Page 188 - WDT Magazine Egypt

tasting of different honeys made from the nectar of that huge oak tree and inside this wooden peak-
different flowers. roofed hideaway were both a wood-burning stone fire-
That night I dined at the inn’s signature restaurant, place and a jacuzzi tub. The heavy hors d’oeuvres and
Olivella, on a patio overlooking that gorgeous land- wine reception in the mansion was a convivial gather-
scape, savoring a sublime lobster risotto with an oaky ing of others equally enamored of this adults-only
chardonnay. gem, where every room is unique and sumptuous.
Then I drove to Santa Barbara, just 33 miles north- The gourmet breakfast served inside the Victorian or
west from Ojai, on Casitas Pass Road through the anywhere in the gardens was outstanding, too. And
mountains. Here I saw evidence of that horrifying since it was within walking distance of State Street,
Thomas Fire, but I also saw the classic wildflower fol- Santa Barbara’s great restaurants were a stroll or bike
lowers — the blackened hills were covered in white ride away. A few of my favorites are Brophy Brothers
poppies and yellow mustard. for seafood on the harbor, Ca’Dario for Italian on E.
Santa Barbara is beloved for good reason. Nick- Victoria Street, and Arigato Sushi on State Street.
named the American After breakfast, I
Riviera, it lies just 90 drove to Montecito
miles north of Los having made an
Angeles but with only advance reserva-
about 90,000 people, tion (required) to
it is far more serene visit Lotusland
and has an ever-pre- (lotusland.org),
sent charm that has widely considered
drawn me for decades. one of the 10 best
Its main drag, State gardens in the
Street, is lined with world. It traces
trees and that Spanish its beginnings to
Colonial architecture 1882 when pioneer
housing unique shops nurseryman Ralph
and restaurants. Kinton Stevens
One of my favorite bought the prop-
shops in the entire erty and started
world is on State Street — Lewis & Clark Antiques planting exotics. The Chilean Wine Palms he planted
and Fine Things, a destination shop for more than 30 — now huge — are very endangered and here there
years now. It is filled with delights of all kinds, from may be more than left in Chile. In 1916, New Yorkers
jewelry to silverware to keepsakes to books to table- Palmer and Marie Gavit bought the property and built
top adornments. the main house, completed in 1920, also establishing
But this was my first time at the Simpson House some formal gardens.
Inn (simpsonhouseinn.com), and when I entered its Then in 1941, Madame Ganna Walska, a flamboyant
grounds very near State Street, I was literally agape Polish opera singer, bought the property. Married six
with delight. This extraordinary inn, centered on a times, Madame Walska called herself an “Enemy of
Victorian mansion built in 1874, is hidden on an acre the Average.” She spent 43 years creating this marvel
of English gardens with 15 guest rooms in the Victo- of a garden, outdoor room by room. After she died in
rian Manor, Carriage Barn and English Cottages, the 1984, Lotusland became a nonprofit botanic garden
latter outbuildings constructed in the 1990s to look and opened for public tours in 1993.
like they’ve been under that enormous oak tree for Our tour’s docent, Carol Beamer, brought Madame
100 years. I truly felt as though I had entered a fantasy Walska to life as we strolled the 37-acre property walk-
world where fairies live in luxury. ing about 2.5 miles on its easy pathways. “She had
My room, Abbeywood Cottage, was tucked under an epic life and created this epic garden,” Beamer told

188 WDT MAGAZINE SUMMER 2018