By Emma Krasov. Photography by Yuri Krasov
A road to Mendocino, California, is sometimes windy, and sometimes gorgeous, but most of the time it’s both. On your way up north from San Francisco, you’ll pass busy highway junctions, quaint coastal towns, vineyards on hilly terrain, mixed forests, and towering redwood groves along the Pacific coast before you reach this land—scarcely populated, and bursting with natural beauty, wildlife, and the never-ending sounds of crashing waves and seagull calls.
Here, on the outskirts of the town of Mendocino, on a cliff above a scenic Smuggler’s Cove you’ll find Brewery Gulch Inn & Spa–one-of-a-kind, practically ideal retreat, where a lucky combination of comfort, service, artful design, and the surrounding natural beauty provides the best environment a traveler can wish for.
Brewery Gulch Inn is a small, excellently maintained boutique hotel owned by the Enthusiast Hotel Collection. The serene solitude of the location, far removed from the hustle and bustle of city life, and saturated with breezy ocean air and an occasional fog blanketing the flowering hills continues to attract discerning guests from near and far.
Built in a Craftsman style with the use of weathered local wood and stone, the Inn blends with nature like a fairy-tale house in the woods, with a real-life Secret Garden to its side and a hidden trailhead that meanders between live oaks and rhododendrons leading to a lotus pond on the premises, studded with perfectly star-shaped white, pink, and purple blooms.
There’re only ten individually designed guestrooms in this boutique inn, and all of them are spacious, yet cozy, equipped with special features, like private balconies, fireplaces, or hot tubs; with windows framed in local woodwork, and overlooking redwoods and flowerbeds. Each room is furnished with period pieces, and decorated with precious artworks. You’ll feel immediately at home in the hospitable, warm, and friendly atmosphere that permeates the entire house.
The common areas of the Inn include a cathedral-ceiling lobby that also serves as a dining hall, with a front desk, a small gift shop, and a library of books, videos and board games for the guest use, plus a large outdoor terrace, where you can easily spend hours, watching the resident blue jays and woodpeckers hustling each other by the colored art glass birdfeeders and inhaling the aroma of flowering bushes and pine needles from the lush greenery around.
One of the very few luxury properties in the area, Brewery Gulch Inn & Spa employs a dedicated chef, and provides a daily breakfast with a variety of dishes for each taste and appetite, made with seasonal locally sourced ingredients, and freshly baked pastries.
It also treats its guests to an evening Wine Hour featuring high quality small-production wines from the famed local producers, and generously supplemented with food pairings, enough to make it a delicious and satisfying early dinner.
Should you decide to go out, or explore the area, all the town’s restaurants, shops, art galleries, wineries, and artisanal breweries are just a short drive away as well as longer hiking trails and ocean beaches at the Mendocino Headlands, Russian Gulch, Big River Beach, Van Damme, and MacKerricher state parks.
If you’re looking for a quiet retreat where you can connect with nature, relax, and indulge in the beauty of Northern California’s coast, the award-winning Brewery Gulch Inn is a fantastic choice!
The Enthusiast Hotel Collection was born out of a vision of experiential hospitality for enthusiastic travelers who are seeking adventures in off-the-beaten-path destinations and prefer to stay at hotels that have a story to tell. They are a kaleidoscope of boutique hotels, inns, and travel getaways carefully chosen to delight the senses, expand the imagination, and inspire adventure. All the properties in the chain are intimate, close to nature, and offer experiences one can’t find anywhere else. Each property sources everything locally and maintain the pristine standards of their locations. Enthusiast Hotels has also partnered exclusively with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to help conserve the earth’s biological diversity and enable guests to connect with fellow ornithology enthusiasts to explore birds from California to the Bahamas.
For further information on the Enthusiast Hotel Collection, please visit http://enthusiasthotels.com/. This season, the Inn is inviting bird lovers to take advantage of Birder’s Delight Package. In partnership with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this immersive birding experience includes a guided expedition led by an expert local naturalist, a glass mosaic birdfeeder, a hand-bound nature journal, and complimentary use of a pair of Nocs Provisions binoculars during the stay. Discounted binoculars are also available for purchase. Before arrival, you can prepare with interactive courses from Cornell’s Bird Academy.
Romance & Rejuvenation Package invites couples to pause, reconnect, and savor every moment of a 2-night stay. The experience is tailored to individual requests. Choose from two thoughtfully curated experiences each designed to pamper, delight, and bring you closer together. Option 1: Classic Indulgence. Romance Platter with cheese, chocolate-covered strawberries, and seasonal fruits, 20% off Massage Therapy—Hot Stone, Swedish, or Deep Relaxation; Option 2: Sip & Soothe Experience, A Taste of Tranquility. Romance Platter with cheese, chocolate-covered strawberries, and fresh fruits, 20% off private tea tasting session for two, complimentary bottle of Enotria Moscato or Roederer Splits. Offered for booking through August 15. Valid for stays through Sept 30. Promo code – REJUVENATE. All information at: https://www.brewerygulchinn.com/.
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