Santa Maria Inn

Frank J. McCoy opened the Santa Maria Inn on 16 May 1917 with twenty-four rooms, each with its own bath. McCoy was a master innkeeper and a noted floriculturist, and he set out to give the place the atmosphere of an English country inn. It became a regular stop for Hollywood on the coast road: Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart and Marilyn Monroe are all in the register, alongside President Herbert Hoover. The guest most associated with the inn now is Rudolph Valentino, whose favourite suite, Room 210 in the original wing, still carries his name; his figure is said to be glimpsed there, or felt as a passing cold spot. Guests in the historic section also describe women's perfume in their rooms at night, a door that locked someone out on its own, and belongings moved while they were out. Staff describe the elevator travelling to one particular floor and waiting there about fifteen minutes before moving on, at around the same time each day. The inn still operates.