My fiancé and I just stayed here this weekend for a couple nights and had a wonderful stay. The…read moreplace is tranquil and secluded, away from Main St and all the noise, but only a 5 min drive away. Dawn and Ed are great communicators, they had cookies ready for us on arrival, and Dawn met us to check us in and give us info. We stayed in the Rose room, which is roomy, has a heater and an old fireplace which they give you wood for. Bathroom/shower has a separate heater, and the room has its own patio, but we found it's much nicer to explore the grounds and sit on one of their many benches and chairs spread throughout the hillside with nice views. There are cows across the street that are friendly, and we went to say hi to them in the mornings and feed them tall grass.
And don't forget to step outside the cottage at night to gaze at the Milky way galaxy...you heard me correctly...not just stars, you can see the faint outline of the Milky way because Julian is a Dark Sky community and Ed and Dawn's place is very dark at night...epic!
Breakfasts are a delicious two course meal of a fruit dish and main. Added bonus is chatting with Ed and Dawn about Julian history and getting tips on places to go/eat. Ed and Dawn were also accommodating to bring our breakfast to their outdoor patio since my fiancé had some smell sensitivity to the food cooking in the main room (but also, it's kind of nicer to sit outside, but then you miss communing with the other guests) The main breakfast/communal area has a bunch of books and movies you can check out and take to your room, along with microwavable popcorn...we watched Gone with the Wind on VHS with the fire burning at night...such a charming and memorable time! Thanks Dawn and Ed!
Our only recommendations would be: 1) for those with allergies, getting some cotton bed sheets rather than microfiber/synthetic material (we asked but they didn't have any at the time) 2) while we loved the charm of the themed rooms, there is just a lot of stuff, i.e. old teddy bears/dolls on shelves, old style window curtains that are more for show rather than necessary since the windows already have blinds, these things just make the room feel crowded and also gather dust. But maybe that's just our minimalist preference? 3) The room is advertised with a Queen bed, but seemed more like a Full (perhaps it's a European Queen?), just seemed on the smaller side. In any event, we'll probably try to book the Apple room next time which has a King size bed (which was already taken during our stay) and has a view into the woods. 4) the couch/futon cushion is detached from the wood frame and has a tendency to slide around, and it's also bigger than the seating area, so you could end up sitting on the cushion but not the frame, thus falling down.