Inn-Escapable >> Little River's Glendeven Inn and Lodge
Headed for the Mendocino coast? The Glendeven Inn and Lodge in Little River is a secluded, romantic spot at any time, but the owners clearly have a feel for the current zeitgeist.
In these anxious times, they're touting their itinerary for introverts and a restorative services package that includes forest bathing. Plus all the plush accommodations, in-room breakfasts, wine tastings and scenic vistas you could ever want.
Surrounded on three sides by Van Damme State Park, the bucolic 15acre property boasts a historic inn, a modern lodge and a rolling lawn with Adirondack chairs from which to take in those ocean views.
There are feathery chickens to feed — you're given a little bag of chicken feed, as well as wine and cookies at check-in — and furry llamas to admire. And it's just 2 miles south of Mendocino's restaurants and shops.
THE ROOMS >> With 10 rooms in the inn's two buildings — the 19th-century Farmhouse and rustic Stevenscroft — and another 10 in the sleek lodge, this adults-only hotel has a quiet, intimate feel. Scandinavianstyle decor, Tempur-Pedic beds and wood-burning fireplaces add to the cozy factor at the lodge, where our second-floor room had views of both the ocean and those cute llamas in the pasture. Reading chairs and a couch make curling up with a book all the more attractive. (The inn's “introvert's itinerary” includes Mendocino bookstore suggestions, by the way, as well as hikes and other unpeopled attractions.)
THE GROUNDS >> Trailheads on the property offer access to Van Damme State Park and its moderately challenging, 8-mile Fern Canyon loop trail. Go west instead and you can access the beach or head out on the Old Cobbler's Walk for an easy, hourlong stroll along the headlands.
THE EXTRAS >> This is a B&B, so a breakfast basket is delivered to your door each morning with coffee or tea, freshly squeezed juice and sweet and savory baked goods made with local products — very local, in the case of the eggs, herbs and produce, which are grown right here. We're still talking about the mixed berry crisp, rosemary-potato frittata and orange-almond polenta cake. You'll find wine glasses and a bottle opener in your room to use on that complimentary half-bottle of, say, Husch pinot noir you picked up at reception. The reception desk also has books, hiking guides and adorable plush creatures — chickens, of course — available for purchase.
DETAILS >> Find the inn and lodge at 8211 N. Highway 1 in Little River; www.glendeven.com.