Mendocino lodging
 

Can anyone help me decide between the Mendocino Hotel or the Whale Watch Inn?? Comments appreciated. Thanks!!

I haven't stayed at the Mendocino Inn, but we spent our 33rd anniversary at the Whale Watch Inn this past February and loved it. The breakfast was great, the rooms really nice. We stayed in the Crystal Sea room with a spectacular view and sound of the ocean.

The Hotel is very historic and victorian with lots of antiques.Rooms over the bar and to front can be very noisy.
Although I thought the rooms were very small but then that may be the Victorian "part.
IF you are speaking of WW Inn in Fort Bragg . It is a great B&B bigger rooms and at our last visit cheaper than the Hotel. (Years ago it was the local hospital)
Personally I like Fort Bragg better than Mendocino
mainly because it has retained some of the old small town charm .
Plus has the best coffeehouse on the coast--Headlands Cafe
Wish I were there right now .
Have fun.

The Whale Watch Inn we stayed at was not in Ft. Bragg. It was just north of Gualala.

I loved the Brewery Gulch Inn -- beautiful! Mendocino Hotel is old school in downtown and we went there for dinner one night. Neat bar but a little old fashioned for me! Brewery Gulch Inn, though, does require you to drive into town... We loved it.

Apples or oranges, jtwiss53. Totally different atmospheres. Seaside plush or village quaint. Newport Beach or Thomas Kincaid. Depends on what you want.

I've stayed at Whale Watch (the one near Gualala, which I assume is the one you're asking about), and eaten at the Mendocino Hotel.

Whale Watch is modern, plush, sexy. Oriented towards seclusion and ocean views. I can easily picture it somewhere on the Southern California coast, which was slightly jarring as in general the mood of this area is different, less sleekly plush and more laid back. But for all that I would gladly stay there again, although if I could get into one of the Sea Castle or Cliffside units at Greenwood Pier Inn in Elk, that would be my first choice in this area. www.greenwoodpierinn.com.

Mendocino Hotel is very consciously quaint, antique, Victorian, oriented towards the quaint New Englandish town it is in the middle of. It's a charming town with many interesting shops and restaurants, with great ocean views just outside it, and if I was feeling like centering my days on the town, I think the Hotel would be a fine choice.

Oddly enough, considering my comment about the Whale Watch to be the one of the two I could picture in Southern California, the Mendocino Hotel is, or at least used to be, owned by a former mayor of San Diego.

Have a look at the Glendeven inn, not far south of Mendocino. It's absolutely charming, and from there you can walk through a meadow and forest to the cliffs above the ocean.

Hi. We stayed at the Brewery Gulch Inn and loved it. Very charming, woodsy but with a view of the cove. We considered Mendo Hotel for our trip in November, but chose Alegria instead. It's right in town, but is perched over the ocean and oozes charm. If you want to read some good guest reviews of these properties, go to tripadvisor.com For some reason, Fodors doesn't review many smaller places. ps- Glendeven did look awesome- it's a little farther down the coast from the town.

We just got back from Mendo on 6/16. Loved it!! We stayed at MacCullem House. We stayed in the converted barn, awesome. Definitely have dinner at the Gray Whale, superb!

While you're in Mendocine, don't miss Mendo Burgers--great burgers, fries with assorted seasonings, fine shakes...a very funky place.