Description

Bed and Breakfast Built in 1916 Overlooking Ocean Cove

In the early morning hours, when a heavy fog envelops Greenwood Cove’s rocky bluffs, a kind of eerie stillness permeates throughout the Sandpiper House Inn property from its spot above the Pacific. But inside innkeeper Curtis’ kitchen, the fireplace starts to crackle around dawn. That’s when Curtis sets to work making breakfast, which has been known to include nut cake, fruit salad, bacon, and swedish pancakes—all garnished with nasturtium blossoms plucked from the garden outside.

Past the parlor, guest rooms showcase unique layouts and antique furnishings harkening back to the inn's origins as a 1916 lumber workers' residence, when trains carted redwood timber along the cove's cliffs. Today, things have quieted down considerably, and the Pacific oceanfront shows few signs of human intervention. The Clifton room's bay window frames a gorgeous vista of cliff-side pines and islands dotting the sea. Downstairs, the Headlands room’s private decks lead to a perennial garden overlooking the ocean below.

Hints of the Queen Anne­–style cottage's lumber legacy can be found in the living and dining rooms’ redwood paneling. You can also see it in the kitchen, where sepia-toned photographs show laborers in rolled-up sleeves posed in front of the house as it once was.

Mendocino Coast, California: Ocean Bluffs Lined with Arty Hamlets

Set on the Northern California shoreline, the quiet town of Elk charms with pastel cottages perch along the coastal ridge and an artists' collective that serves as home to 28 local artists. Their output spills onto a front lawn dotted with bronze sculptures and weathered woodcarvings. It’s easy to see why so many artists are attracted to this part of the country—its steep ocean cliffs and towering redwoods make gorgeous subjects for landscape paintings.

Just north, the town of Mendocino boasts a similarly vibrant arts scene thanks to the efforts of Bill Zacha, who revitalized the old logging village in the 1950s by founding the Mendocino Art Center. You may also spot painters at work at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, a seaside park with beds of rhododendrons, heathers, and lilies blooming from May to July.

Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.