Victorian Mansion: Unique Bed and Breakfast in California
We decided to celebrate our wedding anniversary traveling by car through California, on a road trip. Since we are located in a desert area (Nevada) with only dry and exotic landscape, the green and fresh nature of California was quite refreshing and enjoyable.
As usual our trip consisted of a few stays in unique places, one of them you can check by following this link: Featherbed Railroad Caboose Bed and Breakfast
Our first hotel on the road trip was one of the most unique bed and breakfast in US, the Victorian Mansion, located in Los Alamos, a small but great place for a getaway far from the loud noises of a big city.
Now, let's dive in why the Victorian Mansion is one of the most unique hotels in the US. It's taken Bed and Breakfast accommodations to another level:
Originally, The Victorian Mansion was built in 1864 by immigrants from Russia in Nipomo, California. It was purchased by its original owner Dick Langdon in 1980. The Mansion was disassembled and moved to Los Alamos, California where it was put back together and interiors were re-designed into unique hotel rooms. This must-see hotel with 6 rooms was worked on for almost 10 years by over 200 artists and different type craftsmen.
In 2007 the new owner, Rod Rigole, took over and continued Mr. Langdon's work in creating a unique and romantic getaway place for traveling couples.
We stayed in the "Egyptian Suite", a beautiful room full of secret doors and a romantic ambiance. It was truly the feeling of getting into a time machine and being transferred to ancient Egypt. From bed to ceiling - everything was very authentic and true to the theme.
Each suite provides a romantic getaway for traveling couples. In every unique suite you will find: Japanese soaking tub, fireplace, hidden washroom, and a completely relaxed feeling.
When we arrived, we were greeted by our innkeeper, she was very knowledgeable about The Victorian Mansion and gave us a detailed tour inside our suite (there are a few gadgets in every room that need explaining, such as the controller that operates the Egyptian themed music that is playing. Trust me, you don't want that stuck on a loop😉). She also asked us what time we prefer our breakfast to be served (talking about feeling special😊).
The door to our suite was made of solid stone, weighting over 1500 Lbs.!
Without our innkeeper it could've taken us some time to locate a bathroom in our room (of course I'm just exaggerating 😃 but remember - all bathrooms in suites are hidden). Try to guess what part of the room was the door to the bathroom? Just pull the beard of the hand-carved sarcophagus and you will get inside another cool area of this unique suite - Bathroom and Balcony.
Every unique suite has its own collection of DVDs and one board game that fit the theme of the room. The Egyptian suite had movies like "Cleopatra" and the game Backgammon. But guess what? First you have to locate the TV in one of the hidden doors on the wall painted with a beautiful Mural. Other hidden doors are for the DVD player and breakfast (we'll tell you about breakfast shortly)
Another cool feature in every room is a Japanese style soaking tub! It is not a jacuzzi, but it is cool and quite unique for people who never soaked in this kind of tub before. The great thing is that a bottle of bath bubbles was included with our toiletries. And of course, 2 comfy bathrobes as well.
Another thing important to mention is that our room had a balcony (only "Egyptian" and "French" suites have private balconies), quite romantic and great for having breakfast in the morning.
Because the Victorian Mansion Bed and Breakfast is so unique, even the way they serve breakfast is also special😉.
- Fireplace
- Comfy bed
- TV
- DVD
- Fridge
- Closet and Bathrobes
- Japanese soaking tub
- Toiletries
- Shower cabin
- Balcony
- Breakfast included
- Glasses for wine
- All in one Controller (music, lights and fireplace)
- Love seat
- Sofa
We encourage you to check the other unique suites (50's style, Gypsy, Roman, Pirate and French) right here
- Check-In time: from 3pm - 6pm
- Check-Out time: 11am
- Parking: available near the front of The Victorian Mansion (there is also parking available at the back)
- Pets: unfortunately not pet-friendly, but it is understandable, they have to preserve each room.
- Occupancy: no more than 2 people in the room
- Children: they used to be an Adult only hotel (romantic stay for couples), now they allow children as long as anyone under 14 years old is accompanied by an adult at all times.
- No smoking inside. There is a cute gazebo outside that serves as a smoking area.
Please check The Victorian Mansion site for more information.
Now we are moving on to all the nearby goodies you can see, taste and enjoy. If you like wine, there are a few wine tasting places (just check business hours, as some of them close early in the evening). Los Alamos is a small town, so everything is pretty much conveniently located within walking distance on the same street as The Victorian Mansion. Keep in mind some places are not open 7 days a week!
- Charlie's Place - located across the street from The Victorian Mansion Bed and Breakfast - we tried it and recommend it for those who like comfort food, the food is delicious, a big variety of choices for meat-eaters, pescatarians and vegetarians.
- Wine tasting places: Casa Dumetz Wines and A Tribute to Grace Wine Company
- Fresh bread: Bob's Well Bread Bakery
- Wine and beer shop, featuring "Priedite Barbecue" on Saturdays and Sundays Bodega Los Alamos
- French restaurant: Bell's
- For great cocktails our inkeeper recommended Norman at the Skyview Los Alamos
And many more...
- If you are an animal lover, just 15 minutes away from The Victorian Mansion you can visit an Ostrich farm, where you can feed these beautiful big-eyed creatures at Ostrichland USA.
Addmision for adults: $7.00, food for birds $1.00 per bowl. We highly recommend this adventure, so enjoyable to see these big birds up close. - If you enjoy nature, there is Cachuma Lake Recreation Area ($10 entrance fee per vehicle) just 30 minutes away from Los Alamos, it has a big lake with boat rentals at Cachuma Lake Marina.
- The unique Danish village Solvang, located 20 minutes from Los Alamos. Absolutely worth seeing, they have beautiful Danish architecture, great food, sweets, bakeries, shops and the whole Dutch ambiance, you won't regret exploring it. Just a fun place to stop by on your road trip through California.
Although Los Alamos is a small town, it's certainly worth a visit and the Victorian Mansion is the jewel of the town. You really feel as if you stepped back to a simpler time which makes relaxing at the Mansion that much more of an enjoyable experience.
This is another unique place we fell in love with and certainly will be back again and again and again ....
