Day 2: Inn at Occidental inn-at-occiendtal_rm_safari.jpg

We woke from a contented night’s sleep, in our luxurious feather bed, and after soaking in our hot tubs, then drying off in front of our fireplace on frette towels, we moseyed down to the dining room where we met our hosts, Jerry and Tina, who volunteered to show us the rest of this unique inn after we finished our scrumpie breakfast.

Served in front of a roaring fire-exactly what you’d want on a cold rainy day, (which we didn’t want but got) we were served a yummy polenta quiche, and there was also a buffet laden with freshly baked scones, homemade granola, and a fresh fruit platter.
I was fascinated by their little cloth woven bags imported from Japan, for making your own special tea bag, and Starbucks should offer coffee half as good as Jerry’s special blend.

Joan and I loved our rooms (I slept in the Marble Room and Joan got the Quilt room) but after our tour of the other rooms, we felt like we had entered Disney world. As Tina opened the door to each surprisingly different room, I was reminded of Forest Gumps mother’s line, how “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna to get.” Whatever room you select, you are guaranteed a fantastic blend of luxury, comfort and quirkiness. But other than that, each themed room is a world of its own, filled with family heirlooms, great art, and imaginative design touches. My fave was The Safari Room, with a four poster birch bed, African drums, antiquated leather suitcases cleverly stacked for the end table, and antique bronze bank teller windows caging in painting of wild animals, closely followed by the Cirque du Sonoma Room, filled with antique circus mirrors, a striped ring-masters suit, even hanging trapeze rings. I was only half-kidding when I suggested that the owners should feature special marriage encounter weekends where couples could easily do some role-playing to spice things up.
For more pictures of their fantastic rooms: