Mendocino BREWERY GULCH INN Hotel Review — Blufftop Retreat on California Coast

You’re in what Brewery Gulch Inn calls the Great Room, the mixed-use common room and dining room at its center — perhaps you’ve wandered in for its trove of board games, complimentary wine hour, or assorted appetizers and refreshments. You sit in a plush leather lounge chair with your choice indulgence and listen as the glass-paneled central fireplace crackles nearby…

As you settle in, you might notice — despite being comfortably situated indoors — that you are surrounded by references to the landscape outside: seafoam green walls, plush olive carpets, and soft earth tone decor mimic Mendocino’s coastal bluffs and greenery; while slatted wood chairs, tables, and detailing materially invoke its looming redwood forests.

But the most direct reference is the landscape itself, which visually dominates through tall glass double doors and windows on the west side. Here you can get a wood-framed view of the surrounding trees, distant forest, and dark blue waters of Mendocino’s Smuggler’s Cove.

BREWERY GULCH INN Features Cabin-Cozy Comforts with View of Mendocino Coast

You may notice that your room features a similar deference to nature. This travel duo stayed in the inn’s Raven room, a second-floor corner room with a king-sized bed, two leather armchairs, fireplace, flatscreen TV, and a spacious jacuzzi-style bathtub. Lightly decorated with warm earth tones, redwood detailing, and artwork featuring birds and feathers, it has a simple, easy-on-the-eyes cabin-esque aesthetic. 

But the room’s highlight, in this writer’s opinion, is the view of the ocean and surrounding trees, visible through the glass doors to the private balcony and large French windows in the bathroom, which can be swung wide open for a bath that is nearly en plein air…

Amenities Abound

The inn’s nightly wine hour includes pours of two reds and two whites from Mendocino County vineyards, and appetizers that feature seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients, stored in a custom-made redwood box specifically designated for your room. The table-service breakfast available in the morning features much heartier fare (enough to sustain this travel duo through a three-hour mid-day hike) and seasonally-rotated beverages (a highlight, for this writer, was the key lime chai lassi: lightly sweet, perfectly tart, and generously spiced, it simultaneously soothes and awakens the senses…)

Intimate Access to Nature

Head out the front entrance of the inn and just outside the parking lot, where you’ll find a tree-lined hiking path that takes you down to the gardens that line the side road to the inn. Here you can wander its large water lily ponds and get an up-close view of local plant life, which — on this writer’s visit — was delightfully lush and vibrant green from recent rain. It’s not a huge space to explore (a full circuit takes about fifteen minutes), but just enough if you want to stretch your legs and get some fresh air without making the longer journey into town.

There are a number of ways to experience Mendocino’s natural landscape: you can swim along its coved beaches; kayak or paddleboard in Big River; bike its winding, oceanfront roads; hike through miles of redwood forest; or stroll the unique terroir of its vineyards while tasting local wines.  

But with all this available a short drive away, you might still find yourself lingering over coffee, or a book — or maybe just the view — from the bluff-topped vantage point of Brewery Gulch Inn.

Though somewhat removed from the (relative) bustle — with its intimate pockets of outdoor space, redwood-centric design, ample views of surrounding nature, and all-included recreational and culinary amenities — you may find that you can quietly and comfortably experience the landscape of Mendocino without ever leaving its grounds.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

For more information and booking details, visit the Brewery Gulch Inn website.

Photos by the author, unless otherwise noted

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