vtjaimevt

Hi all. My husband and I have decided to stay for two nights in Mendocino for our first anniversary. We are from the east coast, but will be moving to the North Bay in July, and we will be there in May to make some final arrangements for the move. So, we are going to drive up to Mendocino for two nights.

Please recommend places to stay! We obviously want romance, and our budget is $5-600 for two nights. We don't mind driving into town, but would prefer to be walking distance so that we can let the wine flow at dinner!

Also, any recommendations for restaurants would be much appreciated!

Thanks so much!

LLindaC

Been there 3 times and love it.Since you're coming from the coast, you will likely be waking up early! We always grab a coffee at Moody's in town and walk the headlands for an hour. Be sure to bring binoculars to spot whales and seals- they're everywhere! It's a tremendously romantic place during the week, but weekends gets too crowded with tourists, so plan on a Mon-Th stay. We got lodging twice at luxurylink.com for Brewer Gulch and McCallum House. However, my favorite stay was at the Cove Cottage at Alegria. Amazingly romantic- right next to a hot tub sitting in gardens under the trees. Here's my golist on romantic Mendo...hope it helps!
http://www.tripadvisor.com/GoListDet...third_and.html

NWWanderer

I was just in Mendocino a couple weeks ago. I stayed in a couple different places (and thank you LLindaC for the suggestions you made on TA) and the place I would definitely want to go back to for a romantic stay is the Albion River Inn. However, it's not within walking distance of Mendocino, as it's about six miles south.

I did stop in at the Alegria but wasn't able to see the Cove Cottage since there was someone staying there but I really liked the feel and location of the place so if that's available you should definitely consider it.

As far as food: I ate dinners at Albion River Inn, Cafe Beaujolais and the MacCallum House. The latter was my favorite of the three as far as the food, although it's hard to beat the view at the Albion River Inn (and the food at both other places was fine, it just wasn't outstanding). I had an amazingly good burger at Cafe Mendocino for lunch--it was on their special sheet so I don't know if they offer it every day or not, but it was delicious.

Have fun, it's a beautiful place!

vtjaimevt

Great! Thanks so much for the recommendations! Keep them coming, please. We are going for two nights the Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend, so a lot of the places mentioned are booked. Please recommend more lodging options!

capecodshanty

We stayed at the Whitegate Inn, right in the village of Mendocino, and loved it. A lovely Victorian Inn, within walking distance to the Headlands, and boutiques,and restaurants: down the street from 555-it was perfect.

Boxer

Husband and I stayed at The Headlands Inn and at The Whitegate Inn last spring. We thoroughly enjoyed both of them. You have to enjoy the B&B experience though ... The Headlands Inn brings breakfast to your room which is very nice. However, it is also very nice to meet for the group breakfast in the beautiful dining room at The Whitegate Inn.

I have no hestitation in recommending either establishment.

The Whitegate has lovely gardens around the house and as it will be spring I'm sure they'll be extra lovely.

We're doing our yearly California coast road trip in August and will most defintely be stopping in Mendocino for at least one night.

If you have time you might like to visit the Anderson Valley wineries. A short drive away. I can recommend the Navarro Winery as a very pretty spot with good wines ... I remember distinctly using their ladies room and the absolutely fabulous vase of old fashioned roses scenting the room ... wow.

NWWanderer

I also stayed at the Stanford Inn and the Joshua Grindle and would definitely recommend both. Which one really depends on whether you enjoy B&Bs however--some people don't like the relative lack of privacy at a B&B when they're on a romantic trip. So it's really a matter of finding a place that's a good match for you.

I looked at some of the rooms at the Agate Cove Inn and that is quite nice also (the view from the breakfast room is amazing)--the rooms I saw are in private cottages with separate entrances so that could help with the privacy aspect. It's a bit of a walk from town however.

elnap29

We enjoyed Agate Cove - nice private cottages with fabulous ocean view. It is a bit of a walk into town but doable.
We also really enjoyed Packard House right in town across from the community theater. Our room was detached from the main house, very private and luxurious. New owners now, though, and we haven't been recently.

JayZee

Check out the Heritage House. We've enjoyed this place since the 1970s & were there in February for a long weekend.
http://www.heritagehouseinn.com/

vtjaimevt

Thank you all SO much! You've given me a lot to look into and I really appreciate it!

vtjaimevt

OK, we booked ourselves in for two nights at the Stevenswood Resort. I found an awesome deal on LuxuryLink!

Now I need restaurant recommendations! We are eating at Stevenswood for one of the two nights. Where should we eat the other night? What is your FAVORITE restaurant in Mendocino?

Also, what is the ONE thing we shouldn't miss while we're there?

dovima

If weather permits, don't miss seeing the sunset from the headlands in Mendocino. Just drive due west from the center of Mendocino town and you'll end up on a loop road that skirts the parking area there. The view of the ocean and the coast is magnificent. One warning - don't venture too far out onto the cliff area, as the surface can crumble.

LLindaC

yes....and don't breathe too much next to the smoke clouds! This is one part of America where smoking hootch at sunset is a ritual!