Perched above the Mendocino Coast since 1939, the Little River Inn is impossible to miss—its stately white Victorian frame gazing proudly over the mouth of the river. For decades it has lured travelers: celebrities, tycoons, film crews, all drawn to its coastal grandeur. But what stays with you isn’t its glittering past—it’s the way the inn makes space for quiet, personal moments you didn’t know you needed.
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| The front entrance feels like you're in the movies |
I spent just one night here with my baby and dog, and even in that short time, the inn gave me a rhythm I’d been craving. On the porch outside my room sat a wooden rocking chair angled toward the Pacific, and it became my sanctuary. My baby nestled in my arms, my dog stretched out at my feet, and the breeze off Van Damme Beach swept over us like a lullaby. The cliffs were rugged, the water endless, but the real gift was the stillness. Rocking back and forth, I felt the ocean coax my shoulders down, my breath deeper, my mind lighter.
Dinner that night unfolded in one of the inn’s outdoor, dog-friendly cabanas, a set of four canvas tents designed to shield guests from the whip of the coast. My meal arrived in a picnic basket, as though the staff had packed the coast itself to bring to my table. I started with gambas al ajillo, a caesar salad, and a steaming bowl of bouillabaisse—each dish familiar yet bright with local flair. Then came the showstopper: a whole rock cod in red curry sauce, fragrant with herbs and crowned with pickled red onions over jasmine rice. It was unexpected, abundant, and utterly memorable—the kind of dish that reminds you how generous the ocean can be. Dessert was a chocolate mousse—light and sweet, just the right final note to a meal already threaded with salt air, good company, and the sound of waves breaking in the distance.
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| Local rock cod in all its glory with red curry sauce |
The next morning came too quickly, but breakfast in the room softened the goodbye. Delivered in another picnic bag, my avocado toast with poached egg and salad and huevos rancheros were as comforting as they were convenient. Paired with fresh orange juice and local coffee, it was the kind of breakfast that fuels you for both check-out and the road ahead.
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| In-room breakfast at its finest |
On my next visit, I’ll leave time to explore the inn’s other offerings—golf, tennis, even the spa. But on this short stay, all I needed was that rocking chair on the porch, where time seemed to slow as the ocean breeze played with my baby’s hair and my dog dozed happily in the sun.
By history, the Little River Inn is a stately landmark. But for me, it was something gentler, more intimate: a place to pause, to breathe, and to rock quietly into stillness while one of the most dramatic stretches of California’s coast stretched endlessly before me.
