Suggestions for Mendocino area?
 

I will be visiting my sister in July, flying into San Jose and we are looking for a couple days trip from there. We have done many parts of California, this time we are considering the Mendocino area. Any thoughts on this area, things to do, nice affordable places to stay? Appreciate any suggestions! Susan

My wife and I stayed 2 or 3 nights in Mendocino about 3 years ago. We loved it. Before, we had spent a lot of time in other parts of California, such as San Franciso, Big Sur, San Diego, etc. But, like you, we have never gone north. The coast is even more rugged. The scenery is more . . . startling. The trees are bigger.
We stayed at the Stanford Inn, which is just outside Mendocino, and has a great view of the ocean. Downtown Mendocino offers some nice shopping and several nice restaurants. [Over the years, there have been a few posts here dealing with various lodging choices, as well as restaurants. You mights want to do a search. Also, check out a book entitled "Hidden Northern California."] Have fun.

Go wine tasting in the Anderson Valley (Rte. 128). Near Fort Bragg there is a well-known arboretum (on the ocean side of the highway) that is well worth a visit.

I second the suggestion for Anderson Valley. My wife and I visited in March and really enjoyed it. The tasting rooms were not crowded at all. Especially liked Greenwood Ridge and Navarro. The Mendocino area is beautiful. BTW, we stayed in Elk when we were there.

I agree to check out the wineries in the Anderson Valley(Route 128)..I would add Lazy Creek and Sterlina to the list. Now..we have not stayed at Alegria but it comes highly recommended by someone who lives in the Anderson Valley and works with the wineries. I checked out their website and got a brochure..it looks great!

That's Esterlina.

We stayed just south of Mendocino in the Little River Inn. It was lovely and right next to a beautiful state park. The park offered ranger presentations and forested trails. There was a beautiful beach across from the park (or it might have been part of it), where children played while their Dads dove for abalone. It was very interesting and fun.

A couple of years ago, on our first trip to Northern California, we stayed at the Agate Cove Inn just outside the center of Mendocino. The property was lovely, and the rates were very reasonable. Most of the rooms are in their own separate little cottages. We were in one of the lowest priced rooms and it was very spacious. (I think the lower price was because we did not have an ocean view.) The Mendocino area has some wonderful restaurants (we especially enjoyed the Albion River Inn restaurant), and the Anderson Valley wineries are definitely worth a visit. (We loved Navarro, Roederer and Handley.) The drive through the redwoods to get to the Valley is gorgeous. Have fun!