Restful Ojai Offers a Rural Retreat

Take a break from city life. You can poke around here in bookstores, visit studios and artists, soak in hot springs, dine on fine food, play golf or tennis, fish, cycle or just stroll.

This rural retreat is a few miles inland from Ventura. Ojai (pronounced OH-hi), named for the Chumash Indian meaning “the nest,” is cradled in a valley of fruit trees at the edge of Los Padres National Forest.

The garden club displays its flower of the month by the door to the post office, which is a landmark and local rendezvous along main street, Ojai Avenue.

Over at Bart’s Books on the corner of Matilija and Canada, some of the shelves are on the outside of the building. That’s so customers will have something to read when the store is closed. (There’s a slot in the door through which you drop money.)

Biblical Garden

Nearby on another corner, Foothill and Aliso, women at the Ojai Presbyterian Church spent a quarter-century collecting plants mentioned in the Bible. Fifty specimens are in a Biblical Garden that’s open every afternoon.

On Sundays, local artists show their work in the parking lot of Security Pacific National Bank on Ojai Avenue.

The valley’s creative residents include ceramist Beatrice Woods. She and other artists welcome visitors to their studios; a list with addresses is in the chamber of commerce’s Visitors Guide.

You’ll see changing shows in the gallery of the Ojai Art Center, 113 S. Montgomery St. It’s open daily except Monday from noon to 4 p.m. Next door at the old firehouse, Indian and pioneer memorabilia are displayed in the Ojai Valley Museum. Hours are 1 to 4:30 p.m.; closed Tuesdays.

Cycle or stroll along the Ojai Valley Trail, a woodsy path that follows the former route of a railway. (The Bicycle Doctor at 212 Fox St. rents two-wheelers for $5 an hour, $15 for the day.) Half of the path is fenced off for Ojai’s equestrians, who usually stable their horses at home.

Trout, catfish and bass lurk in Lake Casitas a few miles west of Ojai via California 150.

You can get bait and tackle at the boat rental pier. Entry to this recreational park costs $2.50 ($3 in 1989) per vehicle; camping sites are $8 ($9 next year). Call (805) 649-2233 for more information.

California 33 winds north of Ojai to a hot spring that has attracted bathers since Indian times. Today it’s known as Wheeler Hot Springs, where you can soak in hot or cold mineral water, take massages and dine.

Brunch is a weekend feature at the restaurant, which is open Thursday through Sunday (the spa is closed on Tuesdays). For reservations, call (805) 646-8131.

Longtime favorites for exceptional dining are the Ojai Valley Inn, Ranch House (in Meiners Oaks) and L’Auberge. Locals also like the Herc Garden and the Backstage Cafe, which reopens in a new location next month. Ojai Valley Bakery and Village Pastry are regular stops for coffee and treats fresh from the oven.

Besides half a dozen motels, you’ll find three B&Bs;, a fitness spa and the historic Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club.

The inn and its 18-hole golf course have been the places to stay and play in the Ojai Valley since the 1920s. Today the 220-acre country resort is better than ever, following a $35-million renovation completed last summer.

Besides redecorating the original adobe and board-and-batten cottages, buildings have been added that doubled the number to 218 rooms and suites. Amenities include mini-bars, terry-cloth robes and evening turn-down service.

Guests can use two heated swimming pools, whirlpool spas, saunas and exercise equipment. Four of the inn’s eight tennis courts are lighted. A new pro shop is one enhancement of the restyled par-70 championship golf course.

Also improved are the inn’s dining facilities, where varied menus are prepared by a French chef. Even if you’re not an overnight guest, try the Vista for fine dining (jackets required for men at dinner) or the more informal Oak Grill and Terrace.

Sunday Brunch

The inn’s traditional Sunday brunch has been continued, and features everything from eggs Benedict to barbecue on a spit. The tab is $19.75, children $11; reservations advised.

Double room rates are $140 to $190; add $10 to $20 on Friday and Saturday nights. There’s no charge for up to two children in the same room. Suites begin at $275. Call the Ojai Valley Inn, (805) 646-5511, or toll-free (800) 422-6524.

Also well known is The Oaks at Ojai, Sheila Cluff’s flagship health spa. Her daily program includes a choice of 17 fitness classes and three low-calorie meals. It costs from $99 per person double.

Or you can spend a day joining in all activities and meals for $70, without lodging.

The Oaks is in the heart of town at 122 E. Ojai Ave. Phone (805) 646-5573.

A block or so away at 210 E. Matilija St., look for the Ojai Manor Hotel, built as a schoolhouse in 1874 and considered Ojai’s oldest building. It’s a six-room bed and breakfast with three shared baths and rates from $70 to $75. Call (805) 646-0961.

A mile east on Ojai Avenue, a fence and facade of river stones mark the century-old Theodore Woolsey House. This homey B&B; has five rooms, chickens in the front yard and a swimming pool out back. Rates are $45 to $65; an $85 room accommodates children. Reservations: (805) 646-9779.

West of town at 710 S. La Luna you can spend the night at Casa de La Luna, an impressive home built by Doris and Miles Scott. It has three spacious rooms ($65 to $85) plus a separate cottage ($95). Breakfast is in the formal dining room. Call (805) 646-4538.

Drop in at Ojai’s helpful chamber of commerce office, 338 E. Ojai Ave., or call (805) 646-8126 for more information.

Get to relaxing Ojai from Los Angeles by driving north on U.S. 101 to Ventura and exiting onto California 33 toward the mountain foothills. Bear right on California 150, which passes the entrance to the Ojai Valley Inn and becomes Ojai Avenue.

Round trip from Los Angeles to Ojai is 170 miles.