Mendocino B&B - Joshua Grindle Inn
Written: Dec 25 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: comfy rooms, friendly hosts, great food, fair price, good location, Sybil
Cons: not the poshest of B&Bs in Mendocino
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| my$.02's Full Review: California |
My husband and I *love* visiting Mendocino. We started visiting in our college years before we had the income to actually stay overnight in the cute little town. We'd tour the shops, dine at our favorite casual "Mendocino Cafe" (very veggie friendly and delicious!) and then skee-daddle outta there at nightfall to a damp campground, or if we were feeling rich, to a lovely motel in nearby Fort Bragg. Alas, some things do get better as one gets older, and employed... I finally got to stay in one of the cute little B&Bs in Mendocino proper! After much research, we chose to stay at the Joshua Grindle Inn.
The Good:
1) This is a very classic looking refurbished Victorian house. It's what comes to mind when I picture a "B&B." The owners live on the property, but not in the same building/house that the guests stay in. They used to be professionals in the Silicon Valley, but retired to refurbish this property and run the B&B - it's clearly their passion. The details, inside and out, are evident.
2) The best thing this B&B has to offer is the hospitality of its owners and staff. They serve up a full, home-cooked breakfast every morning and then sit down with the guests to eat it. They get conversation going around the table for people who are interested. Most impressively, they give their tourist tips and personal historical background with joy and enthusiasm, even though I know they must have to repeat the same info to different guests day-in and day-out.
3) The breakfasts are delicious. Everything is home cooked, from the egg dish, to the hot cereal, to the fresh baked goods. It's a real treat, and it's so popular, they sell a cookbook and post recipes in their newsletter and on their website (see it at www.joshuagrindleinn.com).
4) They have two cats on the property. My favorite was Sybil because she was a little older than the other and more calm and anxious to cuddle. Sybil was adorable. I fell in love with her. She had a little bell and I would hear her coming, open up our door and invite her into our room. She napped and purred on my lap for hours. It really felt like home. (Of course - I'm not sure what those who are allergic to cats would do here - this may fall under "The Bad" category for you.)
5) There's no TV or phone in the rooms. I consider this a plus. It really helps me to escape my every day reality and feel more a part of the environment I'm in - Mendocino. There are phones and places for computer hook-ups elsewhere in the Inn for those die-hards.
6) Probably one of the chief reasons I ended up at this Inn instead of the dozens of others Mendocino has to offer was the price. We got a very nice room, albeit in the off-season (December), for about $140. After calling pretty much every other place in town, this was definitely on the more reasonable end. You definitely get bang for your buck out of this B&B.
7) Another major reason I choose this B&B over other popular ones (like Albion Inn, Stanford by the Sea) was because this B&B is actually in Mendocino town proper, making it walking distance from all the restaurants and stores. A lot of the other places are within a few miles, but are actually down Hwy. 1, and you have to get in your car to visit the town. I really liked to be able to take several small trips for meals, or just walks and return to my room without getting into a car and searching for a parking place.
8) Aside from the quaint rooms and breakfast area, there's a friendly parlor with fireplace where people hang out. It's another perk of a B&B that my husband and I took advantage of.
9) Every room has a journal where guests can leave messages for future guests to read. The journals in our room were quite entertaining. We ended up reading through the bulk of them (we learned of people who had stayed in that particular room for years and people who claimed to have as loving a relationship with Sybil as I had!) and leaving a message of our own. This place has a very personal touch.
The Bad:
1) The room we had was very nice and cute, and they'd installed a new deep soak tub in it. But it wasn't the poshest of posh - no marble, or super impressive furnishings. There are definitely fancier Inns in Mendocino if that's what you're looking for.
2) Some rooms have ocean views, but the Inn is several blocks from the the ocean. This is also good, as the closer you are to the ocean, the closer you are to the fog horn.
3) This isn't particularly related to the Inn, but you should be forewarned that fog is always a possibility in Mendocino - don't go counting on sunshine. This is also a good quality.
4) The journal mentioned in point #9 above also told of others who had used the deep soak tub - gross, man, save me the details.
All in all, we loved it, and I'm sure we'll be back someday.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
my$.02
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Location: San Carlos, CA
Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 69 members
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