the Carriage House was entirely dismantled, original boards and planks were numbered and later reinstalled, and three brand-new cottages were planted discretely among the magnolias and flower gardens.

A quick glance at any of the guest rooms shows that the cost of materials and labor was not a consideration. For example, in the upstairs guest rooms, authentic Victorian reproduction wallpaper, imported from England, is lavished on ceilings and walls. In one room alone, the intricate wallpaper consists of more than 500 hand-cut pieces that cost in excess of $5,000 to install. Everywhere I looked, whether it was the fancy New England soaps and shampoos in the baths, the top-of-the-line architectural grade brass lamps illuminating exterior walkways, the copper gutters and down spouts, or the fine linen, china and glassware awaiting guests at the breakfast table, it was boldly evident that the Linda and Glyn are only interested in acquiring and providing the best and finest for the Simpson House and their guests.

Room accommodations range from the $105 per night, efficient-sized Mary Simpson Room, with lace accents, antique bed and detached bath to the enchanting cottages--Abbywood, Greenwich and Plumstead--outfitted with fireplaces, love seats, lofts and more and priced from $210 to $275. Glyn and Linda did such a masterful job at blending the new cottage units within existing trees and into the surrounding environment that one would assume the buildings had been there for many years.

My daughter Celena and I stayed in the newly restored 1876 Carriage House. Our upstairs suite, the Weathervane, featured a steep pitched, rough-plank ceiling with exposed collar ties. The exterior walls were of ancient, white-washed redwood barn siding and exposed stud framing. On closer examination, I realized that there was another, brand new structural wall, and exterior siding, beyond the barn siding. To recreate the exact character of the original carriage house, Glyn had gone to considerable expense by reconstructing the entire old carriage house, board-by-board within the exterior of an entirely new, structural shell.

All of the suites and cottages feature private decks or garden patios where you can relax, meditate, and even have your breakfast served--if you're not in the mood for breakfast in bed. Guests are also offered breakfast in the dining room, linen-draped tables on the veranda, and in the garden. We chose to dine with the flowers under the trees. I should note that we are not talking continental buffet, help-yourself dining here. Breakfast at the Simpson House is a gourmet affair with three course meals delivered to your table by Gillean, the resident innkeeper, and her staff. Culinary creations include fresh strawberry crepes, apple French toast, delicious baked pears, home made granola, fresh organic juices, and coffee.

When my daughter and I reluctantly packed and departed, we drove out the long driveway, past the tall iron-gate and sandstone retaining wall, and turned down Arrellaga Street. I glanced to my right and noticed that the one-acre Victorian sanctuary of tranquillity was all but obscured and hidden from the street by a giant, eight-foot-tall hedge running the length of the street frontage--and that seemed in perfect harmony, and appropriate, for such a best-kept-secret place in downtown Santa Barbara.

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