Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/205395
112-115 DEST Ojai Valley Inn_SU07 10/23/13 9:14 PM Page 3 sonal and local connections, with options tai- sions—was taken over by the military during In 1947, the resort was reopened with the lored specifically to couples, families, and World War II. Used first for soldiers to train, golf course rebuilt, and became a magnet for friends getting together in their own spaces. then later to recuperate, the golf course was Hollywood celebrities and politicians. Charlie Stargazing, s'mores, bike rentals and trips to flattened in 1942 to make way for a battalion of Chaplin, Mary Pickford, the Marx brothers, local petting zoo and horse ranch, Ojai Valley 1,000 Army troops, sent after a Japanese sub- Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Dinah Shore, Judy Trail Riding Company, are effortlessly arranged marine fired rounds into a Santa Barbara-area Garland, Clark Gable, Walt Disney, Jimmy by hotel staff. oil refinery.Troops set up Army tents on the for- Stewart, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Joe With all the luxury and natural beauty, it's mer golf course and officers stationed their DiMaggio were among the famous guests. The hard to picture that the resort—which started headquarters in the clubhouse. Later, the Navy golf course drew legendary players Arnold as a private country club and golf course influ- used the property as a training base, and even Palmer, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and more enced architecturally by the California mis- assisted local farmers with harvest season. recently, celebrities Will Smith, Kevin Costner and Michael Douglas. Movies such as "Pat and Mike," starring Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, and "Lost Horizon" were filmed in Ojai, and the television series "The Bionic Woman" starring Lindsey Wagner featured the valley. Jack Nicholson's "The Two Jakes" was filmed at the resort in 1990. In the early 2000s, a $100-million renovation resulted in enhancements including 308 refurbished guest rooms, and in 2013, a Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is celebrating its 90th anniversary with recently remodeled rooms and an upcoming new menu, featuring steak, at the Maravilla restaurant. The luxurious rooms provide cozy retreats at the serene 220-acre property, which was built in the Spanish Mission style. The hotel spa, which is 31,000 square feet, received a four-star award from Forbes.