All content & photos: Copyright© 2008,
Jan Hight. All rights reserved.
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The Inn
A few other updates: the Stockton Bridge
Grille, which we enjoyed so much on our previous visit, was closed due to
reconstruction. Happily, we found that the owners now have end of 9/02 Update
On our first evening we didn't want to leave Portofino for very long - remember, I warned you earlier that this might happen! So we followed a tip from a book and went to Gayle's Rosticceria for take out. "Take out" doesn't do justice to the tender roasted chicken, plump twice-baked potatoes and delectable salad we came away with. We'd mentioned our plans to the innkeeper, and she offered to provide dining utensils. No paper plates and plastic forks here....she brought us the Inn's beautiful china, silver, and linen place settings. We had a sublime dining experience on our patio and toasted our "find" of this captivating B&B.
The staff of the Inn at Depot Hill will be
glad to help with
Copyright © 1996 -
2008: Jan Hight
Published -- July 29, 1996 |
The sound of a train whistle evokes dreams of the
mysterious locales that could be reached by such fabled lines as the Orient Express. By
taking a journey to the Inn at Depot Hill, it's possible to find several of those exotic
destinations in one sumptuous Bed and Breakfast located in Capitola-by-the-Sea,
California. The building was indeed a train station around 1900. It has
been affectionately renovated into a splendid inn with 8 rooms representing some of those
glamorous spots that could be found at the end of a deluxe trip during the peak days of
train travel. With names such as Cote d'Azur, Paris, Portofino, Delft, and
Stratford-on-Avon, each is decorated in a style befitting its namesake. From the black and
white sophistication of "Paris" to the influence of Holland's tulips in
"Delft" to the English cottage atmosphere of "Stratford-on-Avon",
and the vibrant reds of the "Railroad Baron", no
nuance has been overlooked in transforming each guest room into a romantic retreat that is
sure to provide a unique experience for those travelers who tarry there.
The Inn sits at the top of a hill just a couple of blocks from Capitola Beach on gorgeous
Monterey Bay. A first glance behind the stately iron gates leading to the graceful
building provides a glimpse of the elegance to come. 
The parlor welcomes guests with a fireplace, a piano, antique furnishings and shelves of books. The dining
room is sunlit and gracious and is warmed by the double-sided fireplace it shares with the
parlor (cool coastal mornings make this an appreciated amenity). The large dining table
sits in a unique bay formed by the one-time ticket windows of the train station. A small
table sits beside a view of a shoreline which was painted directly on the wall.
With
curtains on either side and a luggage rack above (including antique bags with travel
passes hanging from them), the whimsical illusion is completed: you're a first-class
passenger sitting in a dining car while a distant coastline passes by your window! Outside
the parlor is a charming garden with brick patio and cheerful market umbrellas sheltering
tables grouped around a reflecting pool with fountain. 
Guests
may choose any of these 3 delightful areas for enjoying the wonderful gourmet breakfasts
served each morning and the afternoon wine, which is accompanied by a tantalizing array of
hors d'oeuvres. 
Once you've seen your "destination", however, you just
might be tempted to request that breakfast be brought to your room (which the innkeepers
will gladly arrange); and you might consider taking your wine and munchies back to your
special quarters....but meeting the other guests is part of the fun of 
a B&B, so try
to pry yourselves out of your room and mingle at least part of the time! The final treat
of the day is one, however, that you'll most certainly want to enjoy in your personal
haven - dessert and sherry are set out in the dining room each evening, just begging to be
savored in your own private sitting area as the day comes to an end. 
We
returned to the Inn at Depot Hill
for the long Labor-Day weekend 2002. It was just as delightful as we
remembered from our first visit...much too long ago! The care and dedication
of the staff, their attention to detail, and the quality of the entire lodging
experience...all these elements combined to make the Inn as memorable and
enjoyable as ever. This time our "destination" was the Capitola Beach
Room. 
The
name said it all: an elegantly casual "beach house", with colors and
decor that evoked sand and surf and sunny California days. A long window
seat bedecked with cushy pillows stretched beneath white-shuttered
windows. The king bed was surrounded by billowing drapes; a seashell
peeked out from the table at the bed's foot. In an inviting alcove, a
plush chair and ottoman featured a pillow reminiscent of a beach ball...with a
vase of freshly-picked roses nearby. All of the other amenities were
present: fireplace; built-in stereo system; dual shower heads in the
well-appointed bath; skylights that could be opened to usher in sea
breezes. The shell-like sconce lights, spot lights, and the indirect
ceiling lighting that surrounded much of the room could be adjusted to fit every
mood, with the gentle glow of the softest setting reminding us of
moonlight on the beach. 
We
discovered upon our arrival that the 50th Annual Begonia Festival was being
celebrated in Capitola that weekend. Saturday morning brought industrious
builders, scattered all over the beach, constructing their entries for the Sand
Castle Contest.
We
watched periodically during the day, starting with the initial digging and
water hauling, as the various pieces of sandy art took shape...from the quite
simple to the most elaborate (and from the sublime to the silly)! We
returned later in the day to enjoy the completed structures and discover the
winners.
The
other major part of the Festival was Sunday's Begonia Parade. As of
Saturday morning, feverish work was begun... applying untold numbers of
begonia petals to the floats that would meander down the Soquel River, under the
Stockton Avenue Bridge, into the lagoon on the beach. Again, we watched
the progress during the day and into the evening as 
float
committees fashioned their flowers into recognizable (usually!) shapes. Even shops and private residences got into the act (and
contest). By the time of
Sunday afternoon's Begonia Parade, the crowd was ready for fun, sun, and a few
surprises. One diligent team apparently forgot to take into account the
tide level; their float didn't clear the bridge. Ingenuity under pressure saved
the day: several people who were escorting the float (and a few from the river
bank) clambered aboard and added enough weight to lower the float within height
limits (thankfully, without totally sinking it)!
another restaurant in Capitola -- The Lido. The food was just as delicious
(and the steamers just as perfect) as before. We also dined
at the endearingly funky Wharf House (on the wharf, naturally), and at the
Paradise Beach Grill (the waiter very obligingly changed the "seared"
ahi into sashimi for me!)...plus some great lunches at the beachside restaurants
on the Esplanade. 
On
our first visit to the Inn in 1996, we had the sheer delight of staying in "Portofino", and we were totally enchanted
by this Italian villa! From the moment the innkeeper escorted us through the entry, we
were whisked away to Italy by all of our senses. The rose tones of the carpet and the
plastered
wall (with frescoed borders) were picked up by the fragrant fresh rose bouquet. One focal
point of the room was a magnificent wrought iron 4-poster feather bed with lace canopy and
lace cutwork comforter, pillow cases and shams. Another feature that immediately
caught our attention was a marble fireplace with grapevine fresco above. Books on Italy
and 
cassettes of Italian music for the built-in stereo system completed the effect....in
our imagination we were in the seaside resort of Portofino! Then we stepped through the
double french doors onto our private brick patio with a cozy table for two and a gazebo
enclosing a Jacuzzi, all surrounded by a tangle of plants and flowers....we were closer to
Shangri-La at that point!!
complementary videos was available in the parlor. Although there was a bit of street noise at night, we popped a cassette of
ocean sounds and whale songs into the room's stereo system and were lulled immediately to sleep. By the way, since the
Inn was once a train depot it is obviously located next to train tracks! Don't worry;
these days there are only a couple of trains a week that still pass this way, and they are
scheduled only during daytime hours (no threat of being shaken out of a blissful sleep by
a rumbling locomotive). John was rather disappointed that he wasn't going to hear and see
the passing of a train; but one afternoon as we were relaxing on our patio, a train did
roar by with all of the attendant bells and whistles. It somehow added to the fantasy of
long-ago tours by rail to the far reaches of the earth.
We did manage to venture out during the
rest of our stay, and we found Capitola to be a lovely little town. A stroll a couple of
blocks down the hill brought us to the beach with its rim of waterside restaurants (many
tinted in pastels) offering views of Monterey Bay. There were shops and art galleries to
explore, as well as ocean activities, nearby wineries, and various events scheduled
throughout the area. One landmark that was particularly intriguing to me was the Venetian.
It appears to be a motel now, but it was built in the 1920s and is billed as California's
first condo project. Its fanciful art deco coloring and singular architecture brought
visions of a Mediterranean location portrayed by one of the rooms at the Inn.
We
had dinner one evening at the Stockton Bridge Grill, which is among the beachfront
restaurants. We recommend the steamers, and their signature salmon entree was excellent.
Another
evening we went to Shadowbrook, a well-known local fixture for many years. The setting is
truly one-of-a-kind. Surrounded by lush gardens and winding paths with waterfalls, diners
take a little red tram from the parking lot down the steep hill along which the restaurant
is nestled (there are also steps available, but everyone should take the tram at least
once....even though it's slow enough that the walkers beat the riders). The restaurant and
bar ramble down through various levels and offer many nooks and dining areas decorated in
the style of a rustic lodge. 
Sometimes establishments with such an uncommon physical property
leave something to be desired in the culinary area; but at Shadowbrook the food was good,
as was the service. It's crowded, and you may have to wait even with a reservation (which
is necessary), but it's worth a visit. 
activity planning, reservations and recommendations. No detail is
overlooked in their dedication to providing an unforgettable lodging experience for their
guests. The building next door has been purchased by the owners of the Inn and is
currently being remodeled to expand the available options with 3 more suites...adding the
essence of Japan, Germany and Spain to the current "travel possibilities". They
also own another B&B in Half Moon Bay, on Miramar Beach.
We're headed there in a few weeks, and I'm sure it will be another entry in "
Jan's Journeys", based on what we've heard about it. So watch for that upcoming article
[update: it may now be found at 
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