The village of Mendocino has many bed-and-breakfast inns in historic houses, as well as the Mendocino Hotel. Larger inns and lodgings are outside of the Historic Preservation District; you can find those accommodations to the south and also north to Fort Bragg.
Stevenswood Lodge offers a change of pace with modern architecture, understated blond wood furniture and a wooded setting south of town. Accommodations, numbering 10, run from standard rooms to spacious suites. Room rates begin at $125 and include a full breakfast. (800) 421-2810, www.stevenswood.com.
Joshua Grindle Inn, the only four-star lodging in the village, has 10 rooms. Five are in the main house and the remainder in cottages and the water tower. Excellence lies in the details -- delicious cookies when you're hungry, a little plastic bag so you can take home the Swiss-milled soap. December packages include shop coupons and wrapping supplies. Rates begin at $139 with full breakfast. (800) GRINDLE, (707) 937-4143, www.joshgrin.com.
At Agate Cove Inn, the cottages bear the names of jewels -- Emerald, Topaz, Jasper, Garnet and Moonstone. It's situated on a bluff above Agate Cove just north of the historic district. Two rooms are in an 1860 farmhouse and the others are single or duplex cottages. A full country breakfast is served each morning, and may be cooked on a wood-burning Belleville stove. Most rooms have fireplaces and spectacular ocean views. Rates begin at $139 with full breakfast. (800) 527-3111, www.agatecove.com.
Sea Rock Bed & Breakfast Inn has binoculars and a telescope at the breakfast room windows, the better to view the whales that might be passing in the ocean beyond the cliff. Come sunset, guests can watch the spectacle from their decks and then snuggle up beside the fireplace in each room. Most unusual are the sculptural log footrests made by innkeeper Andy Plocher. Rates begin at $179, with discounts when booking online. (800) 906-0926, www.searock.com.
The MacCallum House Inn is the yellow Victorian with a blue widow's walk perched on a rise just behind Main Street. It's by far Mendocino's most elaborate Victorian. It's also more than meets the eye. The inn includes cottages, a barn and water tower rooms, as well as a complex of suites and some cottages off property. Room rates begin at $135 and include breakfast. (800) 609-0492, www.maccallumhouse.com.
The Little River Inn, in the hamlet of Little River just south of Mendocino, is one of the area's oldest accommodations. It started in 1939 in Cora Coombs' family Victorian farmhouse that was built in the 1850s. Owned by her descendants, it boasts 67 rooms in nine buildings, a golf course, tennis courts and a day spa. Rooms vary considerably from small farmhouse rooms to luxury suites. Rates begin at $110. (888) 466-5683, www.littleriverinn.com.