LLindaC

We are going for 8 days in March-April and are including 4 days here. Plan to visit wineries, hike, bike. We are looking at properties- each sounds better than the next! Help! Something romantic, yet not too far out of the way. Great ocean views. Uncrowded. Any other info is greatly appreciated!

clarkgriswold

www.gualala.com

PamSF

Hey Linda~check out the wineries on 128. There are some great ones. I'd personally recommend Esterlina(ask to sit upstairs on the deck), Lazy Creek(delicious unfiltered pinot noirs), Roederer(great champagne-try the L'hermitage). You will also find Navarro, Greenridge,Husch. Check out Allegria (I think that's it. Our friends at Esterlina swear by it) It's on the Mendocino Coast. I know you liked Camellia Inn. The wines on 128 are even more exciting I think than those of the Healdsburg area. You might also check out the properties at Sea Ranch. Check Ram's Head Rentals.

Lexma90

We just returned from a couple of days in Mendocino. The wineries aren't that close to Mendocino, and while it's a gorgeous drive, I wouldn't want to make it more than twice (as I recall, mileage from Mendocino to Navarro, at the northern tip of the Anderson Valley, was at least 30 miles of twisty back roads).

We stayed at the MacCallam House, right in Mendocino. Some of the rooms have ocean views, and the restaurant has some ocean views. It was cozy, nice, and the food was good.

GP

Hi LLindaC

We too just returned from that area. We had a great stay at the little river inn, a couple of miles south of the town of Mendincino. It was across the road from the beach but the views were great from the room we were in. (it was a Luxury Oceanview Rooms with Jacuzzi) One of the best thing is that they have room servive so we could watch the sunset from our room and have dinner there with a bottle of wine (or two) we brought that day in anderson valley. It also is right next to van Damme state park which has trails. Here are a couple of links
http://www.gomendo.com/
http://www.littleriverinn.com/

Have Fun
GP

dovima

Hello LLindaC,

Mendocino town itself is a great place to stay if you don't want to drive to restaurants and shopping - which might be a good thing if you've spent the day biking and/or wine tasting. However, it does get a little crowded on weekends during the day. At night, Mendocino is a VERY quiet small village.

Alegria is right on the street that borders the water on the south side of town - don't know what the rooms are like but I imagine you would have an ocean view from most of them.
Little River Inn is a great alternative just down the road, as is the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek. A little lower-key but very pleasant is Rachel's Inn - also just down the road from Mendocino town.

Make sure to go out to the bluffs on the western edge of town to watch the sunset - the view is spectacular. And for something offbeat but great after a day of touring, check out Barefoot Mendocino - a place that offers foot massages and herbal foot soaks.

razzledazzle

Hi LLindaC!
If I read your post correctly you plan 4 days in Mendocino and 4 days elsewhere in the area-if that is true
I would run to www.greenwoodpierinn.com
This Romantic, garden,oceanside w/glass
walled jacuzzi (in your room)ON the ocean w/fireplace Inn is not to be missed! (The North or South castle rooms would be my pick!)Located in the town of Elk, 15 miles south of Mendocino town. From the Greenwood Pier Inn you are in easy reach of Pam's excellent suggestions for winetasting on RT.128 and lots of hiking
biking opportunities in the Navarro Redwoods and Hendy Woods State parks.
BE A U TI FULL! Enjoy!
R5

LLindaC

You guys are killing me! We were looking at the Albion River Inn,Glendeven Inn (1st choice) and Brewery Gulch Inn. Even thinking about the Highland Ranch for a day or two, hmm. Pam, I HAVE to return to Camellia for a visit! We just adored Healdsburg and we must pay a visit to all our friends- Cynthia at Meeker (Geyserville) Dan at the deli, Rick at Amphora. We are flying in on March 25 for the Lodi Spring Wine Festival and staying at Amorosia Inn. We'll do the wineries around that area on day 2 and 3. Then, it was either the Mendocino region or south toward Monterey/Pacific Cove. We thought the Redwoods sounded better- we love to hike and bike, and are quite fit. Amazing for the amount of wine we consume, LOL! It's such an off-time, I thought we could stay at the luxury places cheaply and go for it! We loved Sonoma in April- had most places to ourselves. BTW- we did the S Africa wine region in June- fabulous. I have a trip report if anyone is interested.

PamSF

LLinda~We did stay at Rachel's..it is low key and nice but we did check out the rooms at the Glendeven and thought we'd like to stay there in the future. It's a beautiful property. It is not on the water but you, no odubt, have water views.

PamSF

And, as a lover of the vine, I can't say enough good things about the wines or the folks at Lazy Creek. It is a small family operation(you walk through their front yard to get to the tasting in the barn) but their wines are great. One of the Esterlina folks is part of our wine group. Try their Cole Ranch Pinot Noir...yum!

GP

Hi LLinda

Let me give ypu a special tip. If you guys like to hike and your not afraid to drive narrow twisty roads. You should vist Montgomery State Reserve. You get there by taking the Comptche-Ukiah road east (Its about 1 mile south of Mendincino) It is about 25 miles away you end up on orr springs road which goes into Ukiah. This grove of redwoods is the best. It has numerous trees in excess of 350 feet tall. The tallest redwood is now supposed to be in this grove but it is unmarked so you have to guess. Dont bother there are so many really tall trees it does not matter. IMHO it is worth a special trip althouth getting there and back to Mendincino will cost you about a whole day.

Have Fun
GP

dovima

Another vote for the Montgomery State Reserve hike. I was just in Mendocino a week and a half ago, and on the way back to S.F. I decided to drive the Orr Springs road. Stopped in the redwoods for a hike - well worth the effort. There is a bit of an uphill slope before you get to the grove, but it's easy. FYI, the Mendocino locals tell me the Orr Springs road is passable all year but tends to get icy or wet during the winter - so this trip in the dry sunny weather of our Indian Summer was the ideal time!

LMHAtlanta

My husband and I went last spring and it was wonderful! We stayed at the most fantastic B&B -- new, craftsman-style with an absolutely wonderful breakfast, yummy wine hour and beautiful sunsets. It's called Brewery Gulch Inn -- just outside of Mendocino. It was awesome! I would definitely recommend Cafe Beaujelais (not sure if I spelled it right) but it is absolutely awesome...

Also, another vote for Montgomery Woods -- the tallest redwood in the world is there. We went on a weekday and were the only ones there... very cool...

jw

We stayed at the Elk Cove Inn in Elk last spring. Great place, and they have a spa too. We stayed in one of the cliffside cabins. Elk is about 30 minutes south of Mendocino, but it is a very nice and quiet community. It is smaller than Mendocino. We did enjoy our visit to Mendocino, and the wineries on 128 were nice(and not crowded!). Wherever you stay, I think you will enjoy the area.

Caldremr

We had a wonderful weekend in Mendocino in late October...probably unusually warm weather with high's in mid 80's and low's in 50's..
Stayed in the rental house at the Glendeven Inn....both recommended highly...It's called La Bella Vista and can be found on the Glendeven Inn's website...
Dinners at the STevenswood Lodge next door and Cafe Beaujolais and the Mendocino Cafe were all great...
Plenty of space for hiking and biking in that neck of the woods...
and lots of gallery crawling to do in town as well..
Had lunch at the Mendocino Hotel...very nice.
Wines enjoyed included a Jepson Chardonnay and a Navarro one as well...also a Pacific Echo champagne..
Fetzer has a tasting room right in the village itself and the inn gave us a coupon to use there if desired...The stretch of 128 north of the hubbub in Calistoga and points south is rather quiet and scenic...with many wineries worth your time along the way..
We took the coast highway south to Tomales...maybe a little more of the coast highway than I need but it was beuatiful at every turn...Highly recommend a stop at the Point Arena Lighthouse..historic spot with another view back towards the coast itself..
Driving this stretch of road is not for the faint of heart...Plan on taking your time and stopping to enjoy the view..
Have a great trip...Mendocino is my idea of a place to 'escape' a lot of the commuting that seems to define California these days...no cell phone towers either...so no cell phone calls..Very very nice.

MsGhost

If you want oceanfront lodging, check out www.cypresscove.com. It's close to Brewery Gulch Inn, but unlike it, is right on the ocean and also looks back at the picturesque village of Mendocino. Close to excellent dining like Stevenswood and Albion River Inn as well as close to the shops and restaurants of Mendocino (try Moose Cafe there--it's great. Or for a casual, outdoor deck lunch the Mendo Cafe). You're very close to Big River Beach at Mendocino for great beach walks as well as the trails along the Mendocino Headlands which give you a dynamite ocean view as well as views of the village. About 15 miles north, you can go to Ten Mile Beach and MacKerricher State Park...as "advertised" it really IS ten miles of beaches to roam--plus sand dunes and a huge sea lion colony where there are raised wooden walkways out to viewing platforms. While up that way, stop in Cleone at the Purple Rose for a great Mexican dinner (they open at 5) before heading back down to Mendocino. If you're there in March, you should still be able to see gray whales migrating north with their young and that's quite a thrilling sight as well!

LLindaC

Again, thank you for your help, you are great! Here's our plans: 2 days in Lodi for Spring Wine fest (March 26). Drive up to 128, do a few tastings. We won LuxuryLink auction- 3 days at Brewery Gulch Inn w/a free lunch, breakfasts and aft appetizers for $314.! Isn't that great? We plan on doing mostly nature activities. Then, we won a day at Grape Leaf Inn (175) in Healdsburg.That will be a wine day, obviously! The last 2 or 3 days, we are planning on staying in Sonoma. I haven't found an auction or deal yet, but I am hopeful! Off season is great for the prices, also so quiet at that time.

MsGhost

I recently saw Gaige House in Glen Ellen (close to the town of Sonoma) on Luxury Link and in the past they have had MacArthur Place which is right in Sonoma. I've stayed at both places and they are both wonderful. MacArthur Place has a spa with some terrific massages plus their pool is heated year round (and I've even been in it in December and it was VERY comfortable!). The property is larger than Gaige House and thus offers more privacy.