Road Trip: Little River Inn – Coastal Getaway with your Dog!
Your world is opening up. Time to get out of town!
This is the perfect place to restore your spirit and soul from the effects and chaos of one and a half years of pandemic life – with your dog in tow. And they have, by far, the most beautiful outdoor dining experience ever!
Staff at Little River Inn warmly welcomes you and your family, including the dog, to what they call the edge of the world because it’s perched on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The Inn has been family-run for 80 years by five generations and you really can feel the history and warmth emanating from the bones of the Victorian structure to the staff attending to you, and chef and servers creating your dining bliss in one of their serene dining areas. All you need to do is find a room or stand-alone cottage that meets your needs and then get on the road!
Choosing a room is fun. As you look at their rooms online you’ll discover that the descriptions read like short stories, depicting the tranquility and beauty you will encounter with each setting. And you can take a 3D tour to help you decide. There are dog-friendly rooms for all budgets from the luxurious Rosie’s Cottage to the lovely rooms with a gas fireplace, balconies, and ocean views. They also offer stand-alone cottages with decks and hot tubs looking out to Pacific Ocean. Choices include stunning ocean views, fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs, luxurious steam showers, intimate sitting areas, secluded decks, and more. Their Mallory House property, just a few minutes south of the main Inn, is on the west side of the highway close to the Pacific. View the property map.
You can walk down to the Van Damme State Park (10-minutes – sorry, sans dog) to explore the bishop pines and coastal redwoods on miles of hiking trails and discover the rare Pygmy Forest. You may want to fish in Little River then hang out on the beach, explore tide pools, or rent a kayak.
If you do have your dog, you can hike or play in the water close by at Big River Beach, a couple of miles north of the Inn. Water adventures with dogs or walk the beautiful old logging trail along the river in a riparian forest richly painted with vibrant coastal wildflowers. From there it's five-minutes to land in the Victorian Village of Mendocino where your pup is welcome at most shops and warmly welcomed in the large outdoor dining area at Café Beaujolais.
You also may want to just hang out on the beautiful grounds all day, read your book, and relax. Order a massage in your room and maybe a facial. You can play tennis or golf (9-hole course) with free equipment available for you. Dine in your room or in their outdoor or indoor dining rooms. For an appetizer order the crab cakes and leave room for dessert - the Dark Chocolate pot de creme with whipped cream and fresh berries!
Another fun place to walk with your dog is to visit the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg. These gardens offer everything - over 15 collections of manicured gardens of flowers and plants, to natural areas of pine forests, native flora, and wild mushrooms to flower-filled coastal bluffs and thunderous waves crashing against the cliffs. The gardens encompass 47 acres of land with a half mile walk to the ocean and four miles of trails.
After this exhilarating immersion in nature, you can look forward to a wonderful relaxing dinner in a lush, beautiful setting back at Little River Inn.
Little River Inn is located at 7901 No. Highway 1 in Little River just south of Mendocino. (800) INN-LOVE (800) 466-5683
Ginger gives Little River Inn a 5 star rating!
