Experience a bit of canyon rustic in a chic Mediterranean-style house.
Tucked away in a bucolic setting deep in the heart of the Santa Monica mountains, the Topanga Canyon Inn bed and breakfast provides its guests with a unique and unforgettable experience.
With its light and open Mediterranean-style architecture, friendly hosts and delicious homemade breakfasts, it feels very much like being invited to a friend’s beautiful canyon home and staying overnight in one of their a fabulous guest rooms. The Inn is located one mile from the main highway off of Cheney Drive on a private road so there is no through traffic. The only sounds you hear are the birds by day and the owls, crickets and occasional coyote at night. When you turn off the lights, it is pitch black outside except for the moon.
PHOTO BY JIM HOFFMAN  The Topanga Canyon Inn offers four comfortable, Hollywood-themed rooms and a full breakfast in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. |
Early risers will enjoy cool morning hikes and bird watching at the northern end of Topanga State Park, which is accessible from the trailhead up the road.
In fact, a stay at the Inn is a great way for international travelers, non-canyon dwellers or romantic couples to experience a bit of authentic Topanga life.
And now that the former Topanga Ranch Motel is closed, the Inn remains one of two overnight lodgings between Woodland Hills and the Pacific Coast Highway.
The rooms range in price from $190 to $250, but the sales tax, breakfast and amenities are included, which makes the Inn one of the best luxury bargains in Southern California.
Hollywood in the Hills
The Topanga Canyon Inn is owned and operated by Warren and Elena Roché, a lovely couple who make you feel right at home. A retired studio musician, Warren took up a second career as an architect and builder.
PHOTO BY ANNEMARIE DONKIN  Elena Roché shows some of her plein air work at the Chamber of Commerce mixer at the Topanga Canyon Inn. |
The custom Mediterranean-style home with Art Deco touches was designed and built in 1991 by Warren and they opened it as a bed and breakfast in November 2008. They have since enjoyed quite a bit of popularity, especially with guests coming in for weddings and events in Topanga and Elena said they were fully booked for Valentine’s Day, Earth Day and Topanga Days.
Four Rooms and a Breakfast
Guests at the Inn can choose among four fanciful rooms inspired by movie stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The first floor features the “Nick and Nora” room done up like a 1930s Manhattan
PHOTO BY JIM HOFFMAN  The upstairs sitting room offers spectacular views of the Santa Monica Mountains. |
Upstairs, the exquisite “Fred and Ginger” suite is a silk white fantasy fit complete with satin sheets, a faux mink cover and a view of the sunset from the balcony.
Adventurous types can choose the rustic “Clark and Carol” room with hand-carved bedposts, a sumptuous faux fur bedspread and a private patio.
My husband Jim and I stayed in the dramatic, Fellini-inspired “Sylvia and Ramon” room, all done up in animal prints in a high fashion Italian style.
Fittingly enough, we began our evening with a creekside dinner at the Inn of the Seventh Ray and ended our sunset supper with a final toast of Cabernet and a plate of warm beignets.
PHOTO BY JIM HOFFMAN  The Italian-inspired "Sylvia and Ramon" room features animal prints throughout. |
Back at the Inn, we turned on the big screen TV in the living room to watch Manhattan Melodrama, an amusing 1930’s film starring Clark Gable and Carol Lombard. But the cool mountain air soon made us sleepy and we settled into the comfortable king size bed underneath satin sheets and the faux fur bedspread. We arose early for a brisk hike and took photos of the spectacular views.
Then, at 9 a.m., Warren and Elena arrived to cook a hearty breakfast that included scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, bacon, fruit, orange juice and coffee. They joined us and the other couple for breakfast so we could meet and chat, which became a highlight of our stay.
PHOTO BY JIM HOFFMAN  Warren and Elena Roché are your hosts at the Topanga Canyon Inn bed and breakfast in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains. |
Our housemates that weekend were David and Marilee Rhody, Canadians who live in Ethiopia and traveled to Topanga for the wedding of one of Marilee’s former students, an Ethiopian and his fiancé, whose mother lives in Topanga. In fact, Elena said on any given weekend, they host artists, writers, musicians and interesting people including two French and English documentary filmmakers who were there on the same night.
The Inn of the Weekend Stay
The Inn is perfect for visiting family and friends and you can feel comfortable that their every need will be taken care of. The Inn is not wheelchair accessible, however, due to the stairs.
Guests have unlimited local and long distance calls within the United States, wireless internet, a movie library and a wide-screen TV with DVDs of romantic movies (the rooms do not have individual TVs, which encourages you to chill out). Amenities include soft drinks, sparkling and bottled water, coffee, tea, cocoa, cookies, snacks, popcorn and fruit.
The bathrooms are large and have great hairdryers and full size bottles of shampoo and conditioner. They also make available toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, shaving cream, razors, sewing kit, aspirin and band-aids. The Inn has an ironing board and of course, hats and sun block. They offer trail maps for local hiking, geo-caching and mountain biking. And since Warren and Elena have lived in Topanga for years, they provide tons of local knowledge.
Overall, our stay at the Topanga Canyon Inn was a wonderful and relaxing experience.
Even though we live only a few miles away, it felt like an instant vacation and we received a full dose of good Canyon energy due to its idyllic location. Highly recommended.
The Topanga Canyon Inn, 20310 Callon Drive, Topanga, California 90290. For reservations contact Warren and Elena Roché at (310) 600-1325, (310) 455-1124 or fax (310) 455-1124. Or e-mail to Mail@TopangaCanyonInn.com, Bed@TopangaCanyonInn.com or online at www.Topangacanyoninn.com. The postal address is Topanga Canyon Inn, c/o Rochemont Development, One Rochemont Drive, Topanga, California 90290.
