- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Goose & Turrets B & B
- Price Range:
-
$$
3 reviews for Goose & Turrets B & B
I'd been looking forward to my stay at Goose & Turrets ever since I had read some reviews about it online (through various Google Maps links and such). "Goose & Turrets - what an odd name for a business," I kept thinking. It must be great! Indeed, Goose & Turrets turned out to be even better than I had hoped.
First off, Montara is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it town on Highway 1 between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. I value obscurity and so this was a plus for me. When checking our G&T online, their webpage was quite funkified with 1996-style web design replete with pictures of what could only livingly be described as the 'high eclectic' decorative style of their rooms. Obscure + eclectic. This place just keeps getting better!
Raymond and Emily are both such wonderful people, where can one start to describe their generous hospitality? Before I begin such a task, let's talk about the house: it is really quirky. Indoors your find a well lived in dwelling that isn't at all primped or primed for luxuriant or high maintenance B&B guests. Instead, G&T feels like someone's home. This, in my opinion, is a good thing as that is what I think of when I think of a B&B - being welcomed into someone's home and being cared for like family.
On that note, Raymond and Emily are caring people that can sustain a good, intellectual conversation without being overly assertive or condescending and they really want to make sure you are at home. This said, however, they don't smother you with their charm and hospitality. You are given space to come and go as you please (after all, it is a business) but are welcome to chat any time. At 4:30, tea is served and it is quite special as it is REALLY good and it is the time when all guests have a chance to sit and get to know each other.
Montara is a teeny tiny town. To me, this means that G&T is more of a getaway than a hotel/B&B hybrid (like you might find in Half Moon Bay). Also, G&T is not on the coast nor near the immediate costal vicinity. Rather, it is in a 'residential' neighborhood tucked away in the hills. You may be asking, "why on earth go to a B&B that isn't A.) near some kind of overt cultural/shopping center or B.) doesn't have some sort of killer amenity like a costal view? Well, my answer is admittedly wordy and self-righteous: our hyper-gentrified and gaudy times filed with excursions to latte houses of worship and alcoves of material delights beg for balance and a retreat like G&T provides the a wonderful panacea to this. At G&T, expect above average accommodations at a good price, superb tea with quality conversation, and an out-of-this-world four course breakfast that is truly customized to your taste (my breakfast was raspberries and cantaloupe, oatmeal with allspice, lower-back bacon with french toast stuffed with a homemade raspberry jelly [incredible!], and toast with a nice, dry gruyere cheese - salt to balance the sweetness).
If you want pamper-me-with-glitter B&B, keep on going. G&T isn't about that at all. If you want a B&B where the hosts really want to KNOW you and engage in bright, intellectual conversation while continually teasing your olfactory senses with wonderful tea, coffee, and four course breakfasts, then call G&T up now!
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Funny (1)
The bottom line: If you want to stay in a quiet, comfortable but non-cutesy B&B near a great beach, check this place out. The breakfasts are excellent too.
If you want more details: We just stayed at The Goose and Turrets last night and had a thoroughly relaxing time. Warning: If your idea of "bed and breakfast" is limited to white wicker furniture and lots of florals, this may not be the place for you; it is definitely not cutesy (which is one reason my husband liked it). However, it is very well decorated and clean. Our room, the Demetra Room (named after an ancient Greek goddess) was decorated in an ancient Greek motif--pretty cool and a nice change from the usual.
The owners, Roy and Emily, are a very erudite and intelligent older couple who will either make enjoyable conversation or leave you alone, as you wish. They have a lot of books and magazines you can peruse, as well a CD player and piano in the front parlor if you're musically inclined, but there are no TVs in either the guest rooms or the common area. (My husband and I preferred it that way, but if you can't live without TV, this place won't be your cup of tea.) There is free Wi-Fi, though, if you absolutely have to remain plugged in. The garden in the back is pretty and would have been a relaxing place to sit if the weather had been a little better.
Breakfast was excellent: some of the best coffee we'd ever tasted, tea, juice, a fresh fruit salad, homemade frittata with sausage, and toast with apricot jam. We also had a little "dessert" of Queen Anne's cherries--all locally-grown produce. The day before, we joined Roy and Emily for afternoon tea, which consisted of Roy's delicious homemade rhubarb and strawberry pie in addition to the tea.
Finally, they are a short walk (15 minutes at an easy pace) from pristine Montara State Beach. I don't surf, but I saw several surfers and boogie-boarders, so I assume it must be a good spot for that. It was very beautiful and relaxing just to walk on the beach and check out the variety of beautiful wildflowers. There are also a few restaurants in Montara within about a 10-minute walk of the B&B, but we decided to go to dinner in Half Moon Bay, a short drive (about five minutes) down the coast. If you want a quiet B&B a little apart from the crowds that descend on Half Moon Bay at the weekends, I highly recommend the Goose and Turrets.
My first B&B experience, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it was delightful. The proprieter, Emily (husband Raymond was working elsewhere this weekend), is very friendly, generous, helpful, opininated, and intelligent. She has been everywhere in the HMB area and can tell you about it, honestly. (One of our fellow guests mentioned that they had reservations somewhere and she remarked, "Well, did you want something romantic, or did you want to eat?") The house is old and funky and has a great collection of art.
There are four rooms available -- we stayed in Demetra because my mom and I need separate beds. It was very comfortable and had a private bathroom. It's not fancy, but I'd take comfortable and eclectic over high-gloss and bland any day.
The food and drinks were also wonderful. There is a different tea each day, and they know something about tea. No cheap bagged tea here, no way! Afternoon tea is served with a variety of little snacks, all of which were worth tasting. Breakfasts are a multi-course affair, and while you'll be full, it's not like getting a Grand Slam at Denny's or something. The portions are neither ginormous nor meager, but they are lovingly prepared, filling and--above all--delicious. In our two mornings there, we had a fruit plate each day (different assortments), some dish with a grain (yogurt and granola one day; oatmeal with cinnamon the next), an egg dish with a side of bread (corn frittata with biscuits and homemade(?) strawberry jam; egg and cheese baked in a ramekin with thick cinnamon raisin toast), finished up with a sweet (both days were sherbet for us). She was very accomodating of our dietary needs (vegetarian), though I've heard she has some bacon and sausage-based dishes that are divine.
Also! Their coffee is fantastic.
We met some interesting people and had some lively discussions with our fellow guests, too.
My only regret is that HMB was kind of boring for us, so we'd have no real reason to come back here!
Website has lots of information: http://goose.montara.com/
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
