Mendocino and Napa

October 26, 2004 8:15 AM

Mendocimo & Napa Filter
A friend is going to spend 2 nights in Mendocima, CA in November. Currently he's tempted by the Joshua Grindle Inn's water tower. Anyone have any better/similar suggestions for some accomodation and also a place around Napa for a night as he heads back to SF?

that's Mendocimo, CA.

He British & this will be his first trip to the US.

posted by i_cola to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

That´s Mendocino, CA.

re: Napa, avoid the actual town like the plague. Anywhere else in the valley is preferable. St. Helena is alright.
posted by signal at 8:38 AM on October 26, 2004

I just can't type today...
posted by i_cola at 8:42 AM on October 26, 2004

The Water Tower was taken when I stayed at the Joshua Grindle Inn so I ended up in the Saltbox Cottage. I really enjoyed it and thought it was well worth the money. Of course, that was in 1996 so things may have changed. I can also recommend dinner at the Café Beaujolais.
posted by Monk at 10:43 AM on October 26, 2004

I spent a lovely weekend at the Maccallum House, in one of the rooms in The Barn. It's right in the middle of Mendocino, so you can walk to any town-type stuff, and it has a fine restaurant in-house. For the geeks in the audience, they have free WiFi too. The Joshua Grindle Inn looks nice too. Those watertowers are all over town.

I'm not so wild about going to Napa. It's so heavily touristy and busy that it's not a great experience. And it annoys me to be charged to taste wine. Still, this time of year it'll be not too crazy. The nice drive is along the Silverado Trail, the eastern road. The restaurants and shops are all on 29, the western road.

If your friend is flexible, a more relaxed alternative is Sonoma County. The town of Healdsburg is convenient and very nice, and the wineries along Dry Creek Valley are great and it's a beautiful drive. More about Sonoma on my blog.
posted by Nelson at 10:49 AM on October 26, 2004

On the coast near Gualala is the coolest Russian/Moorish inspired former reclusive and eccentric hunting lodge come B&B and fine dinning restaurant around. Check it out... St. Orres I've stayed there a couple of times, very cool.
posted by dirtylittlemonkey at 11:56 AM on October 26, 2004

Dirty Little Monkey, I was just about to write about this. St. Orre's is not only the most interesting hotel/cabin outfit on the coast, it's also the best restaurant between San Francisco and Oregon! And affordable, too, as far as really fine dining goes. Fantastic local fowl & game dishes and incredible desserts.

There's also a place in Gualala called Serenisea that we like to stay at - a few cabins on a jetty up above the waves, with a shared jacuzzi on the cliff edge just over the breakers. It's private even though it's shared; they use a schedule & key system.

And of course there's always Sea Ranch!
posted by luriete at 1:58 PM on October 26, 2004

Many thanks all. Maccallum House got the vote!
posted by i_cola at 1:21 AM on October 27, 2004