Brewery Gulch Inn

An eleven-room ocean-view inn on a ten-acre redwood grove just south of Mendocino village. Brewery Gulch is adults-only, includes breakfast and an evening supper, and runs at the kind of small-and-considered scale that Mendocino's coast does well — a single property, owner-operated for stretches, with the kind of rooms that have private decks looking out over the Pacific through old-growth redwood.

The inn opened in the 2000s in a new-build that was constructed largely from reclaimed redwood salvaged from the Big River — old logs that had been submerged for over a century. The architecture is intentionally heavy timber, the windows are large, and the orientation is entirely toward the ocean.

The setting

Mendocino is the small coastal town three and a half hours north of San Francisco — clapboard storefronts on a headland, no chains, a town that's been doing what it's been doing since the 1980s. Brewery Gulch sits two miles south of the village proper, on Highway 1, on a wooded property where the gulch meets the ocean.

Mendocino village (restaurants, galleries, the headlands) is a five-minute drive. Van Damme State Park's Pygmy Forest is ten minutes south. Russian Gulch State Park is ten minutes north. The Mendocino Botanical Gardens are fifteen minutes south.

The building

A new-build inn constructed from reclaimed Big River redwood logs — heavy timber framing, exposed beams, tall windows, and the kind of warm wood interior that feels like it could only have been built on this coast. Materials are stone, redwood, glass, and woven textiles. The building is sited so that nearly every public room looks at the ocean through the trees.

Public spaces include a great room with a fireplace, a wraparound deck, a library, and the dining room. The aesthetic is rustic-Americana and refined-Americana joined — sophisticated but not slick.

The rooms

Eleven rooms, all with ocean views. Most have private decks; many have wood-burning fireplaces. Bathrooms are stone-heavy with deep tubs. Beds are king or queen. The rooms are spacious by inn standards — square footage was prioritized over room count when the building was designed.

Rates start around $425 in shoulder; rates include a full breakfast and an evening supper (or appetizers), which is part of the property's pitch.

Food & drink

The included program is the hook: a multi-course breakfast and an evening supper or substantial appetizer hour with wine, served in the dining room or on the deck. The kitchen sources locally — North Coast seafood, Anderson Valley wine, garden produce. There's no full lunch service. The included food largely covers two meals a day.

On the property

The acreage and the views are the program. There's a wraparound deck with chairs, walking paths through the redwoods on the property, and direct access (via the highway) to the coastal trails. No pool, no spa, no fitness room.

• Full breakfast and evening supper included
• Wraparound ocean-view decks
• Walking paths through redwoods on property
• Adults-only
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Couples on a quiet Mendocino weekend
• Travelers who want included meals and don't want to drive into town twice a day
• Anyone who treats Mendocino as a slow, contemplative trip
• Repeat coastal-California visitors who appreciate small-property service

Who it's not for

• Travelers under 18 — adults-only
• Anyone wanting a full-service hotel with restaurant, bar, pool, and spa
• Travelers who want to be in Mendocino village proper — Brewery Gulch is two miles south

Nearby

Mendocino village is five minutes north for restaurants, galleries, and the headlands walk. Van Damme State Park is ten minutes south for the Pygmy Forest and the kayak rentals to paddle the Big River. Russian Gulch State Park is ten minutes north for the waterfall hike. Glass Beach in Fort Bragg is twenty-five minutes north. The Anderson Valley wine region (Goldeneye, Husch, Navarro) is forty-five minutes inland. The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens are fifteen minutes south.