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Webster House Bed & Breakfast
Rating Details »
5 reviews for Webster House Bed & Breakfast
This is a wonderful place to have high tea - and the only traditional high tea in the East Bay that I'm aware of. I went on Saturday with a few girlfriends for a bridal shower and it couldn't have been more perfect. We had the place to ourselves (not by design), which was nice because the dining room is pretty small. But small in a friendly intimate way, not in a stifling way.
The food was great - especially the lemon ginger scones with Devonshire cream. Yum! We had a nice selection of tea sandwiches - smoked salmon, brie, tuna, and egg salad. A little frittata for me (I don't eat meat) and bangers for the other girls. And of course a beautiful selection of cookies and petit fours.
Susan was attentive without hovering. The food came out at a leisurely pace, but there was a lot of it, so the meal felt well paced. And Susan made sure the tea was always hot and fresh.
Now I just need to think of another excuse to go back!
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
What a JOKE!! I CONVINCED my family that this would be a great place to stay after visiting and speaking with the inn keepers. Dad's not much of a B&B fan, but I thought the quaint atmosphere and unique history would be a fun change for them. Granted, it was a little more pricey than the other options in the Alameda area, but I figured it would be worth a few extra bucks for a fun experience.
They checked in to find that they were the ONLY guests for the first 3 of 5 nights of their visit and the inn keepers had taken off for Florida - in the middle of July! You own an B&B and leave town in the heart of the summer?!?! Seriously???
And...the owners had left the neighbor in charge of coming over to cook breakfast (which consisted of quick oats the first day and poorly cooked eggs and soggy white toast the second). After the first shower, the hot water in their bathroom simply quit working - and, of course, there was no one there to fix it! Fortunately, there were 3 other un-rented rooms available where my parents could shower WITH hot water!
Not the service or experience I would have expected from a B&B with such generous reviews. The thing that gripes me the most is that none of this information was disclosed prior to my parent's arrival - had they been given the option to cancel, due to the fact that they would be the only ones at the house during their stay, I would be much more forgiving. Feels a bit like we've all been SCAMMED! Highly UN-recommended. If you really don't want to run the place - DON'T - BUT, don't take people's $$ claiming to be a B&B, when you're not even close!
I would not recommend this place to friends for tea. The owner was there and did give us a great background on the history. of this historic home...however....the quality and taste of the food was poor and did not compare to most of the other high teas I have had...especially considering the higher price that is charged by the Webster house and the fact that you must prepay in advance of your visit. There was also not a selection of teas....if you wanted caffinated tea ....you had one choice. Based on the price poiint and other great tea places to visit in the Bay Area I would put this one very low on the list..
More than just a quaint Bed & Breakfast, this is a gothic house surrounded by trees They serve English Tea in the afternoons.
Yes, a real Gothic -Revival house- before Victorians were even being built. This is "Webster House," the oldest house on Alameda Island. Built in 1854, Webster House was constructed "back East" and shipped around Cape Horn in pieces to be built on-site here in Alameda. Its solid construction is due to its pure Redwood frame, which has lasted over 150 years and will likely last another 150.
Proprietors Andrew and Susan McCormack also run a mini cafe here, along with Andrew's construction constracting business and a real estate office. They bought the house in the 1980s and restored it, getting it declared a Historic Landmark in I think 1989 (something like that).
Where Webster House's hidden value is: English Tea. You don't have to be a guest of the place to get a deluxe High Tea in the afternoons. Call Susan to make a reservation; tea guests are seated in the quaint first floor living room and served the traditional courses: mini sandwiches (we had pate and a vegan egg salad for the veggie in our group), a savory (we had a "banger in a blanket") and of course scones, cookies and petifores. Quite a spread, all on fine china and the multi-tiered server partitioned by course.
People thought this was:
- Useful (8)
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What a gem. One of my favorite tea places ever...and that is saying a lot. If you've never been here before, go now. The place is for sale and if it sells, there is no way of knowing whether the new owners will continue the tea or bed and breakfast services that they have. They serve high tea every afternoon but you have to make reservations at least 24 hours in advance. Susan knows high tea and her husband did a great job renovating this gorgeous house. Almost all of our savory choices involved some kind of meat, which is a bonus for me. The pate sandwich was my favorite. (But Susan does vegetarian high teas as well.) They even have a patio in the back for nicer days. Susan and Andrew are very friendly and are great to be around. But it's just Susan working the dining room and kitchen, so you have to be have "mentalitea" and not be in a rush during this experience. Check this place out if you are at all into teas. It may not be around for much longer.
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Specialties
We are an Historic Bed and Breakfast Inn with a Restaurant & Teahouse. We specialize in Bed and Breakfast Lodging and serve daily meals, such as Full English High Teas, by appointment to the public with at least 24 hours advance reservation requested; and Daily Dinners, also by appointment only
We also specialize in hosting delightful private parties and many wonderful weddings and receptions now for over 20 years. Our Bed and Breakfast Inn guests have a wonderful historic home on a beautiful Island in the San Francisco Bay, accessible by auto or ferries to tour the Bay Area.
