What appears here probably can be and will be described as trivia or just “stuff”. Some will glance at it and ignore it , some might find it to be of interest. It is, for the most part, just “stuff” that comes into my mind, stuff that I think might be of interest to readers who may not be thoroughly acquainted with our Mendocino Coast. If it helps to paint a better picture of our area, read on.
If it doesn’t…. delete key.
You might feel the need to comment on what you see here, or you may think something might be added. Sorry, but you can’t post to the site. You can, however, send an email to me with your comment or suggestion.
If your comment fits into the scheme of things here, I will post your comment (edited) in the appropriate spot. If I do add your comment, I will identify you only by your first name and City/State - your email address will not be posted. Send your email to info@mendocinopreferred.com.
If you have nothing but time on your hands, read through the entire stuff, below, If you don’t want to torture yourself, you can click on just one or two of the subjects that might be of interest. I wonder… will anyone bother?
Weather
Now…. go for it.
WEATHER:
It’s chilly today as I write this, but it's a beautiful, sunny day. Just a couple of days ago it was raining, sometimes pouring – and there were instances of hail. But that’s not unusual in northern California at anytime between November and April. You can read a little about our Coastal weather or see our weather cam..
HOLIDAYS:
They seem, to adults, to come so fast; to children, they go so fast. Whatever, they are bright spots in our otherwise rather-common, ordinary lives when we work and work…. and, yes, work. One indication of the importance we put on “getting away” on holidays is the amount of lead-time in making lodging reservations. A lot of our guests, this year, are making reservations far in advance – weeks or months ahead, well into the coming months. It is, of course, the major holidays that get the most attention – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah, New Years, Valentines Day, Presidents Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, & Labor Day. Keep in mind when booking for holiday periods – depending upon the holiday, we have three and four-night minimum reservations.
VACATION HOME RENTALS VS. HOTELS, INNS, B&B’S:
Lately, we see more and more visitors to the Coast opting for vacation home rentals over hotels, inns, B&B’s and motels. Why not… or better, why? Well, for a number of reasons: it’s the luxury of being king/queen of your own house, the luxury of having breakfast in your pajamas … or being in your pajamas all day if you want to. It’s having a private deck and maybe a hot tub just outside the door. It’s being able to watch the sunset as you have cocktails on the deck and, later, have a grand dinner of your own making. It’s sitting in front of the fireplace on a chilly afternoon or evening as you watch the breaking waves pound against the cliffs. Why? That’s why… and why not?
DISTANCES AND TRAVEL TIME TO MENDOCINO:
We get a lot of questions about how to find us from wherever you are. We’ve made it simple… with a page on our website. It gives you distances and driving routes from a number of locations – San Francisco, Sacramento, South Lake Tahoe, Portland and Newport, Oregon. Sorry, if you’re driving from Kansas, you’ll just have to route your own travel until you can merge your route into one of our routes.
DOG FRIENDLY: Over the years we’ve learned a few things about what guests want in vacation rental homes. Sure, they want ocean views, dramatic settings, comfortable furnishings, nice kitchens… but probably top on their list for a lot of people is that they want to bring the favorite member of the family along…. So, yes, we’ve learned to be dog-friendly – and we are - in almost all of our rentals by pre-arrangement. We have rather strict rules regarding pets. If you are traveling with a dog (or two), please read our Pet Policy. It covers rules like... Pets never allowed on any furniture… Pets never outside the house without being on a leash… Pets never to be left in the house alone – when you leave the house, pets must be taken with you… and when Pets leave a deposit anywhere outside the house, YOU get to pick it up and dispose of it.
WE RECOMMEND: Our guests – especially first-time visitors – often ask us about restaurants, things to do, where to hike, etc. We happily provide answers, of course, but you might find it easier to search through a lot of information on our website. On the website’s first page, on the left, cursor down to “We Recommend…”. Or click HERE.. You’ll find a lot of information – most of it hot-linked – for restaurants, hiking, wineries, things to do, entertainment and art. The Mendocino Coast is a happening-place.
DISTANCES TO TOWNS ALONG THE COAST:
We get the question all the time – “How far is it to ________?” In case you were wondering, here’s your answer… as measured from Mendocino.
SOUTH to:
NORTH to:
SPECIAL RATES:
There are certain times of the year when we offer special rates. For example, from November through April 2011, if you reserve two or more nights, you can get an additional night FREE. In other words, pay for two nights, stay for three; pay for three nights, stay for four… you get the picture. That offer is not available during holiday periods: November 22 - November 29; December 22 - January 4; February 10 - February 24; April 21 - April 26… and the additional free night must be other than Friday or Saturday.
OFFICE HOURS OF OPERATION:
You will usually find us in our office – at 10481 Lansing St. in Mendocino – from about 7:00 AM to about 5:00 PM every day. After hours, we’re available by phone at 800-942-6300. We do, from time to time, try to have a life away from the phones and manage to get out to dinner or a play or whatever… but we have a very intelligent voice mail system that will take your messages. Promise, we’ll get back to you.
BRINGING CONFIRMATION/DIRECTIONS WITH YOU:
Usually within 24 hours after you make a reservation, we will send a confirmation (by email) as well as a rental contract. You need to initial and sign in the appropriate places and then fax it back to us (or scan it and email it). Along with the confirmation we’ll send directions to our office where you need to come to pick up your packet and keys to the rental. The directions also give you information about late arrivals – if you arrive after we’ve closed up for the night, your packet will be left in the pick-up box next to our front door. The box is locked & opened with a code – that code is also on your directions page. Please, DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR INSTRUCTIONS WITH YOU. We’ve had a few isolated instances where guests didn’t know (1) how to find our office and (2) when someone kindly pointed them in our direction, they couldn’t get into the pickup box because they hadn’t brought the code with them. Yes, they had a cell phone, but didn’t have our phone number. Again, some kind soul told them how to reach us. It could have been one of those rare nights when we were out to dinner, but, of course, they could have sat in their car until 10:30 or so… or they could have gone out to dinner. Once more - DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR INSTRUCTIONS WITH YOU.
CELLPHONE RECEPTION;
Cell phone reception along the Mendocino Coast is spotty. Depending upon your own brand of service, you may get connected in Mendocino and Fort Bragg. You can pretty much forget it outside of the towns.
LONG DISTANCE CALLS ON US:
We know how important it is for our guests to keep in touch – with family or the office. You may have seen it elsewhere on the website, but your long-distance calls are on us. You no longer have an excuse for not keeping in touch with Aunt Emily.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
There are special events on the Mendocino Coast throughout the year and you can see them all on the “We Recommend…” page of our website. Just a few of them are: Crab & Wine Days Festival; Whale Festival; Film Festival; World’s Largest Salmon Barbeque; Mendocino Music Festival, & Winesong!... and more. Indulge yourself.
WINERIES:
Mendocino County is known for some wonderful fine wines with hundreds of grape growers and, at last count, 84 wineries up and down the Ukiah Valley and Anderson Valley, many of them with tasting rooms open to the public. A tastng room “crawl” and maybe lunch in the valley is an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. For wine lovers, Mendocino is our Provence. For information on wines and wineries, go HERE.
THINGS TO DO
Some visitors to the Coast just want to sit back and “do nothing” – it’s a time to relax, nap, read, watch the waves, the birds, the whales, sip a glass of wine in front of the fire…. Nothing. Others want to get out and go and do and there are a lot of things to do and places to go. There are miles and miles of hiking trails – along the ocean bluffs or through the forests; canoe and bike rentals; ocean charter boats; fishing; fitness centers and swimming; horseback riding; take a “Skunk Train” ride; visit the lighthouse; attend live theatre or concerts; browse fine galleries; wine tasting; shopping; and don’t forget the wonderful restaurants all along the coast. Once again, go to “We Recommend…”.
MEDICAL SERVICES:
Just in case. There are terrific medical services on the Coast. Doctor-specialists are nearby in Mendocino and Fort Bragg and the Mendocino Coast District Hospital is in Fort Bragg, fully staffed and with an always-open Emergency Department and Ambulance Service. You can get a better idea by visiting the MCDH hospital website.
PHARMACY:
There is one pharmacy in Mendocino, four others in Fort Bragg, & one in Point Arena, all with various times of operation. For weekends, only Safeway, CVS and Rite Aid (in Fort Bragg). In an emergency, the Hospital will be able to give you hours of oeration…. Call (707) 961-1234.
GROCERIES:
What are vacation-rental homes for but to stay in and dine in style with someone you like. That can be cozy, but don’t forget the steaks or salmon, the baked potatoes, the French bread, a great bottle of wine. Well, you’re the chef, you figure it out. There are two large grocery stores in Fort Bragg – Harvest Market and Safeway. In Mendocino, another one, Harvest at Mendosas. They have great selections and yu won’t go hungry.There are, as well, smaller stores at Albion, Little River, Cleone and Westport.
WEATHER WEBCAM:
Want to check the current weather on the Coast? Go HERE for a webcam and the current weather with a link to the weather forecast.
REAL ESTATE:
Real Estate along the Coast is about the same as in most parts of the country today – hot and cold, boom or bust – and, for the last three years or so, it’s been mostly cold… on some days, luke-warm. Recovery? Well, maybe we’ll edge up a bit in Spring 2012. Four years ago, prices kept edging upwards and people kept buying, with multiple bids almost common. For the past three + years, those property prices have been falling, then falling some more. There’s no question about it – it’s a Buyer’s market and right now is the best time to buy – low prices and low interest-mortgages.
At this writing, there are just over 200 homes on the market in the Coastal areas. Twelve of those are oceanfront homes, ranging in price from just under $500,000 to $3.4 million. Nearly 70 homes are on the market with oceanviews, priced from $270,000 to $2.5 million. The rest are homes without ocean views, from $84,000 to $3.6 million. Real Estate agencies in the Coastal area (which includes Anderson Valley) number about 17. Our favorite agency is, of course, our sister company – Sea Cottage Real Estate. We’re located in downtown Mendocino. You can check us out on the website and then click on the link to see the entire MLS offerings.
ART, ART CENTER, GALLERIES:
Back in the 1950’s, Mendocino was a sleepy little town on the Coast. Once a thriving mill town, it had fallen on hard times when Bill and Jennie Zacha arrived in town. Bill was a fine artist who had a dream to start an art center. He acquired, in the late 50’s, the grounds of an old mansion which had burned to the ground and, with the help of many friends and artists, by 1959 the Mendocino Art Center was opened. Bill coaxed and begged artists to come to the Center to teach and to show their art. Through the years, the Art Center has grown to become known world-wide and its existence has brought many artists to the village. Today Mendocino, known for its natural beauty, is also known for art excellence. You can see a number of art galleries as well as the Art Center, linked on our ”We Recommend…” page of our website.
FISHING:
What is it that makes people want to “go fishin’”? I’ve never been bitten by that particular bug, possibly because, when I was a boy, growing up in a farming area of Pennsylvania, we didn’t have any rivers or lakes nearby. We had small creeks and the best I could do was try to catch minnows by hand.. Even so, I’ve always been intrigued by the Norman Rockwell painting, “Gone Fishing”… a wonderful painting of a man, sitting on a pier, straw hat on, legs dangling, cane pole in his hands, and his dog dozing by his side… presenting a warm, wonderful, calm feeling that everything is OK with the world. Good feelings aside, it would be difficult to duplicate that scene here on the Coast, but, oh, yes, there is fishing to be had. There is surf fishing at several spots along the coast, but the big noise is charter boat fishing out of Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg. You can find several charter companies for half-day or full-day fishing cruises by going to ”We Recommend…”.
WALKING, HIKING, STATE PARKS:
If you’re on a driving tour along the coast, driving down the highway at whatever speed, and you think you’ve seen the coastal area…. you haven’t. You have to get out of the car (and off your butt) and hike. That’s the real way to see our coast, our forests, our sand dunes and beaches, our birds, wildflowers, whales, our Botanical Gardens, or ???. There are miles of hiking trails through the forests and along the ocean bluffs. Hiking may be a little tiring to some, but exhilarating to all. It’s an experience. Beside, it’s good for you and, really, the only true way to see the coast. See our ”We Rcommend… Hiking and Parks.
Holidays
Vacation Home Rentals vs. Hotels, Inns, B&B's
Distances & Travel Time to Mendocino
Dog Friendly
We Recommend
Distances to Towns along the Coast
Special Rates
Office Hours of Operation
Bringing Confirmation/Directions with you
Cellphone Reception
Long Distance Calls on us
Wineries
Things To Do
Medical Services
Pharmacy
Groceries
Weather Webcam
Real Estate
Art, Art Center, Galleries
Fishing
Walking, Hiking, State Parks
Staying Away from the Bluffs
Internet & Wi-Fi
Little River - 3
Albion - 7
Elk - 16
Manchester - 30
Point Arena -35
Gualala - 50
Caspar - 3
Fort Bragg - 8
Cleone - 13
Westport - 26