Martine Inn Historic Bed & Breakfast: Old & New Elegance in Pacific Grove, California

With the Pacific Ocean as an omnipresent backdrop, the Martine Inn and its more than 100-year-old legacy provide an ideal location to experience the old and new of the Monterey Peninsula.

The historic bed & breakfast, built in 1899, offers guests 24 rooms all respectful to the Victorian stylings of yesteryear. Turn of the 19th century antiques dominate the furnishings - push-button light switches, to claw foot tubs, brass fixtures to marbled sinks.

Located on Oceanview Blvd. in Pacific Grove, the Martine Inn is owned by Don Martine, who with the assistance of his parents, purchased in 1972 what was previously called the Parke Estate.

Since 1901, the estate was the family home to Laura and James Parke of the Parke Davis Pharmaceutical Company and various family members. With Laura and James Parke in poor health, the compound, which included the main house, carriage house and two additional buildings, was sold in 1942.

Thirty years later, the Martine Inn was acquired by its current namesake who began its renovation in 1984.

Two decades later, the inn while nestled in a area with many varieties of accommodations -- roadside motels, modern luxury hotels and numerous other inns -- offers visitors numerous features found nowhere else.

Consider:

* An extensive collection of vintage MG automobiles is located on the property and available for viewing by guests. Martine, whose interest in the specialty cars began in 1950, has six vehicles on display. He also has various artwork and other memorabilia included in his "MG Museum." Martine also has a nearby auto shop where he restores and builds racing engines;

* The main parking lot is a grass and cinderblock carport conveniently located right in front of the inn. Two parallel side streets also offer very convenient first-come, first-served parking;

* A game room with a billiards table is located in a former shuffleboard and patio furniture and storage area;

* Conforming to the establishment's Victorian motif meals are served daily with Victorian and Old Sheffield silver pieces. The dining room offers a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.