Historic Hotels With Tales to Tell in California
Head way out west to these storied stays in California – perfect pit stops for a Pacific Coast Highway road trip.
California‘s abundant natural resources and prime position on the Pacific beckoned people west in the 1800s. Stately homes were built to house the influx of monied families and the building boom continued in the 20th century, as Hollywood’s golden era gave birth to a wave of wealthy actors searching for starry getaways in all corners of the Golden State. Today, many fabled properties stand reimagined as luxury hotels that preserve the past while catering firmly to the present. Oh, if these walls could talk.
1. Hotel del Coronado
Hotel
2. Claremont Berkeley
Luxury, Spa Hotel
After commuter trains were introduced in the early 20th century, the 1915 Claremont Club and Spa gave wealthy visitors access to San Fran’s East Bay, where they could relax and socialize. The castle-like hotel still offers luxury and convenience; it’s 1.8mi (2.9km) from the University of California Berkeley campus and 6mi (9.6km) from the Oakland Bay Bridge, zipping you straight into the city. Many modern flourishes have been added, including a spa offering deep-tissue massages and an open-air fitness room (nay, pavilion) with free weights and Technogym cardio equipment.
4. Benbow Historic Inn
Resort
This Tudor-style treasure transports guests back to the 1920s. The Benbow family – nine industrious brothers and sisters, behind the Benbow Dam and Power Company – built the property to give well-heeled wanderers access to the great outdoors. The hotel is located in the heart of redwood country, which you can take in via horseback riding, golfing, hiking, boating and fishing on the Eel River. The Benbow was designed by Albert Farr, who also styled author Jack London’s Wolf House in Glen Ellen. Benbow Founders’ Rooms, themed after the original Benbow family members, feature authentic twenties decor with wingback chairs and vaulted ceilings.
5. La Valencia
Hotel
6. Hollywood Roosevelt
Boutique Hotel, Hotel, Luxury
Designated a Historic-Cultural Monument (it’s a thing), Clark Gable and Carole Lombard lived in the Hollywood Roosevelt, while icons including Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe were frequent guests. The latter’s namesake open-plan suite has white furniture, sleek hardwood floors, vintage Eames pieces and a wrap-around balcony, where you can stand (nonchalantly) as a cool breeze whips up your skirt, much to the surprise of diners at the Tropicana Pool & Cafe below. The Sixties pool, which sports a mural at the bottom by David Hockney (reportedly worth millions), is still one of the most stylish places in LA to swim and sip cocktails such as a prickly pear margarita.
7. InterContinental Mark Hopkins
Hotel
8. Hayes Mansion
Chain Hotel
Whitewashed Hayes Mansion was completed in 1905 for a wealthy iron-ore mining family. On the National Register of Historic Places, the mansion is one of the best examples of Mediterranean revival architecture in the Santa Clara Valley. Though the property became a hotel in the nineties, much of the Hayes family’s land is now a public park, with 20 acres (8ha) of landscaped grounds featuring manicured lawns and birds of paradise. Guest rooms take their inspiration from the turn of the century – with wooden furniture, herringbone-patterned carpets and gilded light fixtures.
9. Hotel La Rose
Boutique Hotel, Independent Hotel
Built in 1907 by Italian stonemasons, Hotel La Rose, located on Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square, was registered on the National Trust for Historic Places and renovated in 1985. Guest rooms are located in the main building or the airy Carriage House, and no two rooms are alike, furnished with antique finds. A parade have private patios or balconies and some surround a rose-garden courtyard. Situated close to Highway 101 – switchback setting for classic Californian road trips – Hotel La Rose is a convenient cork-pop away from Sonoma’s wineries, redwood forests and Pacific coastline.
10. Belmond El Encanto
Hotel
Santa Barbara is known as the American Riviera and the Belmond El Encanto – set on 7 acres (2.8ha) of twisty oak trees and fragrant camellia bushes – mixes the understated luxury of a cliff-clinging Amalfi Coast hotel with timeless glamor of old California. This heritage hotel has a tale or two to tell: it has hosted elegant soirées and garden trysts since 1918. Guest rooms fuse American craftsmanship and Spanish revival style with locally carved furnishings, marble baths with heated stone floors and wood-burning fireplaces. Abstract paintings by local artist Charles Arnoldi ground it in the present.
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