Travel Hotels marga@lacabe.com

Stay: July 2008 Mike and I went on a short vacation in July 2008 and stayed at The Bungalow on our last night out. We liked the B&B quite a bit, and I personally wouldn't mind staying there again. It's probably more of a place for boating afficionados, as is the whole Clearlake region, but it's very nice in itself. The Bungalow occupies the space of a former saloon and dance hall, which has been converted into a single-family home. The owners originally planned to make it into a private residence, but the city objected as the space was zoned commercial. They took a couple of classes on running a bed-and-breakfast, tried it and "had a ball." Now they run it as one when they are in town. As you would expect the house has an enormous great room. It features an area for games, a "library" area with comfortable chairs, a TV area with its own seating arrangements, and a large dining table where breakfast is served. The big room is open to guests, as are the decks outside. On the main deck there are plenty of lounge chairs, as well as other patio furniture (some of it in the shade). Below there are lounge chairs overlooking the lake, a pier, a little green patch and an area with a couple of hammocks. There is also an outdoor kitchen, with a BBQ and a fridge for the guests to use. A small beach off the rose garden serves as a launching spot for their kayak and small boat - both available to guests. There is a very friendly, very gentle large dog around; he doesn't seem to engage much but will go and greet you. The Bungalow features three bedrooms ($140-170). We stayed in the Wisteria room, but I took a look at the other ones and they seemed similarly furnished. Our room had a high bed with plenty of pillows, two night tables, a couple of comfy chairs with a table, and a dresser. It didn't have a TV, but they have a small portable TV you can bring in, if you so choose, and it also lacked a desk. There is, however, a fast wi-fi connection. The bed was very comfortable, I liked the Kirkland Prima Cotton sheets (I checked what they were, as I'd like to buy a set for my bed at home) and had a very comfortable night sleep. My main interest in the room laid on the jacuzzi tub, and this one was pretty deep but narrow. You definitely couldn't fit more than one person. Still, I took a wonderfully relaxing bubble bath there (bubble bath was provided) - the tub has a little shelf area where you can safely place your book. There are a couple of minuses to the room, however. For one, it's pretty dark and not particularly frilly/romantic looking. For another, it's very close to the road, and while the traffic noise subsides at night, it could be bothersome if you were to spend much time there during the day. In all, I liked the house more than I liked the room. The B&B owners are very nice and friendly. They have snacks (wine, beer, iced tea & lemonade, banana bread, fruit and candy bars) set out during the day, and there is wine and cheese at 5:30. Breakfast varies from day to day; when I stayed it consisted of a sausage strata (I didn't eat it because I don't like eggs, but everyone else ate their huge portions), a cup of fruit and a berry blintz. I also had some of the banana bread from the previous day. There was coffee, tea and hot chocolate available. I'm not sure if I'll go to Clearlake again, but if I do, I'd definitely stay at the Bungalow again. The Bungalow 10195 East Highway 20 Clearlake Oaks, CA (707) 998-0399 http://www.thebungalow.com/