About Us
Welcome to ForFriends Inn, situated in downtown Santa Ynez, California and just five minutes from Los Olivos & Solvang. This immaculately detailed eight-room boutique bed & breakfast lies in the heart of the Santa Barbara County Wine Country and is surrounded by rolling hills, cattle ranches, horse farms and over 200 gorgeous vineyards and wineries. ForFriends Inn is within a short walk to tasting rooms and the area’s best restaurants and entertainment; and a short, traffic-free drive to all of the wonderful wineries and other attractions throughout the Santa Ynez Valley and the Santa Rita Hills.
Completed in 2005, ForFriends Inn was built in the fashion of a large Craftsman farmhouse. Great care has been given to combine Wine Country and the New West with a touch of elegance to create a perfect wine country getaway for couples and friends seeking a brief respite from their busy lives.
Eight large, elegant rooms in ForFriends Inn include six in the main house and two private cottages — the two-story Sunstone Tower and the cozy Kalyra Cottage. All of the rooms offer a California king-sized bed, large private bathrooms, sitting areas, premium linens, upgraded amenities, luxurious bathrobes, balconies and porches. All are elegantly appointed to provid you with an array of personal touches and all of the amenities you deserve.
Completed in 2022, ForFriends Village was designed in the fashion of a communal village for friends and families. Six large stand-alone bungalows accommodate up to 4 guests each with a California king-sized bed, large ensuite bathrooms, sitting areas with couches, premium linens, upgraded amenities, balconies and personal porches. All are elegantly appointed to provide guests with an array of personal touches and all of the amenities they deserve.
Enjoy a Perfect Day in Santa Barbara Wine Country
Our Room Names
The name ForFriends Inn best tells the story of what folks can expect when they visit our little bed & breakfast: Friendship and fun. We thought it’d be a friendly idea to have our room names help guide our guests to some of the best places to enjoy wine, food and fun when traveling to the Santa Ynez Valley. So we’ve offered our local business partners the opportunity to have a room named after them.
History of Our Valley
Among the early settlers in the Valley were members of the Craig and Raymond families. Edna Raymond married Elza Craig on June 10, 1908 in Santa Ynez. Edna was 17 years old. The Craigs built their home on Edison Street in the Township of Santa Ynez. The home was situated on the site of what is now the ForFriends Inn and remained one of the oldest homes in Santa Ynez until its destruction by fire in 1962. Ownership of the property remained with the Craig family until 1994 when it was sold to the Inn’s owner.
The Pavilion served as a town meeting hall and also offered midnight suppers and dancing. Legend has it that during prohibition, a “bottle” could often be found behind the bar. Edna and Elza ran the Pavilion until Elza’s death in 1938.
Inspiration for the design of ForFriends Inn came from a combination of local history, the magnificence and Victorian flair of the College Hotel, and the graciousness of the Hewes Mansion, built by California pioneer David Hewes in 1881, south of Los Angeles. Construction of the Inn began in 2002, with the erection of the garage and the water-tower themed building to the rear of the property. Construction of the main building began in 2003 and was completed in August of 2004. Victorian, Craftsman and western era detail within the Inn was finished in December of 2004 and the Inn opened its door in time for the Christmas Season.
Special thanks go to Terry (Craig) Thomas and Ray Craig, whose grandparents and parents brought vitality, hard work and achievement to the growth of the Township of Santa Ynez and to the Valley. Along with information from the historical Santa Ynez Library, a testimony to the skills of Edna Craig, and photos courtesy of the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Society, Ray and Terry have been gracious in lending their personal recollections of life in Santa Ynez, along with family photos and literature.
