Fodor's Expert Review The Inn on First

Guests gush over this inn whose hosts-with-the-most owners make a stay here one to remember. The main, painstakingly restored 1905 mansion contains five rooms, and five suites are located in a building behind a secluded patio and garden. The decor in the rooms and public areas successfully evokes both period and contemporary style. Chef Jim Gunther, the inn's proprietor along with Jamie Cherry, prides himself on never serving repeat guests, of which there are many, the same breakfast twice.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Rooms here don't have TVs, and the innkeepers "respectfully request" that younger guests be at least age 12.

room

Rooms are individually decorated with period-style furnishings that may include four-poster or sleigh beds, oval mirrors, and armoires. A welcome and romantic modern touch are the whirlpool tubs, two of them heart-shaped, with space for two (with one exception, in the mansion, the tubs are in the main room, not the bathroom). The rooms all have gas fireplaces as well.

The suite-size rooms in the newer building have private balconies or patios.

Photo: Garden King Bedroom Suite (Heritage Estate), with gas fireplace, whirlpool tub for two, private bath, and private enclosed patio deck.

Photo: Mansion King Bedroom (First Crush): with gas fireplace, whirlpool tub for two, private bath.

Photo: Garden King Bedroom Suite (Incantment), with gas fireplace, whirlpool tub for two, private bath, and private enclosed patio deck.

Photo: Every room has a whirlpool tub for two and separate shower.

bathroom

Period touches in the bathrooms include pedestal sinks, hexagonal white tiles, large faucets, and old-style goose-neck lighting fixtures. In some cases, the sinks and vanities are in the main part of the room.

Photo: Every room has a whirlpool tub for two and separate shower.

lobby

Just off the mansion's foyer, chairs and a sofa surround the sandstone fireplace in the living room, whose other focal point is a black baby grand piano. Guests often relax here with a book or magazine, and some take breakfast in this room.

dining

The 150 breakfast recipes of the inn's chef and co-owner, Jim Gunther, include ones for granola, puff-pastry pop tarts with chipotle-tofu filling, and crowd-pleasing corn-dog omelets. Guests enjoy breakfast in the main dining room at a communal cherrywood table, in the living room, or (in good weather) out on the patio.

Photo: Breakfast: Cocoa-Chocolate Pasta with Walnut Sauce, Poached Egg

Photo: Breakfast: Focaccia Sandwich with Fried Egg, Basil Cream

Photo: Breakfast: Lasagna with Smoked Mozzarella, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon

drinking

Port from St. Helena's Prager Port Works is available in a decanter in the living room, but there is no bar.