Chris Swiac
The 1879 Joshua Grindle Inn (rooms from $189-$359 a night), one of the best-known lodgings, offers 12 traditional-country rooms, half in the main building and the others in a water tower and a cottage on the grounds, many with a fireplace. Or try the clapboard Packard House ($225-$275), with its more contemporary yet still classic decor.
If you don't want to stay in the village, opt for the luxurious Heritage House ($299-$650), a cluster of buildings set on 37 waterfront acres down the coast in Little River. Now operated by General Hotel Management, which oversees such swank hotels as The Setai in Miami Beach's South Beach, the property is being completely overhauled and is taking on an Asian-inspired look. Half of the 47 rooms have already been made over with simple furnishings and soothing earth tones, and a new spa will open soon. Closer to Mendocino is the Brewery Gulch Inn ($240-$396), a redwood-clad structure overlooking a cove from across Highway 1. Simple wood furniture and leather chairs outfit the refined-rustic rooms, most of which have fireplaces and private decks with ocean and forest views. A highlight of a stay here is the substantial hors d'oeuvres hour, held in the large common room with an impressive four-sided steel-and-glass fireplace. Dining options in the area are as varied and sophisticated as the lodging choices. Cafe Beaujolais (entrees $24-$37), a romantic Victorian farmhouse, is a Mendocino fine-dining destination. The menu blends California cuisine with international flavors with dishes like pan-roasted sturgeon fillet with tagliatelle and a truffle-emulsion sauce and roasted Sonoma duck breast with a cassis jus. The restaurant at the lovely MacCallum House Inn (entrees $25-$37) serves a contemporary American seasonal menu, like grilled Niman Ranch steak with a Cabernet reduction and a roasted shallot and walnut salad. More casual, and a good place for lunch, is the Moosse Cafe (lunch entrees $10-$14), where the menu includes a house-made pate with a pickled fruit relish and a creamy macaroni with three cheeses, as well as lunch standards like a crisp Caesar salad. Working off calories isn't difficult to do in these parts. There's a park, river or beach in nearly every direction you might go. From Mendocino's Main Street, you can stroll over to the trail-laced cliffs of Mendocino Headlands State Park, which cushions the village on three sides and basically protects it from more development. From late September through December (and again in March and April), you might be able to spot migrating whales from the park headlands; the views of jagged natural rock formations, craggy coves and surging waves, however, are mesmerizing on their own. |
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