Good old Google can help you find anything you need, including lodging on the Mendocino Coast. But the area is big: 70 miles of coastline stretching from Gualala, which adjoins Sea Ranch in the south, to Westport, located 20 minutes north of Fort Bragg. If you aren’t familiar with the area, you might find it difficult to navigate the possibilities.
Of course, you can plug in “Mendocino”, but then you miss Little River and Fort Bragg, two nearby destinations that sandwich Mendocino and offer a lot of lodging choices and things to do. Each town is a destination all its own. But since there are so many activities packed into such a small area of coast, you won’t have to drive far from your lodging choice.
The main categories of housing: bed and breakfast inns, resorts, weekend/vacation rentals, budget motels and camping. We include camping, since our coast has one of the largest number of California State Parks anywhere.
Here are a couple of visitor favorites in each area:
Little River is unusual in that it offers all these categories and is a destination all its own within a few blocks. For example, Inns of Glendeven offers the bed and breakfast experience at its two inns, including Glendeven and Inn at Cobbler’s Walk and vacation rentals. Nearby Little River Inn is a resort with golf course, restaurant and salon (open to the public, not just guests). Van Damme State Park offers a large number of campsites. What is there to do in Little River? Click here to find out.
Mendocino is just three miles north of Little River. Like Little River, you’ll find hotels and bed and breakfasts but no real “budget” motels. Alegria, a bed and breakfast with vacation rentals and beach access, and historic Mendocino Hotel farther west on Main Street.
Fort Bragg is where you will find reasonable B&Bs, among them the Weller House Inn, and quite a few motels.
If you want more details on each coastal community see the Mendocino Coast Chamber’s Visitor Guide.
Whether you choose Little River, Mendocino or Fort Bragg for your visit, you won’t be far (10-15 minutes) from any of the major attractions: the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and the Skunk Train.
There is also MendocinoFun.com’s “not to miss” list. Check it out.
Mendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.