by Diane Brady

y husband and I had heard so much about the Paso Robles Inn that we decided to see what it was like.

This historic hotel, located in the town of Paso Robles, in California’s Central Coast wine region, continues over a century of tradition by offering the opportunity to “take the waters.” This began in 1891 with the opening of the immense El Paso de Robles Hotel (“The Pass of the Oaks”). It was three stories high, and an indication of its size is that it contained a seven-acre garden.

It was built entirely of brick and masonry, and was considered fireproof! Alas, in 1940 the fireproof hotel was completely destroyed by fire. Well, not completely. A separate building, which housed the magnificent ballroom, survived. In February 1942 the present inn opened.

The area was famous for its mineral water and mud baths, originally discovered by the local Salinan indians (who called it “heaven’s spot”), and many notable people came to “take the waters.” One of these was the Polish pianist and statesman, Ignace Paderewski, whose career nearly ended in 1913 due to arthritis in his hands. He stayed for three months, and was able to resume his concert tour. (My husband recalled listening to Paderewski recordings in his grammar school music appreciation classes at PS85 in the Bronx.)

Paso Robles was a main stop on the railroad between San Francisco and Los Angeles, so the hotel was a popular destination and attracted many people, including celebrities, movie stars, and other notables.

In 1910, the San Francisco Seals baseball team in the Pacific Coast League began using Paso Robles for spring training. They were soon joined by the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. I can imagine that the players found the “waters” soothing to their aching muscles.

Paso Robles was (and still is) the gateway to William Randolph Hearst’s mansion on the coast in San Simeon. From the mid ‘20s until the late ‘40s it saw a parade of movie stars, politicians, and business big-wigs pass through.

The Hollywood glitterati included Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish, John Wayne, Clark Gable, and Judy Garland, and such sports heavyweights as boxer Jack Dempsy.

Grapes were originally planted around 1797 by the friars at nearby Mission San Miguel.

In 1999, a local family named Martin bought the inn and began a multi-million dollar upgrade to what had become a small hotel in a small town. As automobile travel became more popular in the 1950s and passenger rail service began to decline, Paso Robles declined also. Now, however, it is a popular destination, due to its location in the wine country.

Grapes were originally planted around 1797 by the friars at nearby Mission San Miguel. This was the beginning of the Central Coast Wine Region.

Tom Martin asked Floyd Butterfield, a local geologist, if he could come up with a way to remove the noxious odor from the water. He did, so taking the waters is now much more pleasant.

One truly notorious person who is reported to have spent time in Paso Robles was the outlaw Jesse James. He supposedly was wounded in the chest during a bank robbery (or by Union soldiers during the Civil War), and made his way, with his brother Frank, to Paso Robles, where a law-abiding uncle, Drury James lived, to recover from this poorly healing chest wound.

The hotel now has, in addition to standard rooms, over 30 suites with mineral spas, some on a patio (with a privacy curtain), and is currently building a larger spa facility.

Our room, a Garden Fireplace room, overlooked the gardens and had a gas fireplace, which we greatly enjoyed, as the evening was cool.

Paso Robles Inn: tel. 800/676-1713; www.pasoroblesinn.com

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