Warm And Welcome Green Gables Inn Impresses With Decor, Friendliness
The Green Gables Inn in Walla Walla just might be the ultimate bed and breakfast.
The place is elegant without feeling fussy. It’s tastefully decorated with antiques, but rather than feeling like a museum, it exudes a sense of warmth and welcome.
The hostess, Margaret Buchan, is friendly and informative about local sites. For instance, she steered us toward an excellent walking tour of the city’s biggest and oldest trees. But she gives guests plenty of privacy. And, finally, the morning meal at the Green Gables was superb.
The huge 1909 mansion, located in a quiet residential area not far from Whitman College, makes a dandy first impression. Guests to this arts-and-crafts style home are greeted by a lovely wrap-around porch that is a perfect place to sit and visit on a warm summer evening.
Just beyond the formal entry are two beautiful sitting rooms, each with a fireplace, one with a television. Here, you’ll find reading material and games, along with menus from the area’s restaurants.
In the adjoining dining room, guests will find afternoon tea and cookies, just one of the thoughtful touches at the Green Gables.
Up a set of beautiful wooden stairs are the guest quarters, each with a name culled from the classic “Anne of Green Gables.”
The Mayflowers room once served as the maid’s quarters and is decorated with pretty rose wallpaper. The beds are covered with antique quilts, and in the bathroom, there’s an old claw-foot tub that will make a bath believer out of even the most confirmed shower lover. This room is down the hall from the others, so it offers additional privacy.
Idlewild is the most deluxe, most romantic room at the inn. It has a fireplace, a sitting area and a private deck. It also has a king-size bed and a single-size whirlpool tub.
I stayed with a girlfriend in the Birch Path room with twin beds (one of the few B&Bs I’ve come across to offer this option). I admired the warm-toned walnut furniture and felt positively decadent as I snuggled under a thick comforter to eat the chocolates left in the room and watch cable TV. (Every room is equipped with a TV set, which is considered taboo at most B&Bs. But, hey, this is America, not jolly old England, folks.)
Other rooms include Dryad’s Bubble, which has a king-size bed, a private deck and Maxfield Parrish art prints, and Willowmere with a king-size bed and a claw-foot tub.
For families, there’s an actual carriage house next door that has a large living room, a small kitchen and two bathrooms. It can sleep up to four.
After a restful night’s sleep, Margaret invites guests to two seatings of breakfast, one for early birds and another one later for those who like to sleep in.
The morning menu rotates regularly, but is always freshly prepared and filling. When I visited last summer, I was treated to a scrumptious yogurt parfait almost overflowing with sweet, local raspberries. Yum.
I would have been satisfied with that and coffee, but I was easily talked into sampling the light cheese omelette and a tasty sausage made of chicken and flecked with sun-dried tomatoes. That, and a coffeecake, that tasted like dessert.
Duly stuffed, I headed out for a day of wine-tasting and antique shopping in Walla Walla.
Rates at the Green Gables Inn range from $75 to $100, with slightly lower charges applying on weekdays. The carriage house is $160. Children over 12 are welcome in the main house, and younger kids are allowed in the carriage house. For reservations, call (509) 525-5501.
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