Simply put, I can't recommend Spruce Canyon more highly. My family lives in the Bay Area and I visit, on average, every four or five months. Over the years, I've stayed in many of the B&B-type accommodations in Berkeley, and have been favorably impressed with most of them. Then, in the summer of 2005, I found Spruce Canyon. Now, I never stay anywhere else. In fact, I'd guess that over the past couple of years I've spent a total of some fifty days or more in what I now affectionately refer to as my home-away-from-home.

Let me say that in some ways, it's surprising how much I adore this place. When it comes to my own surroundings, I'm something of a minimalist. Ana, the main proprietor of Spruce Canyon, on the other hand, is an avid collector - and the apartment is chock-full of her extraordinary finds. Still, the space manages to feel open and serene: what might have been a crowded jumble in other hands here has been expertly rendered a completely comfortable, aesthetically-pleasing, endlessly amusing interior landscape. I'm actually not sure how she does it, but the place is also spotless - and I'm Virgo, so I know about spotless. The bed is Goldilocks-perfect: not too hard, not too soft. The water pressure in the shower is fantastic. There's a deck off the kitchen, a dining table and a desk, comfortable chairs for reading, window seats for daydreaming, and the fragrance of eucalyptus in the air. You're walking distance to the Rose Garden and the UC campus and Chez Panisse. And perhaps of best of all, Ana and Richard are the ultimate hosts - absolutely respectful of your privacy, but there if you need them. There really is no better place in Berkeley to be.