The camera crews have packed up and left and a new sign hangs above Fallbrook, California’s Chateau La Rue, newly renamed the Oak Creek Manor. The bed and breakfast made famous by actress Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott has returned to its owners Patricia and Christopher King and is on the market for $2.3 -$2.675 million.
Spelling and McDermott have declined their lease option and first right of refusal, putting an end to their two-season tenure on “Inn Love,” a reality series on the Oxygen Network. Since Spelling and McDermott left the property, the Kings have worked to restore the rooms to their original colonial style.
Oak Creek Manor was modeled after Monticello, former President Thomas Jefferson’s 5,000-acre plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia. Past the columned front porch of the 4,500-square-foot home there are three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and fireplace, as well as a separate guesthouse.
To open this already established inn, the new owners need only to turn the key. The time and money saved on renovations can be invested in marketing and optimization of the Web site, which has already gained recognition since the airing of the show. It’s a “wonderful opportunity to stay at a bed and breakfast that was not only run by two celebrities, but has also been on TV,” said Proprietor Patricia King in a recent press release. Yet the small number of rooms may deter prospective buyers who will have to gain city permission to add the estimated ten rooms needed to support the business.
Further, the solitude could be problematic for travelers looking for a more central location from which to explore California. Then again, Fallbrook is only a fifteen-minute drive from Temecula’s wineries and 20 to 30 miles inland of the beach cities of San Diego County. For wine lovers, Patricia King recommends the nearby Fallbrook Winery. According to King, Oak Creek Manor’s remote location is one of its selling points. In the otherwise endless cityscape that is Southern California, the property is an oasis of countryside. The manor sits atop eight acres of land near the Temecula Wine Region away from the traffic and noise. “In the winter you can hear the aspens blowing in the breeze,” says King, who also enjoys the “symphony of frogs” as they fill up the pond each year around February.
As for the surrounding area, the city of Fallbrook is near a population base of 15,000,000 and growing. The property’s eight acres could support if not create a destination as the Inland Empire continues to expand.
“About 5% of the country’s Bed and Breakfasts are for sale,” points out American Historic Inns owner Deborah Sakach. And for those of you interested in venturing into the Bed and Breakfast industry and needing some additional advice, logging onto www.iloveinns.com or contacting Jamee@iloveinns.com can be your first step towards your dream. The iloveinns.com online directory lists 19,000 B&Bs and country inns and produces the best selling bed and breakfast guidebook Bed & Breakfasts and Country Inns with a Buy-One-Night-Get-One-Night-Free Certificates.
Note: For photos or interviews, please contact Barbara Naylon at 949-497-2232, ext. 305.
By: Devon Glenn – Staff Writer
