PAGE 10 FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2019

Business Spotlight

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES

HAMILTON • ROLEX • CARTIER • CITIZEN • LUMINOX • SKAGEN • TAG HEUER • SWISS ARMY WATCH, CLOCK, JEWELRY SALES & SERVICE CENTER

CERTIFIED WATCH MAKER • WATCH REPAIR • WATCH BANDS • BATTERIES FOR ALL WATCHES

1401 MISSION STREET. SUITE C6 • SOUTH PASADENA, CA 91030 • 626.799.9919MONDAY-FRIDAY: 10AM - 6PM • SATURDAY: 10AM - 5PM

VanaWatch&Jewelry

G R A N D O P E N I N G

ROLEX, BREITLING, OMEGA, TAG HEUER, CARTIER, BALL, MOVADO, HAMILTON, LUMINOX, VICTORINOX (SWISS ARMY), CITIZEN, SEIKO

Watch, Clock, Jewelry Sales and ServiceCertified Watchmaker • Watch Repair • Watch Bands • Watch Batteries

1401 Mission Street, Suite C • South Pasadena • 626-799-9919Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm • Saturday 10am - 5pm

Bring in this ad for $5 off any item.One per customer,

One per visit.

Casual restaurant offering a menu of traditional Chinese fare,

including seafood specialties.

OAK TREE INNChinese Seafood Restaurant

1315 Fair Oaks Ave • South Pasadena • (323) 682-288211AM–10PM • menu: oaktreeinnpasadena.com

Lunch • Dinner • Cocktails Daily lunch specials

Free delivery, minimum $40, within 3 miles

Photos by Kamala Kirk

The Perfect GetawayArroyo Vista Inn is a Historic Bed-and-Breakfast that Caters to Travelers from Around the World

By Kamala Kirk Contributor

When Janice Lupien moved to South Pasade-na from Beijing with her four children, she wanted a job with flexible hours that would allow her to be involved in her chil-dren’s various activities. In 2015, she purchased the Arroyo Vista Inn from its previous owner who had converted the 10-bedroom house into a bed-and-breakfast.

“Little did I know that I had taken on a 24/7 job, but the inn is a labor of love,” said Lupien. “In 2006, the previous owner transformed the house into a bed-and-breakfast which she ran until 2015. I’ve done a lot of main-tenance and upkeep but kept most of the original décor because she did such a beautiful job ren-

ovating.”Renowned architect

Lester Moore built the 10-bedroom craftsman home in 1910 for Ezra and Ida Thompson, a wealthy couple. The inn is situated on a hillside that offers stunning views of the San Gabriel Mountains and the prop-erty includes an innkeep-er’s cottage behind the main house.

“This place isn’t your typical hotel,” remarked Lupien. “Because we’re so close to everything, including downtown Los Angeles, we’re more like an urban bed-and-break-fast. We serve breakfast daily, but we’re not here all the time waiting for guests to check in. We provide everyone with in-structions for self-check-in so they can arrive and leave at any time, and

they pre-pay on our web-site with a credit card. We’re in and out during business hours, but we don’t want people to feel restricted. There’s al-ways an innkeeper on duty in case they need anything.”

Each bedroom has its own bathroom (some fea-ture luxurious bathtubs), a flat-screen television and unique design style. Rooms on the second floor have private bal-conies, while rooms on the third floor offer some of the most spectacular views of the Arroyo, Pas-adena and San Gabriel Mountains. The living room includes a piano, which guests are wel-come to use, along with a game table. Visitors also enjoy the outdoor a foun-tain garden and spacious veranda.

Guests love the freshly baked cookies that are served daily, along with a daily wine and cheese happy hour from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Once a month, Lupien hosts her popu-lar wine tasting series led by an expert som-melier, which includes cheese, fruit and appe-tizers. The events, which cost $30 per person, can be booked directly via the website.

“I have never man-aged a bed-and-breakfast before, but I love to cook and entertain,” said Lu-pien. “During the week, we offer a continental breakfast, and on the weekend everyone sits down in the main din-ing room. We also offer afternoon tea for guests that contact us 24 hours in advance. I love to host and have people over, so

this has been a lot of fun.”Rooms can be conve-

niently booked online, with nightly rates start-ing at $180 during the week and $230 during the weekend. The price includes breakfast, wine happy hour and parking. Arroyo Vista Inn also of-fers discounts for AAA members, college stu-dents and those staying for longer periods of time. The inn is pet-friendly and charges a one-time fee of $50 per stay. Addi-tional amenities include a mobile masseuse that guests can request, as well as a local bike guide to take them on tours of the area.

“We also host private events at the inn and have done everything from sit-down dinners and bridal showers to of-fice Christmas parties,”

Lupien pointed out. “Our guests have been very happy with the parties we’ve put on for them. I love meeting the differ-ent people that come and stay here. It’s fun serv-ing people from around the world that sit at the breakfast table while they talk about their lives, jobs and experienc-es. It’s nice to hear guests interact with each other, because I know they’re having a good time and enjoying their stay with us. A lot of people say that this place feels like home—it’s a very cozy experience in a beautiful setting.”

Arroyo Vista Inn is lo-cated at 335 Monterey Road in South Pasadena. It is open 24 hours daily. For more information, call (323) 478-7300 or vis-it arroyovistainn.com.