Bradford Place Inn & Gardens

Charming, comfortable, one block off the historic downtown district of Sonora. Well-​maintained by the attentive new owners. Delicious breakfast. I plan to return soon!

Let me start by talking about the property. The word is Charming! This is an 1890s Victorian, with all that that entails. Well, almost all. The charm is there, but the funky things that one finds in older places was notably absent. Light switches and faucets just worked. Doors closed. Jeff (one of the owners) is, it seems, very handy with this sort of thing, and it shows. All the charm, without the funk.
Our room (the Bradford Suite) was as comfortable as it was spacious. Great bed– firm, but not too much so. The room had a good flow. It even had a little sitting room off the bathroom that we did not use due to socializing with other guests, but it was very nice.
Gail and Jeff are great hosts. They fostered socializing among the guests over breakfast with the the communal seating area. And, while I can’t fully credit them for this, the other guests there with us made the stay very pleasant.
The breakfasts were great. We had choices each morning, and Gail took them each evening. Then, the dishes were prepared just as ordered, along with good, strong coffee. A great way to start the day.
Next time we’re in Sonora, there is no question that we would stay at the Bradford Place Inn with Gail and Jeff.
Cheers.

With a change in owners, one never knows what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Bradford Place had gotten even better with the new owners.
I could tell that Jeff and Gail have a list of high priority renovations and some changes for the better are already in place. The inn is more than pet-​tolerant … it’s positively pet friendly. Our dog had stayed here with us a couple of times before, but this time there was even the welcome addition of a pet waste station.
The breakfast setting has improved. I liked the communal dining room table that the Pedricks have added, preferred that to taking breakfast on small tables in the living room. And the quality of the breakfasts are as good as ever. Iappreciated the snack service and the access to juices and cold drinks which I think is another addition of the new owners.
Bravo! We look forward to staying again soon.

The new innkeepers, Gail & Jeff, are perfect hosts! They welcomed me like I was a member of their family, and I felt right at home my entire stay — Friday thru Monday.
The Inn is immaculately clean, and well-​maintained overall; but does need some TLC to bring it to the next level. And Gail & Jeff are the perfect perfectionists to do just that! They have the eye and the talent to restore it in a manner that respects its 150 year history while pleasing the modern-​day traveler
But remember its age! If you are adventurous and enjoy experiencing the quiet pleasures of Old World Charm, then you will enjoy staying at Bradford Place Inn. Why sit in your room and watch Xfiniti when you can sit in the parlor and enjoy the player piano? And the breakfasts are phenomenal!
I am confident that Gail’s & Jeff’s hard work will result in many subtle and charming improvements, and my next stay will be a 5-​star rating.

My husband and I had the honor of being the first guests of the new owners. Jeff and Gail were very acomodating in the beautiful Victorian house surrounded by antiques with a player piano in the parlor. We were upgraded to the Yosemite Room. A beautiful suite with a deep claw foot tub and sun room for cozy reading. A delicious gourmet breakfast is served in the dining room or brought to your room. Modern amenities in a Victorian ambiance made our stay special. We look forward coming back in the Summer.

You say you are looking for something special, a fun place to stay in the Mother Lode? Consider this.
Bradford Place Inn, a B&B, is a charming Victorian lady. Mellow music always going in the downstairs parlor, filled to the hilt with real antique furniture and accoutrements, her rich dark interior woodwork has never been painted (thank you Lord). She is a step back in time with her vintage wallpaper, lace curtains, oak floors with worn, colorful area rugs, historic pictures (including photos of the families that lived their at the turn of the century), and two parlor sized player pianos with enough antique piano rolls to entertain you for a week. What fun!
I had a purchased a really cool, discounted room through one of those Groupon-​type websites. The only caveat? I had to use it by August 1^st. So we went in late July for a 3-​night stay. But such luck. Heatwave, all over the country. Sonora, even with its higher elevation was no exception. I sure hoped Bradford Place Inn, with all its quaint Victorian authenticity, wouldn’t let me down. We really needed air conditioning and fans.
The day we arrived, I could only stare. First came the substantial steps from the sidewalk, into the house, and finally up the curvaceous stairway to our room. Yeah. I counted [such an old lady]. 32 stairs in all. Hey, it’s not really fun when you are dragging your cumbersome bags to your room. But gratefully we only had to do it once, and heat relief was instantaneous. Each room has its own state of the art heating/​cooling unit mounted on the wall of the room (too bad they are unsightly). We are talking really effective air conditioning units managed by remote control. Well, there you go… a toy for Wendy to mess with. So after I pushed all the buttons and discovered I couldn’t get it back to the original setting, our most patient host, Eli (pronounced Ell’-ee), came to the rescue, undid my shameful debacle, and Mr. B hid the remote. Ahhhhh, cool again.
And being a B&B, you can only hope the host is a good cook. The night of our arrival, we picked out the next day’s breakfast and also when and where we would like to be served (as in the porch, the parlor, or yes, even in our room). His breakfast choices were limited to just 3 options: 1) Norwegian Eggs Benedict (with smoked salmon), 2) The Mother Lode Skillet (creamy scrambled eggs served with a side cup of good white cheese) and some great breakfast potatoes, or 3) Crème Brulee French Toast. There was also a choice of juice, and as much coffee as you can pour into your hollow leg (I need that). So, I can assure you, this host is a great breakfast chef. His breakfasts were all lovely, we tried all three, but after tasting the smoked salmon Benedict and his (actually Julia Child’s) Hollandaise sauce masterpiece, I can assure you there was no other option for me. Perfect.
We were given the Tuolumne Room, a nice but snug, upstairs room with a queen bed with its own private toilet/​bath (had a strange shower tub combo that is adjacent the bed). The bed had a good quality mattress, soft bed linens. No hills and valleys here. Slept soundly. I believe he has 6 or 7 rooms total, some downstairs. Eli also lives on the premises.
As quaint as Sonora is… how do I put this nicely… we were there a little over one day before I had seen all I cared to see. An old cemetery, a local museum, a cruise down little Main St, a visit to the nearby hard cider farm/​tasting room (Indigeny). Feeling quite antsy, we started looking for stuff to do. The well preserved (but touristy) town of Columbia is very close by, as well as many other quaint towns, my favorite being downtown Murphys where you can indulge not only in more history, but also wine tasting, fine dining, and shops with eclectic foo foo, too. It’s all surrounded by pretty golden hillsides and gorgeous old oaks, and if you know what to look for, massive evidence of the scars to the land by those gold mining 49’ers.
Thank you, Eli for providing a welcoming, safe, comfortable place to stay while we enjoyed the area. Fall is a really nice time to be visiting.

My wife and I stayed at the Bradford Inn about two weeks ago. We had a great time and will definitely go back if we have a chance. We go to many B&Bs/small inns, so I’ll just highlight a few things that make Bradford stand out for us compared to other B&Bs we’ve been to.
— Breakfast quality: Honestly, this was the best breakfast we’ve ever had at a B&B. We talked to Eli about how he made various things and he has clearly put a ton of thought, practice, and work into each dish. We had the salmon eggs benedict, the crème brûlée french toast, and the mother lode skillet — they were all exceptional, and we got some cooking tips along the way. He also brings breakfast to you at a predetermined time, rather than requiring you to come to a common area.
— Lots of vouchers: I’m not sure if this always happens (maybe it just came with our LivingSocial deal), but we received many vouchers to nearby wineries and restaurants. We don’t plan ahead for vacations a ton, so it was nice to have some «suggestions» to start with. We ended up getting free/​reduced wine tastings, good deals on wine we purchased, and free dessert at a restaurant within walking distance. We used less than half of our vouchers.
— Player pianos: Eli has amazing player pianos and an impressive library of pieces — some of which are played by the composer himself. I studied piano in college, so this was a special treat. If you are into music at all, make sure to ask Eli to show you his stuff! This was the most exciting part of the stay for me, and my wife (not a piano person) enjoyed it, too.
— DVD collection + advice from Eli: There’s a small collection of DVDs in the lobby. We got personalized recommendations and ended up watching some great movies we wouldn’t have otherwise (they were all made before we were born). Our room had its own TV and DVD player which was nice.
— Personal patio: We stayed in the prospector room, which has its own patio. It was pretty awesome to have breakfast in the fresh air on a shaded patio all to ourselves.
— Sunset view: We happened to drive into the area in the early evening and realized how beautiful the sunset was in this region. You can drive about 15 minutes from the inn on Big Hill Road and find a nice place to pull out. Incredible colors playing out over rolling hills. Wow.
Anyway, Bradford is well-​managed and clean. We had no complaints about staying there and enjoyed meeting Eli and Billy Ray (the well-​behaved dog).

Very nice quiet place tucked away in a garden setting, the breakfast was very good as well. Recommended.

Love this place! We stayed in the Prospector room which is on the bottom floor with French doors and it’s own patio out front. The bathroom was updated and the room was the perfect size for us. The bed, pillows and robs were very comfy. In the morning we were served breakfast right on our patio… Orange Juice, coffee, fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries and raspberries), French toast and eggs benedict with smoked salmon. I’m salivating thinking of how delicious it was. This place has definitely set a high bar for our next bed and breakfast experience. Our friends stayed at the Inns of California and were very jealous. I highly recommend this spot!

Eli is a wonderful host and his dogs, Mary Lou and Billy Ray are adorable and obviously very loved sweethearts.
My husband, myself and our darling dog had a two night stay in the Prospector room, which has its own patio and a convenient dog gate to keep our friendly wee spaniel contained. The room has a comfortable queen size bed as well as a private bathroom. We had our delicious breakfasts (vegetarian version of eggs benedict for me and my husband tried both the skillet potatoes and eggs and the crème brûlée French toast) on the patio both mornings and Eli spoiled our dog rotten with lots of treats and pats :).
The grounds are beautiful, full of roses and irises and we had the pleasure of seeing Eli’s very cool classic cars. It’s obvious that Eli takes great joy and pride in his B&B, which is just off the main street and very convenient to a number of nearby attractions. We visited Calaveras Big Trees Park, Columbia State Historic Park and Indigeny Reserve (producers of incredible hard apple cider and apple brandy).
The whole experience was fabulous and we’d definitely visit again. Thanks for a wonderful time, Eli!

Cute bed and breakfast located one block from main street in Sonora.
We stayed in the Yosemite suite which was spacious and clean. The bathroom had been updated with a two person jet tub and a large shower. I loved all of the antiques in the room and in the main entry way. Being a bit of a history buff, it was awesome to see all the period pieces in the house as well as read historical points of interest on various plaques and pictures on the walls.
Off of the Yosemite suite is a darling patio with a bubbling fountain. We had breakfast on the patio both days underneath the branches of a flowering tree. It would be a great place to spend a summer evening with a chilled bottle of wine.
Speaking of breakfast, Eli definitely puts his own touch on the eggs Benedict and french toast. Everything we ate was delicious. Plenty of coffee in the morning (a must) as well as delicious orange juice. My only request would have been to have some half and half for the coffee vs. powdered creamer.
We got to meet the house Irish Setters, Mary Lou and Billie Ray. Both were taking naps in the parlor. Sweet pups each with their own story. It’s obvious that they are loved by Eli.
The only reason I’m giving 4 stars instead of 5 is that we are a couple that likes to sleep in and I am a light sleeper. The Yosemite room is located right off the main parlor and kitchen and noise carries into the room as people come and go for their coffee and breakfast. We could also hear the music playing from the lobby during the night.
I’d definitely stay at the Bradford Place again. It’s close proximity to downtown Sonora, Jamestown, Columbia, Angels Camp and Murphy’s make it a great home base. I only wish we’d had a few more days to enjoy the hospitality that Eli provides.

Wonderful B&B near Angel’s Camp, Murphy’s, and Big Trees State Park.
Breakfast is served in the room or parlor of this historic home.
The Yosemite room includes a private patio & whirlpool tub in room

Very nice stay. The house and rooms are beautiful and filled with antiques. Breakfast was included and very good. The Eggs Benedict and crème brûlée french toast was very good and came with seasonal berries and orange juice. Coffee and tea are available on demand.
The inn took care of the little things, like make up remover pads in the bathroom and an iron and working dvd player in the room. Vouchers for free wine tasting in Murphys, CA were also included (excellent) as was promotional money at the casino about 20 minutes away.
Parking can be a little tight, as there is only one space per car, and there are only 4 spots. Must like dogs since the owner has some well behaved dogs on the property. They are cute, and very mellow but this place may not work if you have dog allergies.

My husband and I got a deal on Living Social for a two night stay here. This was our first stay at a bed & breakfast so we weren’t sure what to expect. We got to the inn around 3pm on a Friday and were greeted by Eli, the innkeeper and Billy Ray, one of his sweet dogs. The check-​in process went quickly and Eli showed us to our room. We had booked the Tuolumne room with the jet bath «for one». The room was clean and cozy. One tip: the bathtub/​shower combo were in the actual room, not a private bathroom — something to consider for those who prefer more modest accomodations, but it was just fine for us. We spent Friday evening walking around Sonora (the inn is centrally located near the main road) and ended the night watching a movie in our room that we borrowed from the DVD selection available at the inn. The complimentary breakfasts we had (eggs benedict one morning and the skillet the second) were delicious! We chose to eat down in the den, but were given the option of breakfast in our room or on the patio. Saturday afternoon we used the wine tasting vouchers that Eli provided as part of the Living Social deal — the 20 minute drive to Murphys was so pretty! We checked out to head home Sunday morning after breakfast. Overall Eli is a great host and you can tell he takes pride in his inn. We enjoyed the intimate, personal experience of staying at a bed and breakfast and would highly recommend Bradford Place Inn for anyone looking for a quiet getaway in a small town.

We had a nice two say stay here for our anniversary. This is not a fancy place. It feels sort of patchworked together, which I certainly didn’t mind but some people might. You can tell the innkeeper takes pride in this place. He is extremely friendly and accommodating.
The positives:
Bed was comfortable
Room was clean
Conveniently located to downtown shops and restaurants
Peaceful
We were given all sorts of wine tasting coupons (which of course I forgot in the room when we went tasting) which was cool.
Outdoor space for dining, sitting, etc.
The negatives:
Small breakfast (compared to other BnBs)
Uncomfortable pillows (flat cotton stuffing)
I also misinterpreted the bathtub situation, although this was my own fault as the website does say «tub for one.» I mistakenly assumed a normal size bathtub was for one, and a larger than normal tub would be for two. I was very much looking forward to a bath, as I don’t have a tub at home, only to find a mini tub appropriate to perhaps soak your feet in but certainly not take an actual lying down bath in.
Also, the town of Sonora is more or less closed on Sunday and Monday, as we learned the hard way, so plan your trip accordingly!

Just perfect and amazing! I’ll always come back here for my vacation! The food, the room and the service is phenomenal!

We had a wonderful time at Bradford Place Inn. The location was perfect, the local vouchers for desserts and wine tasting were a treat, and the room was really comfortable and clean. The Innkeeper, Eli, was a pleasure and extremely helpful, and his two dogs, Mary Lou and Billy Ray were really sweet and pleasant! We would definitely recommend!

We had the most romantic one-​night stay and Eli the innkeeper was very helpful. The most beautiful, tasty Eggs Benedict breakfast with fresh squeezed orange juice was delivered to our door in the morning; indulgent bubble bath in the claw foot tub in our room; wonderful high quality linens and towels and bathrobes and all the privacy we desired. We felt very well taken care of and will definitely return for more indulgent relaxation in the future.

We haven’t even checked out yet and I feel compelled to write a review! This place is amazing! Location wise, it’s a less than 5 minute walk from the main drag, but it’s so quite that you get that secluded/​relaxing vibe from the place. It’s 20 minutes from wine tasting in Murphys, CA and also 20 minutes from Black Oak Casino. The breakfasts are phenomenal. We tried all of them, if I recall correctly, and they were delicious. The owner is very friendly and made this place even more charming and inviting. I love the vintage feel to the house and eclectic décor. If we weren’t moving across the country in a few weeks we would make this place our regular getaway! My husband and I stayed here for our 4 year wedding anniversary the past two days and had the time of our lives. I seriously don’t want to leave! I highly recommend this place.

We came here for a quick weekend getaway in Sonora and could not be happier or more impressed with our stay here. The innkeeper, Eli, is very nice and made sure we were well taken care of during out stay. His two beautiful Irish Setters, Mary Lou and Billy Ray, made our stay feel even more comfortable as they’re both very happy and laid-​back dogs.
First, the house itself is beautiful and is very well taken care of. It fits perfectly with the quaintness of Sonora and is exactly what I would have hoped for. It’s also a block off the Main Street, which is very convenient. There are two player pianos in the main room downstairs, which I was quite excited about, especially after Eli put a roll in the piano and let me listen for a bit.
We stayed in the Tuolemne room and it was very nice. The bed is very comfy, everything was clean and in good shape, and the added bonus of wifi and a tv with more channels than we have at home made for a very pleasant stay.
Breakfast was delicious both days and was served when we asked it to be. We tried the Eggs Benedict and the French Toast, and loved both!
In the end, we could not have asked for more and got way more than we expected. Eli was very welcoming and made us feel more like a guest in his home than a random guest in an Inn. I would whole-​heartedly recommend staying here to anyone looking to spend a weekend in Sonora!