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For Immediate Release: November 15, 2004
Mendocino, CA…Brewery Gulch Inn has been voted the California Inn of the Year after 8.2 million households were invited to vote at iLoveInns.com for their favorite inn through a promotion sponsored by American Historic Inns, Inc.
The inn, opened in 2001, is located on a 10-are hillside overlooking Mendocino’s Smuggler’s Cove. It is built with ancient virgin redwood timbers eco-salvaged from Big River. The inn’s luxurious amenities include Craftsman-style architecture and décor, gourmet organic breakfast cuisine and at the wine hour, ocean views, fireplaces, and private decks.
Adam Kamlet, inn frequenter and promotion voter, chose Brewery Gulch as his all-time favorite for the reasons that many cited. “It is the perfect antidote to treat the ‘city buzz’ of San Francisco. There are surprises at every turn: lovingly tended gardens; evening wine hour; fruit picked from their own trees; organic eggs from their own chickens; hearty, wholesome breakfasts…and warm hospitality,” said Kamlet.
The outstanding hospitality is one of the most frequent comments about the inn. “Our team is committed to excellence,” says owner/innkeeper Dr. Arky Ciancutti. “From the minute a guest makes reservations, our hospitality service kicks into action. We are thrilled with this award, and it is an incentive to keep us on our toes and create new ways to please and pamper our guests.”
The inn is noted for offering creative vacation packages for their visitors, such as a “Wine Lover’s Escapade” that includes a luxurious stretch limo and day-long tour of the area’s award-winning wineries. Another popular offer is their “Girlfriends’ Getaway” that features a stay in their suite, a basket of goodies, and a special hand-drawn “Insider Girls Guide” to the best in Mendocino Village shopping.
Deborah Sakach of American Historic Inns, Inc., hosted the online voting process at www.iLoveInns.com. Her hopes are that Brewery Gulch’s quest for excellence will inspire other innkeepers to follow suit. “Brewery Gulch is a perfect example of an Inn that makes the B&B experience so very special that guest can’t help but come back again and again,” said Sakach.
Reservations may be made e-mailing
innkeeper@brewerygulchinn.com or
calling 1.800.578.4454.
Press Release 10-20-03
BACKGROUND
Inn Contact: Glenn Lutge, 707.937.4752 or innkeeper@brewerygulchinn.com
Media Contact: Sally Shepard, 415. 435.3571 or sally@shepardpr.com
MENDOCINO’S HISTORY LIVES ON AT BREWERY GULCH INN
Brewery Gulch Inn, which opened in March, 2001, combines yesterday’s history with today’s comforts. On three acres encompassing mature pine trees, redwoods, hundreds of rhododendrons, and many native plants, Dr. Arky Ciancutti has built an extraordinary inn featuring ancient virgin redwood timbers, eco-salvaged from Big River. The site, overlooking Smuggler’s Cove and the Pacific Ocean, is one-half mile south of the historic town of Mendocino at 9401 Coast Highway One North. The Inn provides a peaceful retreat for those enjoying the North Coast’s many recreational opportunities and the delights of Mendocino.
The Inn is tied intimately to Mendocino’s history. The area’s logging industry started in 1851 when Harry Meiggs, founder of San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, sailed to Mendocino Bay with a full saw mill. For the next thirty years, the area served as the primary supplier of redwood lumber to booming California, continuing as a main lumber resource into the 1920s. Logging in Mendocino in the 1800s depended on the Big River for transporting the giant redwoods to Meiggs’ mill at its mouth. Logs would pile up, sometimes to a depth of 40 feet, until the biggest rains hit, swelling the river. The torrent released the jam, causing a log stampede downstream. Many of the best cuts—virgin redwood logs ranging from 40 inches to 12 feet in diameter—sank deep in the river sludge. When Dr. Ciancutti, a lifelong lover of wood, heard about these logs in 1995, he salvaged, traded for, and bought over 100,000 board feet of them. He helped to mill them, and then worked with experts to design an inn which would feature this “guiltless” virgin redwood.
Another tie to history is Brewery Gulch Inn’s land. It was chosen by Homer Barton in 1854 as the site of Mendocino County’s first real farm. With the pick of the area, he chose acreage with a perfect mini-climate for growing vegetables—financing his enterprise as one of the first drivers of the oxen teams used to drag the redwood logs to Big River. Along with supplying vegetables, Barton helped to establish a brewery and dairy on the property. Continuing in Barton’s tradition, the Inn currently produces organically raised chickens, eggs, heritage apples, mushrooms, greens, dozens of varieties of edible flowers, a wide range of herbs and spices, heritage garlic, and more. These are used by talented Chef Jeffrey Neumeier for the bountiful breakfasts made each morning, as well as backpack luncheons and seasonal dinners available for guests. The homestead and Inn were certified organic in 2002 by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) under the provisions of the California Organic Foods Act of 1990.
Barton’s original farmhouse was refurbished and opened in 1984 as a small inn by Dr. Ciancutti. The new Inn, which replaces it, is located on the hillside above the original farmhouse, taking advantage of the spectacular views and the surrounding state land, comprised of hundreds of acres of meadows and forests.
The distinctive Craftsman-style redwood-shake Inn with its impressive open-sided entry, dramatically lighted ceiling timbers, and pitched roof leads to a handsome handcrafted redwood entry door. The use of the first growth virgin timber is evident throughout the Inn in the rafters, paneling, windows, door frames, and deck rails. Guest rooms and common areas alike have details featuring the subtle beauty of the redwood’s warmth and character; each timber is unique and highlighted by the warm red, purple or “blonde” tones caused by decades of mineralization. Craftsman-style furnishings with colors chosen to harmonize with the Inn’s natural setting add to the comfort. The reception room features redwood beams and paneling, a soaring truncated, stainless-steel-faced, wood-burning fireplace, and an impressive two-story skylight. The reception desk and adjacent wine bar, featuring local wineries, are also handcrafted from the salvaged redwood. The Inn offers its guests a small gift shop with unique gifts and a library with a selection of good reading, videos, and CDs for use in the rooms. The first floor Great Room has 14-foot ceilings and redwood-framed French doors leading to a spacious ocean-view deck. Guests can relax or use the deck’s telescope to explore the beautiful surroundings or view the night’s starry skies.
The ten guest rooms, eight with completely private redwood decks, have been furnished to provide for ultimate comfort. Each room has an ocean view, fireplace, quality linens, cozy seating area, desk, and excellent lighting with wall and bedside controls. The armoire and headboards are in different hardwoods. Cable TV and state-of-the-art phone systems with dataports add to the convenience. The bathrooms have robes, luxury toiletries, and hair dryers. All the bathrooms have tubs and showers, three with Jacuzzis, two with oversized soaking tubs.
Besides his passion for wood, Dr. Ciancutti is an inveterate gardener. Over the past eleven years, he has planted over 3,000 bulbs each year, as well as vegetables and herbs. Two streams lead through to the groves of over 600 rhododendrons of every color with ferns to form a backdrop, as well as informal small gardens. Visitors enjoy the variety of birds and butterflies attracted to this rural retreat. Much of the property sits within a natural hollow that provides shelter from ocean-borne winds and temperature extremes.
Rates for the Inn, which is open year round, are $150-$295 a night with a two-night weekend minimum. A complimentary gourmet country breakfast is included and on-site concierge services are available. Special packages are available at different times of the year and can be viewed on the informative website. The Inn is available for small conferences, retreats, and special events.
Reservations may be made e-mailing
innkeeper@brewerygulchinn.com or
calling 1.800.578.4454.
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