Bradford Place Inn & Gardens, Sonora

We had the utter pleasure of staying at Bradford Place for the first time. It is conveniently located just a block or two from downtown Sonora, so you can walk to have dinner and do some shopping. There is private parking on-site, and we were greeted by two very pleasant and well-mannered Irish Setters, who beat the innkeeper, Eli, to welcoming us. The inn is charming and has tasty baked treats awaiting in the parlor. After checking us in and confirming our choices for breakfast, we were brought upstairs to our already-cooled room, the Tioga. While a smaller room, it is very comfortable and has good lighting, both natural and electric. Also, it is high-ceilinged, and not overly-stuffed with furniture or decor, so it doesn't seem claustrophobic. The bathroom is vintage, with a sea-green tiled shower tub, and matching pedestal sink. Shower has glass doors instead of the clingy shower curtains, and the showerhead has good water pressure! I was especially pleased to see we each had two PLUSH, snowy white towels and washcloths available, so I could shower and rest before going out for dinner that evening without worrying if I'd have a damp towel the next morning. Was also grateful for the Neutrogena makeup remover wipes, which I find much more appealing than the mysterious brown washcloth that some B&Bs have out with a little sign "Ladies, please use this to remove your makeup". The bed had four pillows with snowy-white ironed pillowcases (!), which I find much more appealing than having two pillows in shams of unknown cleanliness. I found the mattress so comfy that I fell asleep before I realized it. Other amenities in our room included a clock radio with CD player and remote, a phone and answering machine, two comfortable wingback-style chairs and a table with small coffee pot, drinking glasses and ice bucket. Also a small, flat-screen TV and DVD player, with a DVD library downstairs you can select from. The air-conditioner is operated by remote control, so you can adjust direction, speed and temp. After we came back from dinner at a local restaurant, we were stuffed, and contemplating the staircase leading up to our room somewhat dubiously. We instead decided to sit in the front parlor and relax. Mary Lou, one of the Setters, came over to stand near me and looked inquisitively at me. Once I started scratching her ears, she was happy to sit down next to the sofa and allow me to pet her for a good twenty minutes! Both dogs are very sweet and well-behaved. Eli heard us and came over to chat in between his other duties. We asked about the player pianos, and Eli was kind enough to play some of the music rolls he's collected. We were treated to pieces by Debussy and Gershwin; "Stardust", a variation on "Blue Danube" and several other pieces - it was heavenly! We had a grand chat with him between songs, with the dogs occasionally coming over to check on us. We finally retired after 10 pm, but if we hadn't been so tired (or concerned about annoying the other guests) I think we would have been happy to stay up till the wee hours continuing the music and discussion! We stayed on a Saturday night, and I woke up Sunday morning about 6:30. It had been a peaceful night; occasionally you could hear a car drive past, but nothing loud. I sat in one of the chairs and just enjoyed the quiet when the church bell from the church a couple of blocks from us started tolling about 10 minutes before 7. It, too, was not disruptive, but had a beautiful tone to it. Eventually we both showered (lots of hot water!) and came downstairs for breakfast. Fresh fruit awaited us, and we both chose the Norwegian-style Eggs Benedict (salmon? for breakfast? yes, please!). As the other guests had already eaten, Eli stayed and chatted with us for a while longer before we had to go upstairs and pack. All in all, it was an excellent time. This B&B is a treasure, and in no small part due to the owner's efforts! We cannot wait to plan our next getaway there!

We didn't have time to research the Bradford Place Inn and Gardens B&B, prior to making our reservation. We stayed here for three nights in early November 2009, it was a a total delight, Dottie was the perfect innkeeper, she's a great cook and marvelous host. We stayed in the Yosemite Room, Simply Perfect.