Welcome to Mendocino Hotel & Garden Suites, CA

The Only Historic Full-Service Hotel in the Heart of Mendocino Village Overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Mendocino Headlands

Constructed in 1878 and restored in 1975, The Mendocino Hotel & Garden Suites offers 51 deluxe accommodations: romantic, Garden Suites: cottages situated on two acres of botanical gardens with fireplaces, Italian marble vanities, private balconies and spectacular ocean or garden views; and Victorian-style Inn rooms with access to ocean view balconies. Enjoy antiques, fine art, stained glass and Oriental carpets and three restaurants.

Mendocino CA Hotel Dining

The Mendocino Hotel's three restaurants offer casual, bistro or fine dining. The Hotel's dining rooms and lounges are popular gathering places for local residents and visitors alike.

Room service is also available, as well as a outdoor garden terrace with ocean views to enjoy drinks or a meal. 

Mendocino Hotel Restaurant

The Mendocino Hotel Restaurant is handsomely appointed with antiques for an intimate and elegant dinner and offers true Mendocino Coast fine dining.

The History of Mendocino

One big part of Mendocino's history are the Redwood Trees. Mendocino was the first location in the area where lumber was harvested.

In 1849, The Frolic sank near Point Cabrillo. The attempt to recover the cargo was unsuccessful, but the scout discovered the giant redwood trees. In less than two years, the first lumber mill was operating on the Mendocino Headlands-right out where the sinkhole is, south of the west end of Main Street. This mill was only used for two years, and then it was rebuilt on Big River, just east of where Highway 1 crosses the river because it would be better covered from winter storms.

Early settlers came to find the western coastal wilderness already populated with Indians, Chinese and the rough loggers, but built homes and eventually brought their wives to the region. Thanks to these early settlers from the East Coast, many of the buildings in Mendocino bear striking architectural resemblance to houses, shops and church steeples of small New England towns.

Over time, a billion board-feet of lumber was taken out of the Big River watershed. This lumber was primarily used to build San Francisco as it expanded in the Gold Rush, and then again to rebuild it after the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906. The mill closed in 1939, and Mendocino became a sleepy place for decades.

In the 1960s, an influx of creative and independent people came to Mendocino. Bill and Jennie Zacha started the Mendocino Art Center and it grew to become the center of a thriving artist community. The Art Center hosts exhibits, demonstrations and classes for artists. Because of the art center's contributions, many art galleries have popped up  in Mendocino and in Fort Bragg.

Music and other performing arts are also important to Mendocino. There are tw local opera companies, a symphony, a theatre company, and other performers in the musical arts in our town.