Our Recipe for a Romantic Weekend in Mendocino

If we had just two days to spend in this area, this is how we’d lay it out...

Day 1 — THE MENDOCINO COAST

Start your day out with Kayak Mendocino and explore the sea caves off of Van Damme Beach. Don't worry, you are completely outfitted with a wet suit, spray jacket and booties. You can choose either a tandem kayak, or individual ones. The inn can make the reservation for you.

After you've worked up a good appetite, head over to the Brickery at Cafe Beaujolais for a casual, romantic lunch in their gardens.

Following lunch, we enjoy strolling through the 47 acre Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. It doesn't matter the season, these gardens are beautiful at any time of the year. the 1.5 mile stroll takes you through the gardens out to the coastal bluffs. The gardens are located 8.5 miles north of the inn and the inn can arrange for admission.

We have found that there is no better way to end a day on the Mendocino Coast than a visit to Pacific Star Winery. This winery is located on the bluffs overlooking the ocean about 20 minutes north of Fort Bragg. The view south down the coast line takes in 10 mile beach and on a clear day, the view stretches for 60 miles. When sunset occurs before 5:00p, it is a beautiful spot to enjoy the sunset with a glass of their Cal-Italian style wines. And a bonus during whale migration season (December through April), for some reason, the whales seem to pass closest to the coast just off shore of Pacific Star.

Then back to the inn by 5:30p for wine and appetizers.

Day 2 — THE ANDERSON VALLEY

Head out after breakfast to Baxter Winery. Located high up on the Mendocino Ridge, it is in this off-the-beaten path location that Phil Baxter crafts his noteworthy Burgundian-style pinots. Phil is an enthusiastic, engaging winemaker. His facility is very old school. It is an experience not to be missed. Visiting Phil and Baxter Winery requires advance notice and is dependent upon Phil's schedule. There is a flat tasting fee of $ 40.00 per person. As this is a barrel tasting, there is no accompanying food pairing.

As you head down into the valley from Baxter’s and pickup Highway 128 heading toward Boonville, you’ll pass Gowan’s Oak Tree on your right. This roadside stand has been there for over 100 years. We really enjoy their cider. The apple varieties they use to craft their cider change with the seasons. And a bonus…they have this apple cider slushy machine that is just amazing on hot summer days.

From their, continue through the town of Philo to Goldeneye Winery, a part of the Duckhorn family. We particularly like this tasting as it is conducted on their brick patio behind the tasting room and your view is out over the rolling vineyards. The wines are excellent. A small tasting fee, waived with purchase, is charged.

For lunch, we like to stop off at Disco Ranch in Boonville where the housemade Spanish tapas and their curated selection of small-house European wines (with a focus on Spanish wines) earned them an award of distinction from Wine Spectator magazine.

No trip to the Valley is complete without a hike in the redwoods. Hendy Woods State Park features two groves of first-generation redwoods, some reaching more than 300 feet tall and some more than 1,000 years old. Five miles of trails, including Big Hendy Grove’s wheelchair-accessible Discovery Trail, lead through the fern-filled forest.

To reach the park, head down Highway 128 toward the coast. 8 miles from the town of Boonville, you'll see a sign for Hendy Woods. Turn left at Philo-Greenwood Road and in a half mile, turn left into Hendy Woods State Park. 

Then we generally wrap up the day with a stop for dinner at our go-to restraurant, The Ledford House. Located 6 miles south of the inn in Albion, the Ledford House features French Provencal cuisine, housemade breads, an amazing bartender, a jazz duo playing nightly and drop-dead ocean views (there is no better place to enjoy a sunset cocktail). The Ledford House is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.