I stayed at the Benbow Inn with my mother a few years ago. We were supposed to have a mother-daughter weekend. We get to the hotel and check in to our room - I got the basic, two double beds room. There aren’t any TV’s or AC which is fine with us. It was summer so it was hot and humid - around 90 in the evening. Before dinner, my mom was taking a shower and I decided to take a 15 min nap - during my nap, it suddenly got bone chillingly cold (no AC to blame) I was overcome with a numbing fear - I was afraid to open my eyes and was counting the seconds for my mom to come out. My conscious mind was telling me that I’m acting dumb but my gut feeling was that there was something very angry in the room with us, and it didn’t want us there.... Fast forward to the following morning - mom and I left the room for brunch until my mother realized that she forgot something 15 minutes later. We both go to the room and are trying to open the door (they had skeleton keys to their rooms) but we can’t. We go down to front desk who all come up to try and open our door to no avail... Hotel staff had to call the Fire Department who had to use the expanding ladder on their fire truck to crawl into our room window.... fireman opens the door and comes out with a puzzled look on his face. Apparently, the deadbolt on the door was locked... these are old school deadbolts that latch in from the inside, no one can even see them from the outside. That antique latch thing had to be physically pushed into the metal loop on the door with some force. Fireman checked the room for intruders even tho no one could get into the room unless they had a fire truck... that’s when one of the staff goes “Oh! You guys have the haunted room!” Huh!? We left a day early. Still gives me shivers but the inn was beautiful! Restaurant was pricy but delicious! The view of the old bridge over the river is like a fairy tale - I wish I wasn’t scared $h!tless so I could come back! …
I am not an Inn person so keep that in mind while reading my review. Nothing really fantastic about the stay. Rooms were clean. Location is in the middle of no where so if you are looking to get away and have some peace and quiet this might be your spot. Room rates are high (I can stay ocean front at the Hilton Hawaiian village cheaper) the restaurant on site has good foor but again high priced. There are other eating options up the road in Garberville. Staff was friendly.
Such a special place to stay. The hotel is full of history, the setting is beautiful and peaceful and the staff was attentive. We had dinner both nights in the restaurant out on the patio and the food was delicious and priced accordingly. The setting with the cool evening and pretty lights was spectacular. All the guests were fun out on the lawn, relaxing in chairs and having family time - all while adhering to social distancing. The hotel and property are extremely well kept and hand sanitizer stands are everywhere. A short drive to the Avenue of the Giants to see the California Redwoods is a must when you are here. I would highly recommend Benbow Inn in your travels. I took my BFF there for her birthday and we will be back.
What a beautiful hotel! We stepped back in time, but enjoyed modern amenities! We checked in and every Covid precaution was taken, including a welcome bag with hand sanitizer, wipes, pen, paper and visit map for Avenue of The Giants drive. We booked Clara's Room, a renovated founder's room and it was just stunningly beautiful: high ceilings, huge windows with traditional draperies, antiques, enormous bathroom with pretty tile and a clawfoot tub, modern fireplace. Everything was sparkling clean and comfortable. After settling in, we walked down the stairs to the bar and living room area. The grand living room has several seated areas with fine antiques and pretty views onto the patio. It was empty, so we decided to have a drink and play a game of dominoes we brought with us. The bartender was very friendly and made us house specialty cocktails. Yum. After our game, we headed out to the patio for dinner. Our helpful server chatted with us about the area and local ingredients incorporated into the menu. Yes, the menu is pricey as others have pointed out. However, you are paying for the convenience of staying at the hotel and the pretty ambiance of the large patio overlooking and extensive manicured lawn, distant ivy covered stone bridge over the Eel River and charming lights. Dinner was delicious...melon salad, potato leek soup, creole shrimp. Breakfast was included the next day and was an egg burrito, a limited choice, but delicious. We saw several open rooms being cleaned as we checked out and peeking in they appeared to be just as charming as ours. So, hard to go wrong with a room choice at this special hotel.…
Everything was great! The food is amazing, we ate two dinners on the patio and could not have been happier. Breakfast (in the time of COVID) was a nice, fresh made , Breakfast burrito and a good cup of coffee. We shared a Terrace Room and all was perfect, nice hot shower, TV, bed and feather pillows were welcomed with big smiles, the air-conditioning was also nice. All in all I do keep returning to the Benbow to celebrate special occasions. I do agree that premium WYFI should have been part of the deal, otherwise I have no complaints what so ever.
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