Sweet Dreams - best B&Bs in the U.S. West

Sunset, Feb, 2000 by Jeff Phillips

Jena MacPherson

SKYRIDGE, Torrey, UT

When Karen Kesler and Sally Elliot fell in love with the dramatically eroded red rock of Capitol Reef and decided to build an inn adjoining that national park, their goal was twofold: to pay homage to southern Utah's ranching heritage and to create a showcase for Kesler's art and design skills. The result? On a ridgetop amid a sea of pinon and juniper, a dramatic three-story Southwest Territorial building that has the look of a ranch house on the outside and a playful eclecticism inside.

Eclecticism like the fireplace detailed with 30 pounds of hammered roofing nails that dominates library and art gallery. Rooms that have sand-and-mud-plastered walls and are individually decorated with Kesler's nationally exhibited art furniture--think Africa meets California--which somehow works with the untamed sunrise or sunset views from almost every window.

The innkeepers offer tips on hikes (they have their own on-site trail) and touring in the Torrey area while guests enjoy evening hors d'oeuvres featuring locally smoked trout pate. Elliot's artistry is in her bountiful breakfasts, such as pecan pancakes with cinnamon-apple sausage, served family-style in a sunny dining room.

ESSENTIALS: Six view rooms with TV-VCR; three with patios or decks, two with private hot tubs. Communal hot tub. $87-$125. State 12 and State 24; (435) 425-3222 or www.bbiu.org/skrydge.> Nicky Leach

* WILDFLOWER INN, Jackson, WY

Nestled among shimmering aspens and cottonwoods on 3 secluded, wildflower-dappled acres, this hand-hewn log home serves up a feast for the eyes. In winter leafless trees filter a panorama of the snow-etched Teton Range. In summer you can relax on a deck while watching for moose, deer, coyotes, or foxes to meander by. The views are almost as nice whether you're soaking in the hot tub in the solarium or cozying up in front of the stone fireplace. Now, breakfast--say, baked eggs--is a feast of another sort.

ESSENTIALS: Five rooms with baths, all but one with decks; cable TV $140-$280. Shooting Star Lane; (307) 733-4710 or www.JacksonholeNet.com/wildflower.> Bruce Raskin

* GALISTEO INN, Galisteo, NM

The simple elegance of adobe, wood, and stone suggests this 250-year-old hacienda's heritage. Llamas beneath huge cottonwoods in the front yard graze in front of high-desert ridges stretching beyond the stone garden walls. Modern comforts bring the inn stylishly up-to-date, with plank floors, carved doors, and period furnishings to reinforce the Spanish colonial graciousness.

ESSENTIALS: Twelve rooms, nine with private baths, five with fireplaces; outdoor hot tub, lap pool. $115-$190. 9 La Vega; (505) 466-4000 or www.galisteoinn.com.

Jeanie Puleston Fleming

* INN ON MT. ADA Santa Catalina Island, CA

From the veranda of this Georgian colonial landmark, you can watch the village of Avalon some 350 feet below stir to life just after dawn. Back in 1921, William Wrigley Jr. could have built his mansian--now a grand mountaintop retreat where guests can browse a collection of books--anywhere. It takes only a glance to know that he made the right choice.