B&B REVIEW : LAGUNA B&B MAKES AN ART OF RELAXATION.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Daily News Staff Writer

From busy Pacific Coast Highway, the Casa Laguna Inn looks like any well-kept hotel or inn nestled right up against the coastal speedway.

But step through the wrought-iron gate and you enter a agical world where doves coo, colorful wall tiles tell religious tales, a mini-rain forest delights, a bell tower is the perfect place for a clinch and a smooch, and a big, black cat named Bully reigns over it all.

``There's a lot of tropical charm,'' said Lee Kerr who, with his wife Joan and friends Ted and Louise Gould, owns the Laguna Beach inn perched on the side of a hill overlooking the highway, with the Pacific Ocean just on the other side. ``People seem to enjoy themselves here. And that's what it's all about.''

After a day of gallery-hopping in the town about 60 miles south of Los Angeles and trying to find a parking spot near the beach, the inn behind the bright blue awnings is the perfect place to unwind. Tea, wine and lemonade, with hors d'oeuvres and simple teatime desserts, are served from 5 to 7 p.m. in the library. There's just enough time afterward to spruce up to attend the Pageant of the Masters in the summertime or find a great restaurant for a leisurely dinner any time of the year.

At the inn, built in the 1930s in what was then an artists' colony, guests have a choice of accommodations. The Mission House, which fronts the coast highway, also houses the library. Courtyard rooms are in three long structures built perpendicular to the highway, surrounded by gardens and interspersed with patios furnished with white wrought-iron benches and tables.

Quieter are the Balcony rooms. High up on the hill and further from the highway, these aeries are favorites with honeymooners because of their isolation and views of the ocean. And, for families or large groups, there's the Cottage, a separate house with its own deck overlooking the swimming pool and the gardens.

I chose a sunny courtyard room with a queen-size bed, a drop-leaf desk the cubbyholes of which were filled with paperback novels, a wet bar, a ceiling fan and louvered windows on east and west sides that provided blow-through ventilation on a warm afternoon. Bully - he's really not pushy; he got his name because he was acquired in Bullhead City, Nev., Kerr said - was basking in the sunshine outside my door.

``Most times, he just invites himself in and goes to sleep on the bed,'' Kerr said.

I unpacked, then went exploring. The inn, made up of whitewashed adobe-looking structures covered with red-tile roofs, is a multileveled amalgam of resort and rain forest, with a large swimming pool, two greenhouses and gazebos amid a terraced garden filled with palms, ferns and flowers. A large cage of doves and cockatiels sits in the shade.

``There are lots of little nooks and crannies,'' said Kerr. ``Even when we have a full house of guests, you hardly see more than one or two other people.''

``Have you been to the bell tower yet?'' innkeeper Kathleen Flint asked as she passed me on a path. ``It's listed in `The Best Places to Kiss in Southern California.' ''

A winding but shallow stairway leads up into the tower, lined with the colorful Catalina tiles that make the inn a curiosity to artists and others. There's no bell in the tower, just a small, square room with a vase of flowers, a chair or two and a tiny tile shrine to the Virgen de la Esperanza Macarena. Since I was alone, I couldn't confirm the tower's best-place-to-kiss reputation, but it is the most secluded spot at the inn, with a spectacular view of the ocean. Despite the noise of the coast highway traffic just below, the sounds of engines mingled with the sounds of the sea; I sat for a bit - and hated to leave.

But I wanted to see more of the colorful tiles I'd been told about.

Kerr, who acquired the inn with his partners a decade ago, said he's not sure why there is a religious theme to many of the tiles. (One of the most valued tiles, depicting the birth of Christ in the manger with angels looking on, is in the inn's laundry and housekeeping room.)

What is known is that the wall tiles, inspired by Syrian and Persian tiles of the 13th century, were made in the 1920s at the Catalina Island tile factory owned by chewing gum mogul William Wrigley Jr., and were included by architect Frank Miller in his design for the inn.

``There's a religious theme throughout, and that's sort of a mystery to us,'' he said. ``People sometimes ask if (the inn) was formerly a convent. No, but the original builder apparently was a person with deep religious convictions and was perhaps fascinated or comforted by religious art tiles.''

Ironically, the inn that now houses travelers and romantic couples was built as guest and staff quarters for the once-posh Villa Rocklidge estate across the highway. But the setting today is certainly not what you'd expect in the staff quarters anywhere.

Breakfast is a do-it-yourself, buffet-style meal, with guests free to choose from cold cereals; hard-boiled eggs; bagels, rolls and fruit breads; jam, marmalade and cream cheese; orange and grapefruit juice; fresh fruit; tea and coffee. A toaster oven and toaster are handy for guests to use.

Breakfast time is a cordial period at the inn, when guests wander in and out of the library - transformed into a dining room with a long table and chairs - swapping experiences on sights to see and places to eat.

``We're just going to the beach and hanging out,'' said the male half of a honeymoon couple from Texas. ``There are two little beaches just across the road, and they're great. Just be careful crossing the highway.''

My day didn't include time to hang out at the beach. But I did make one last visit to the bell tower, trying to capture some of the magic of the garden, before heading off down the coast highway.

On Location

Address: Casa Laguna Inn, 2510 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, Calif. 92651.

Phone: [phone] or [phone].

Price range: $89 to $249 in summer, winter rates as low as $69.

Number of rooms: 20, all with private bath.

House rules: Children and small pets welcome, both smoking and nonsmoking rooms.

Money matters (credit cards, cancellation policy): Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, personal checks, cash; full refund for cancellations 72 hours before planned arrival.

Check in/check out: 2 p.m. / 11 a.m.

Telephones, television: Television, cable TV in all rooms.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

Photo: (1--Color) Casa Laguna Inn is a magical world filled with cozy rooms and a mini rain forest.

(2) The rooms are cozy at Casa Laguna Inn, which was built in the 1930s.

Carol Bidwell/Daily News

Box: On Location (See Text)