The Upham Hotel & Country House in Santa Barbara, California

This past weekend, we had the chance to stay at The Upham Hotel & Country House in Santa Barbara that has the quaintness of a Bed & Breakfast but the accessibility of a hotel.  Most of the B & Bs in the United States are older properties turned into guesthouses.  Many of the B & B Inn owners have kept up-to-date and offer free parking, spa services and nightly wine or cheese hours.  In the case of The Upham Hotel, they offered milk and cookies at night which was such a treat and a full continental breakfast in the morning.

The History of Bed & Breakfast Inns:

This custom of opening up one’s home to travelers dates back to the earliest day of Colonial America.  You can imagine that lodging establishments were few and far between in those days and most travelers depended on the kindness of strangers to provide a place to sleep for the night.  Hotels became more prominent with the development of the railroad system, and later, with the automobile. (Source: Wikipedia).

With the Great Depression, these homes provided a safe refuge for travelers at a reasonable price and an income for the home owner.  It wasn’t until after World War II when many middle-class Americans traveled to Europe and stayed at lush European-style B & Bs that they were inspired to create this experience here in the states.  The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Tax Reform Act of 1976 both provided tax incentives for the restoration and reuse of historic structures. 

B & Bs increased dramatically through the 1980s and 1990s and we saw an increase of renovated historic mansions turned into beautiful Bed & Breakfast Inns.  The invention of the Internet during the mid-1990s provided the ability for innkeepers to promote their places worldwide.  They could now keep in contact with their customers easily and provide photographs, reviews, videos and make online reservations as well. 

The Upham Hotel Experience:

Our experience at the Upham Inn was quite magical.  We were greeted by Ms. Jan Martin Winn, the General Manager for the Upham Hotel.  We checked into our room to find a bottle of champagne, chocolates and fresh flowers waiting for us.  You had the feeling you were staying at friend’s house with all the comforts of home.   We had a ceremony to attend so we didn’t get back until later on in the evening, but we were welcomed to a beautifully lite garden with a soothing fountain nearby.  And I did mention the milk and cookies waiting in the lobby for all to enjoy!  In the morning they had a full continental breakfast with all the trimmings.  My internal alarm clock went off early as I am usually woken up by my youngster who rarely sleeps past 6:30 a.m., but I didn’t mind.  I grabbed a paper from the lobby and some coffee and sat in the veranda overlooking the garden.  I felt that I had grabbed a few moments of paradise as I felt myself fully relax and enjoy the birds chirping and fountain flowing. 

You can read more about the Upham Hotel at www.uphamhotel.com. One of my favorite things about the place, besides the fact that it was built in the 1870’s, was the sign in the front that read:  Upham Hotel Carriage Entrance.  In those days that was how people got around – so the large driveway was built in order to accommodate the horse and buggy.  You will enjoy your step back in time at The Upham Hotel & Country House!  We sure did and plan to stay there again when we visit beautiful Santa Barbara.