All of Headlands' rooms have their own private bath so no worries there. They also have a cottage with a nice, large jetted tub in its bath and I believe the rate is under $250. I'm not personally familiar with Whitegate, but have heard a lot of nice things about Headlands Inn (haven't stayed there).

Thanks for that information I appreciate it!

I noticed that you were a Sonoma "expert" so I have a question for you...

I am considering staying in Mendocino as noted, but have this strong desire to be in the trees...so I am considering doing Sonoma, maybe Guerneville, in addition to, or perhaps instead of Mendocino. What do you think about that area? I am really looking to be away from the beaten path, no noisy cars etc.

I have 3 or 4 nights if I stretch it a bit. I've been to Napa and downtown Sonoma, also Pacific Grove and Monterey Bay area (all of which we love) but was looking for something different this time around.

I'm thinking of these inns...

Applewood Inn

Gables Inn

Santa Nella House

Shelford House

I'm not sure if they are in the same vicinty, but they look great and wondered if you knew anything about them.

I also might consider just staying inland and driving out to Mendocino for a day trip, but would also like to visit the Giant Trees.

Okay, wow, I am so rambling on here, sorry about that!

If you haven't been to the Mendocino area before, I'd strongly recommend keeping your plans to stay there. The art-filled Village itself is a wonderful place to be, where you can park once and walk virtually everywhere. The scenic ocean bluffs of the Mendocino Headlands parklands are beautiful and peaceful. Even during the the busy summer months you normally don't find huge numbers of people out on the trails esp. if you're walking in the mornings. The river and beach areas are readily accessible and you can walk thru forests at Big River Park. There's just nothing like Mendocino for nature and art. If you'd like to stay close to redwoods and forested areas, you might want to consider lodging at the Mendocino Farmhouse (www.mendocinofarmhouse.com) which is still loc'd only a few miles from Mendocino Village.

Back in Sonoma County, Applewood and Santa Nella are both very nice places to stay within an area of forests and close to the Russian River, wineries and the Sonoma Coast. Applewood has a refined Mediterranean ambiance and Santa Nella more "country Victorian". Applewood also has a great restaurant on-site. Shelford House has been a popular inn for ages, but since it's in the Cloverdale area (far northern Sonoma County) it may be a longer drive to places you want to visit--unless you'll be wine tasting in the Anderson Valley. Cloverdale is kind of the gateway on the Sonoma County side if you travel Hwy. 128 into Mendocino's picturesque Anderson Valley. Gables Inn is close to Sonoma County's largest city, Santa Rosa and is loc'd off a very busy commute hwy. (which used to be a rather peaceful rural road, but no more). It would be fine if one had business in Santa Rosa or Rohnert Park and still wanted a nice B&B experience rather than staying at a mundane chain hotel/motel. However, since you want to be away from traffic and close to trees, Gables wouldn't represent a very good choice.

Thanks again for the detailed information! Now I have even more questions...

I am leaning towards doing 2 nights in Mendocino and either 1 or 2 nights in the wine country. Since I have done Napa Valley (actually driven from downtown Sonoma up north and over through to Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville and the city of Napa) I would love to spend more time in the "other" wine country. What appeals to me is getting away from city life and traffic. (Napa was hectic for me!)

We love the trees! DH wants to see the Avenue of the Giants and I want to tour a few smaller wineries and enjoy the view. We don't mind doing a bit of driving, but I thought it would be nice to stay over in more than one place. I never even heard of Anderson Valley until yesterday, and that intrigues me. I definitely want to see the ocean and hear the crashing surf!!!

Since you live in the area, what would you suggest as to the 3rd and possibly 4th night as to location considering that we will be coming from Mendocino and will ultimately end up in Fremont on that last day? Am i being too ambitious here? Can I accomplish all this while staying in Mendocino?

Thanks again for the help!

Since you have a max. of 4 nites to spend, you could spend 2 nites each in Mendocino and Garberville (stay at the historic Benbow Inn on the Eel River and a short drive to the Ave. of the Giants). Garberville is within 2 hrs. of Mendocino with lots of scenery along the way. Presuming you'll be leaving from Fremont, it's under 4 hrs. to Mendocino--but you'll want to stop at the wineries and also have lunch as you travel thru the Anderson Valley on Hwy. 128. Spend a couple nites in Mendocino exploring the village and the coast, then go on to Garberville where you'll be able to visit Ave. of the Giants and at least a bit of Humboldt Redwoods State Park which is quite extensive. Driving home to Fremont from the Garberville area is a decent length of time (4.5 hrs.?), but you can always get an early start and then stop in the Healdsburg area for a little break.

wxnet,

Are you aware that Avenue of the Giants if over 80 miles NORTH of Mendocino? While the other areas you are speaking of are south of there.

Yes I see that the Avenue of the Giants is 80 miles north of Mendocino. My question is what kind of road does the route take? A long winding road with lots of curves and turns? If it is not too slow could we make it up there on a day trip from Mendocino if we do stay all the nights there?

You could drive up and back in a day from Mendocino to Avenue of the Giants. I would take a picnic and really enjoy it.

I just didn't know from your previous posts whether you understood the north-south parameters and the mileage involved.

I think it would be well worth the trip.

Hwy. #1 north toward Garberville has fairly gentle curves if I recall correctly. The section (maybe 15 mi.?) between Rockport and Leggett is curvy, but not intimidating. You could definitely do a day trip from Mendocino, but get a very early start so you'll have more time to explore the redwoods up in Humboldt County--and so you won't be driving back to Mendocino in the dark.

Wow thanks for all the great advice!

We decided on The Headlands Inn for three nights afterall. We love the coast and we want to see the giants, so we are taking that advice to get an early start so as not to be driving in the dark.

I'm having visions of PCH between San Simeon and Carmel...love the scenery...but only if I am going north :)...is the drive anything like that?

Thanks again. Now I have to decide how to best spend the other time we have. What about the Skunk Train? Is it really touristy?