If you are planning your first getaway as the Stay at Home orders are lifting, we’d like to suggest Brewery Gulch Inn on the Mendocino Coast. This Arts & Crafts-style lodge is located on an ocean view blufftop, just one mile south of Mendocino Village. It also borders 48,000 acres of unoccupied meadows and redwoods of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest so the scenery is amazing. Within the Inn you’ll find cozy and well-appointed rooms, gracious hospitality and impressive culinary skills. Over the past few years their accolades have included being on the lists of “100 Best Hotels in the World” and “Top 10 Resort Hotels in California” by Travel & Leisure and “Top 50 Hotels in the World” in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.

Mendocino County is a delightful travel destination, and offers many options for regional exploration. About 45 minutes away from the Inn is Anderson Valley, home of Baxter Winery, Drew Family Wines, Lula Cellars, Phillips Hill Winery, Roederer Estate and more. Fort Bragg is about 20 minutes north of the Inn, with craft breweries, the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, the Skunk Train and Glass Beach. Or, on your way to Fort Bragg you can detour to Noyo Harbor, offering a fishing store, boat rentals, and several fresh seafood eateries.

Mendocino Village itself is less than 5 minutes away, with quaint shops, restored New England-style Victorians, excellent restaurants, and walking trails that offer incredible views of the Pacific Ocean.

Or, you could just remain onsite for the length of your stay, and you’ll still be easily well-fed. Breakfast at the Brewery Gulch Inn includes your personal choice from 5-6 main courses, and there’s usually a baked good item to help pick you up during the day. In the evening, the Wine Hour features local wines and craft beers, frequently including wines from Fathers + Daughters Cellars (also owned by the Inn’s owner), and beers from Anderson Valley Brewing Company and North Coast Brewing Company. The Wine Hour also usually has enough food to make you consider cancelling any off-site dinner plans.

To provide a relaxing and worry-free visit, the Brewery Gulch Inn has taken several steps to increase their already-rigorous protocols on guest health and safety including:

• A “Self-Check-In” option is available
• Housekeeping staff have intensified the cleaning of surface areas before, during and after a guest’s stay
• Common area furniture has been rearranged to promote social distancing
• Kitchen staff have been retrained in safe food preparation and food handling protocols
• Room keys are sterilized after each guest’s departure

Brewery Gulch Inn – About the Place

The Brewery Gulch Inn is a contemporary lodge with an ocean view one mile south of Mendocino Village. The Inn was built in 2001 from recovered “sinker” logs. During past logging efforts, these were the ones that eventually sank into local river silt instead of making it all of the way to the mill. Construction of the Inn included 15,000 board feet of redwood from these eco-salvaged logs, perfectly preserved by the cold, mineral-rich ocean water for up to 150 years.

The effect of the mineralization of this redwood as it lay under the river is evident in the color variation of the paneling in the reception area. Inside the inn, the Great Room showcases two pairs of 13-foot French Doors framing postcard views of the pines and coast on one side, and a large steel and glass fireplace fabricated by a local shipbuilder on the other. You’ll also see displays of artwork from local artists, frequently including purchasable pieces. During our recent stay we enjoyed several paintings from Rebecca Johnson, whose studio and sculpture garden is in nearby Anderson Valley.

Brewery Gulch Inn is located at 9401 Highway One, Mendocino, CA, 94506, and can be reached at 800-578-4454.

Brewery Gulch Inn – The Rooms

Brewery Gulch Inn has 10 rooms, ranging in size from 240 to 560 square feet, all facing Smuggler’s Cove and tastefully furnished with local art. Two of the rooms can be easily connected together, and the Inn has a total of three stories. Bed sizes range from Queen to King to California King, but the Inn also has rooms where the beds can be configured as one large King bed, or two separate Twin beds.

The rooms have an ocean view, gas fireplace, large flat panel TV, DVD Player and Wi-Fi. Amenities include Sferra linens, Abyss towels, and Asprey and Molton Brown bath products. Some of the rooms come with French Doors that open out onto a private balcony, and some have Soaking Tubs. Many of the rooms also feature furnishings hand-crafted by world-renowned Mendocino woodworkers.

The Brewery Gulch Inn also has an ADA-accessible room furnished with a Queen-sized bed, leather club chairs and a writing desk. The room has a roll-in bathroom equipped with a stall shower that has a seat. As usual, the room also comes with an ocean view, gas fireplace, and TV (with DVD and Direct TV).

Brewery Gulch Inn – When You Stay Here

After you’ve checked in, you’re free to enjoy the inn’s Great Room with a large fireplace, local art, and a library of over 700 DVDs to borrow from. On the back deck, you can sit and enjoy views of the local landscape and the Pacific Ocean. Near the inn’s front door is a firepit, with a cluster of chairs so you can chat with friends or make some new ones.

You’ll also be well-fed during your stay, because your room rate includes both a full Breakfast and a daily Wine Hour. In the morning, Breakfast at Brewery Gulch Inn is not something you want to miss. To drink, you can choose between Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, Freshly Squeezed Juices, or we also enjoyed a fabulous Mango-Calamansi Lassi. To eat, you’ll find a variety of courses to choose between, as well as a “Classic” choice of two farm-fresh Eggs (prepared any style) with Toast, Potatoes, Fruit, and your choice of Ham, Country-Style Sausage, or Millionaire’s Bacon.

The menu is seasonal, and the recent Winter menu included

• Butternut Squash French Toast, with Caramelized Apples, Sweet Creamed Goat Cheese, and Toasted Pecans
• Jammin’ Ham, a Grilled Sandwich with Shaved Ham, Brie, Arugula and local 5-Berry Jam.
• Seasonal Parfait of Local Organic Vanilla Yogurt, Fresh Fruit, Slow-Roasted Nuts, Coconut and Honey

In the evenings, be sure to partake in the Inn’s Wine Hour featuring local wines and craft beers, and plenty of food to enjoy them with. One night, our casual dining experience included a Garden Salad, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Black Eyed Peas, and BBQ Ribs. Another evening, the offerings were a Spinach Salad, Sundried Tomato Alfredo, Garlic Herb Carrots, and Grilled Chicken Breasts. The Wine Hour offerings even include Dessert, such as Apple Turnovers, Blueberry Cobbler, or Tres Leches Cake.

How to Reserve a Room

You can easily reserve a room online at the Brewery Gulch Inn website. Or, if you are on your phone, there is a separate link here. Of course, you can always call the Inn at (707) 937-4752 or (800) 578-4454 for assistance.

If you’re looking to add something special to a getaway retreat, please remember to check the website for details on any packages offered. Recent examples include:

• Best Friends’ Getaway Package includes an amenity basket and a bottle of Anderson Valley wine to welcome you, and a choice of activities to select from including canoe rental, mountain bike rental, or whale watching trip.
• Babymoon Package includes 1-hour Prenatal massage for Mom, 1-hour Swedish massage for Dad, a $15 gift certificate at a local pizza and ice cream parlor, and discounts at other local vendors.
• The North Coast Adventure Package includes a guided horseback ride for two either through the coastal redwoods or along the beach, a guided kayak tour through sea caves, and a backpack picnic to take on one of your excursions.

In the past, the Inn has also offered discounts for Mendocino County residents, solo travelers, and people who are making plans at the last minute. Please review the details carefully as many packages must be mentioned at the initial point of reservation, either over the phone or when booking online.

Fathers + Daughters Cellars

If you enjoy small boutique wineries that make excellent wine, you should check out Fathers + Daughters Cellars, a small-lot winery that produces delicious Anderson Valley Pinot Noir (among other wines). The owner is Guy Pacurar (who also owns the Brewery Gulch Inn), the winemaker is Phil Baxter (of Baxter Winery), and the winery only produces about 500 cases of wine a year.

Fathers + Daughters Cellars doesn’t have a formal tasting room, but if you call them at 707-813-1137 you may be able to arrange for a tasting at either the Ferrington Vineyard itself or at the Inn.

Guy and his wife Sarah have two daughters: Taylor and Ella. Sarah’s father is Kurt Schoeneman, the owner of Ferrington Vineyard. If you put those five people together, you have the inspiration for the multi-generational Fathers + Daughters Cellars, and insight into some of the wines’ names. Personally, our favorite wines here include their Sauvignon Blanc, a Rosé (of Zinfandel), Ella’s Reserve Pinot Noir, and Sarah’s Rustic Bubbles, a rustic pet-nat sparkling wine crafted from 100% Chardonnay grapes.

What Else is Nearby

There are plenty of things to do at the Inn itself, but if you feel like venturing out there is plenty to see, do, and/or eat while staying at the Brewery Gulch Inn.

Nearby Mendocino Village is cute as heck and offers plenty of inspiration for avid photographers.  It is also the only town on the California Coast designated as a Historical Landmark. The Village’s architecture is reminiscent of Maine with its grand Victorians and quaint Saltbox cottages. This is why fans of Murder She Wrote may also recognize the village as “Cabot Cove,” the home of Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher.

Some of our favorite Mendocino stores include Gallery Bookshop, Highlight Gallery and Mendocino Jams & Preserves. Our favorite places to eat here include Café Beaujolais, Fiddleheads Café, Garden Bakery, Luna Trattoria, Mendocino Market and Trillium Café.

You can also use Brewery Gulch Inn as your base for exploring the Anderson Valley wine region. This unique group of vineyards and wineries produces world-class wines such as Pinot Noir and Alsace Varietals about 45 minutes from the Inn.  If you are a Pinot Noir fan, our personal favorites with tasting rooms open to the public include Baxter Winery, Domaine Anderson, Drew Family Wines, Foursight Wines, Goldeneye Winery, Handley Cellars, Long Meadow Ranch, Lula Cellars and Phillips Hill.

We, the Two Guys From Napa, highly recommend that you stay at the Brewery Gulch Inn for a wonderful lodging experience in Mendocino County.  Cheers!