In search of an ultra-romantic setting? Set your sights on the melt-your-heart places to bed down for the night in and around Mendocino. In nearby Fort Bragg, guests at the pet-friendly Beachcomber Motel can roast s’mores to the roar of the Pacific on the beachfront Mate’s Deck fire pit, while the Noyo Harbor Inn offers sweeping views of that working harbor amidst the barking of seals and cries of seabirds. Victorian-era cottages and mansions now housing lace-and-finery B&Bs abound, offering personal-touch niceties and a homey feel. (At Headlands Inn, snuggle under hand-stitched quilts, then wake up to French toast and coffee.) There are resort-like options too, most notably Little River Inn, which offers on-site golf, tennis, fine dining, gracious gardens, and luxury oceanfront rooms that feature private decks and fireplaces. At the Glendeven Inn & Lodge, guests can choose from several lodging options, from a barn loft to cottages to more modern lodge rooms, and book a variety of restorative massages and treatments. The Inn’s own clucking chickens—which provide all the eggs for visitors’ breakfasts—and roving llamas add to the pastoral charm.
For an only-in-Mendo twist, consider the treehouse-like Brewery Gulch Inn, where you can start the day with eye-rolling-good breakfasts featuring organic eggs and locally foraged mushrooms. And at the elegant Stanford Inn, an exceptional, earth-friendly experience is evident at every turn, from the organic gardens growing crops for The Ravens, the inn’s award-winning restaurant, to the high-quality and well-maintained bikes and canoes available for guests. Bliss out with massages at the on-site Mendocino Center for Living Well, which also offers eco-minded classes in foraging, yoga, cooking, and gardening.
And for those who want to get back to nature, or just have a different definition of “a room with a view,” consider pitching a tent at private campgrounds dotting the coast (consider Mendocino Grove or Hipcamp if you prefer glamping to camping), or reserve a site just south of town at Van Damme State Park, along the Little River. In search of true solitude? Take advantage of Mendocino National Forest’s permissive dispersed camping policy and pitch a tent in a completely undeveloped setting.
