Stanford Inn By the Sea in a Nutshell :
The Stanford Inn is truly something different – and not only because of its spectacular ocean views, organic gardens, and luxurious indoor heated pool. It is the only vegan resort in the country. Vegetarians, vegans, and anyone who’s willing to forgo burgers for a few days can enjoy these ten beautifully maintained acres with horses and llamas, and easy access to the Big River for kayaking or canoeing.
Guest Rooms at the Stanford Inn By the Sea:
The Stanford Inn has 41 guest rooms, including nine suites, all with ocean views. While the walls and ceilings are knotty pine, the rooms feel luxurious rather than rustic, with wooden mantles, upholstered couches, dark wooden furniture, and fluffy pillows. All rooms have wood-burning fireplaces, private decks, VCR and DVD players, compact stereo systems, bathrobes, microwaves, flat screen TVs, coffee pots with organic coffee, and wi-fi and dial-up Internet service.
Dining at the Stanford Inn By the Sea:
Cuisine at the Stanford Inn’s restaurant, The Ravens, is vegetarian and vegan. Much of the organic produce used is grown on site, including edible flowers, spices, and herbs. Dinner offerings may include a strudel made with local sea palm and root vegetables baked in sesame phyllo and homemade spinach ravioli filled with sun dried tomato tofu ricotta with beurre blanc. The full bar features some organic alcohol, including bourbon and gin, and wines. An organic breakfast is included.
Weddings at the Stanford Inn By the Sea :
The inn’s owners work with couples to customize weddings, or couples can opt to use a local wedding planner they recommend. Conveniently, Jeff is a minister and can officiate at ceremonies. Vegetarian or vegan food is available, and wedding cakes are prepared by a pastry chef in Mendocino. Ceremonies can be held in the wooden gazebo, ithe gardens, or anywhere else on the property. An elopement package is also offered in which Jeff performs the ceremony.
Honeymoons and Romance at the Stanford Inn By the Sea:
The Stanford Inn offers a Fall in Love with Life – Again romance package. It includes two or three nights in an ocean view room with a wood-burning fireplace and king-size bed, canoeing or kayaking, biking, massages, and two meals daily. The inn’s owners are also planning a package that will include private yoga classes.
Spa at the Stanford Inn By the Sea :
The three treatments rooms at the spa, aka Massage in the Forest, have large windows overlooking the property’s dense wooded area, bringing the natural surroundings inside. Twelve types of massages available include Swedish, Thai, hot stone, botanical aromatherapy, and one just for couples. Aromatherapy wraps, sea salt scrubs, and facials customized to skin type are also offered.
Swimming Pool and Other Facilities at the Stanford Inn By the Sea:
The Stanford Inn has a large heated indoor swimming pool, hot tub, and sauna inside a comfortably warm solarium. It also has its own dock, and a shop, Catch a Canoe, that rents kayaks and unique handmade redwood outrigger canoes for trips along the Big River. Mountain bikes are available to guests at no charge, and there is a fitness room onsite. Yoga classes are offered, and books on green living and healthy eating are sold in the lobby. At four o’clock, wine and hors d’oeuvres are served.
Nearby the Stanford Inn By the Sea:
The Stanford Inn is two miles from Mendocino, a charming seaside village with Victorian architecture, shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Fort Bragg, a much larger town eight miles away, has more shops and restaurants, as well as the Skunk Train, which meanders through the redwoods.
Is the Stanford Inn By the Sea Right for You? :
At the Stanford Inn, the focus is on healthy living, with only vegetarian and vegan cuisine available. But there is also a great emphasis on enjoying the local waterways, the colorful flowers grown on the property, the heated indoor pool, and the horses, llamas, and other animals. While vegans and vegetarians will be thrilled to stay in a place in which the cuisine caters to their tastes, any couple seeking a relaxing getaway amidst beautiful surroundings will find it here.
Find Out More About the Stanford Inn By the Sea:
Stanford Inn By the Sea Resort & Spa
Coast Highway One and Comptche-Ukiah Road
Mendocino, California 95460
800-331-8884 or 707-937-5615
Coast Highway One and Comptche-Ukiah Road
Mendocino, California 95460
800-331-8884 or 707-937-5615
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As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary accommodation and meals for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
