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Joshua Grindle Inn
Rating Details »
Categories: Hotels, Bed & Breakfast [Edit]
44800 Little Lake RoadMendocino, CA 95460
(707) 937-4143
Rooms just $139 & $159 in December!
1st come 1st served. Any room during Dec. just $159.…
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- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
-
$$
27 reviews for Joshua Grindle Inn
lovely B&B! we celebrated our anniversary and it was a romantic room and wonderful breakfast (baked apple and choco chip scones for the first morning, second morning we had pumpkin waffles!).
It's walking distance to downtown Mendocino which itself made it worth it to stay here but the super-delightful hosts made it a really special stay. We'll come back as often as we can!
This was the perfect B&B - wonderful hosts, thoughtful attention to detail, very clean, and terrific breakfasts that were made fresh, not just set out buffet-style. As if that weren't enough, I had mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary, and the Inn was kind enough to leave us a gift of a bottle of wine and some chocolates, gratis. We stayed in the Master room in the main house, and although I thought it might be noisy (because we were right next to the parlor), they very cleverly put it behind double doors, so we were never disturbed. I loved that it was walking distance to town. I also highly recommend the accupressure massage with Glenna, she is a lovely person to talk to and a terrific massage therapist.
Staying at JGI should erase any bad memories you might have of those "other" B&B's -- the awful, dirty kind with mean cat-lady proprietors and nasty signs. This inn had a cat (adorable) and some signs (very polite & helpful), but what a world of difference! I would stay here again in a heartbeat. It was all about the little touches - things like leaving out a couple hats for guests to wear, in case the sun was too bright during breakfast. It's clear that Cindy and Charles are smart, thoughtful people who truly care about the comfort of their guests.
Beautiful grounds. Room was great and so quiet. Inn is close to business area so easily walkable.
This is a great place to stay if you are taking classes at the art center, they have a rate for singles.
Breakfast was delicious and eating out on the porch was a nice way to start the day.
We stayed here for our 9th anniversary just last week and had a wonderful stay. Charles and Cindy were excellent hosts and our room was quaint. We did a series of packages while we were there and just decompressed for five days. We highly recommend the picnic in Mendocino Gardens and the Massage package. They were WONDERFUL!
The breakfasts were exceptional, with a freshly baked quiche or savory tort of some sort, homemade pastry or rolls and fresh fruit. Sundays are waffle days, so don't miss out. The grounds are lovely, a bit overgrown, but stunning with their foliage and flowers. And Mendocino is just so quaint. There's a small town community feel here, all the business owners know one-another and when we had a little snafu, Cindy was able to make a quick call and it was quickly ironed out, "Just talk to so-and-so when you arrive, she's aware and will take care of it." Just like that. A wonderful contrast to the big-city inflexibility.
We loved our stay and will certainly be back.
Its almost not necessary to write another glowing review of the JGI, but I will anyway.
Located on the corner of Hwy 1 and Little Lake Road Its the first House on your way into town. Being slightly above the town on the slope you get a distant view of the coast beyond the cluster of water towers. Just a short walk into town, but that means no other town visitors are staring at you as you eat breakfast on the porch and you feel as though you are really on vacation getting away from it all. My wife is 5.5 months pregnant and we had an easy walk to anything in town and a few minute walk back.
We stayed in the Nautical Room upstairs in the main house and has the same view, as the front porch, of the coast. The bathroom had a nice stand up shower and was decent size for a B&B and very clean which I am a stickler about. The room has a comfy queen bed and a day bed, as well as a small sitting area with magazines. Free Wifi also made it nice for a streaming movie on the laptop after a leisurely day.
I gave my wife an hour pre-natal massage from Glenna, the on-site masseuse and she loved it. Glenna also gave her some great skin care tips.
Breakfasts were great and served with a smile by Cindy and Charles. You can really feel their genuine hospitality and were very accommodating in every aspect. We had hot coco each morning that seemed way better than when I make it and the heaters on the porch take the edge off when its cool.
The Botanical garden picnic package was great. Picked up the picnic backpack and headed up the road with tickets in hand. Found a spot in the garden and we had all we needed for a feast with wine sandwich meats, bread, fruit and a great little carrot pineapple cake to top it off.
All in all a great experience and great value compared to other places I considered in town. On our next visit to Mendocino we will stay here again.
I would highly recommend this B&B. Beautiful, great location, very clean, nicely decorated and very good service. We stayed in the Garden Retreat and it was very private and quiet. The breakfast was amazing. Everything was perfect!
My only complaint is that I wish I could have stayed longer!
Seriously. This place is cozy, romantic, charming, comfortable, picture-perfect... It's beautifully maintained, from the lush gardens to the period-perfect furnishings. And Charles and Cindy are wonderfully gracious, friendly hosts. Would return in a heartbeat!
I may have loved this place if I had ever been able to visit. I was given a gift certificate for $400 and tried several times over the course of three years to use it but the conditions they had on using gift certificates changed each time I tried. When I initially got the gift certificate and called Joshua Grindle I was told the gift certificate was like cash. I could use it towards my room or a massage or even one of their specials. I thought that was great and said I would call back as soon as I knew I could free up some time for a trip to Mendocino.
When I called back I was told I couldn't use a gift certificate for the dates I needed. I explained that this was not what I was told when I had called before - too bad, I was annoyed but this was a generous gift so I decided I would try again when I was free.
The next time I called my dates were a problem again because of the gift certificate. I tried to change them and stay one night and put the rest towards a massage but was told I couldn't use the gift certificate towards a massage or any specials.
This went on each time I called and I eventually just chalked it up to these guys are either hustling people or everyone who books reservations has different guidelines for gift certificate use - so ultimately the generous folks who spent all that money in attempt to give a nice gift might as well have flushed $400 down the toilet.
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Comment from Charles R. of
Joshua Grindle Inn
8/28/2009
Our gift certificates do not expire, we ask that they be…
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Excellent hosts, beautiful inn and location, great breakfasts...
Cute little b&b right off CA-1 in Mendocino. 1-2 blocks away from most of the local restaurants.
Charles, Cidy and Lindsey are gracious hosts. The breakfast in the morning in the sun is just out of this world. Granola, coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice, soufflé, french toast... yummy! All served to you with a smile.
They even had a nice bottle of Chenin Blanc from Husch vineyards, in our room with 2 glasses. A coffee maker, cd player, radio, good quality bath robes etc. etc. !
Prices are reasonable, starting at $150/night for a cute little room + breakfast. We stayed in the meadow view room, at the back. Plenty of parking.
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The Joshua Grindle Inn is just right. The people who run it are very friendly and attentive. The room we stayed in, The Library, turned out to be bigger than it looked on their website. It's centrally located, just a minute's walk from the town and a couple minutes' drive to some great hiking locations and tide pools
The breakfasts were fabulous! Citrus salad, sweet potato frittatas, cherry-chocolate scones and homemade waffles -- it's like they read our minds.
To that I would add that it's not that pricey compared to other B&Bs in the area. Definitely a winner.
My wife and I just got back from our trip to Joshua Grindle and we absolutely loved it! This was our first trip and we finally got to use a gift certificate that we got for our wedding last year. We stayed 1 night and used the rest of the gift for massages which were also amazing! Great hospitality and it even comes with a great home-cooked breakfast that was restaurant quality. Charles and Cindy are great hosts, would recommend this place to anybody!
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A very nice B&B with excellent personable hosts Cindy and Charles. The complimentary small bottle of Parducci Merlot is a nice touch. The breakfast is fun to eat on the porch overlooking the beautiful gardens. Nice place.
I took my Boyfriend to Mendocino for his birthday last December. It was my first time there (and his as well) so It was difficult to know where to stay, how much to expect to pay, and where to go. I found Joshua Grindle on YELP and am 100% satisfied. We got a reasonably priced room with a nice fireplace, garden view, and four post bed! They recommended a nice restaurant for dinner and gave us some suggestions on what to do during our stay.
I must say, the whole B&B thing is new to me. Breakfast here is like eating at your Grandma's house with a lot of people you don't know. A big table, lots of people conversing, chatting, and discussing "the things to see and do" around town. Mostly everyone was in their 30-40's so we were a bit out of place, but were welcomed none the less. I will definitely visit Joshua Grindle again on my next stay in Mendocino.
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My husband and I have been visiting Joshua Grindle Inn for about 25 years or more. We usually go up on our anniversary in August and just returned from another wonderful time there celebrating our 59th wedding anniversary. Charles and Cindy, the innkeepers, are great and make sure we are always well taken care of. We usually stay in the Nautical Room which has a lovely view and is quite spacious. The breakfasts are always so good and it is such fun to visit with everyone at the breakfast table. That is always our favorite part about staying at a B&B - meeting such friendly people. We'll continue going to Joshua Grindle as it is certainly one of our favorite B&Bs, and we have been to many!
We have just returned from the Joshua Grindle Inn. This was our umteenth visit! We love Mendocino, but staying at the JGI makes each visit truly special. Cindy, Charles and Lindsay are the ultimate in gracious hosts. The rooms are terrific...immaculately clean, comfortable, warm and inviting. We have our favorite (Watertower !!) which is perched way up on a water tower. Wonderful views, very quiet, great fireplace, and most importantly for us, two comfortable chairs with good lighting for reading. The breakfasts are great...either indoors at a large community table, or outdoors on the porch where tables for two are set. Everything about the JGI is terrific, but the hospitality shown by the innkeepers makes this place truly special.
Really enjoyed a birthday trip here. Nice half bottle of wine as welcome, tasty cookies for afternoon snacks, good breakfast that could be eaten with the group or alone at small tables. Walking distance to galleries, restaurants, and ocean. Hosts made dinner reservations and provided good instructions on how to get there. Room was pleasant, bed very comfortable, bath large with nice amenities.
My husband and I drove over 3 hours from Berkeley over the Fourth of July weekend ('06) to stay at this Inn, and we had a fantastic time. Mendocino is further than we would like to drive, but it is so beautiful. The town itself is so quaint, and there are so many restaurants! If you stay at Joshua Grindle, you must must eat at Cafe Beaujolais, one of my favorite restaurants. Also notable are MacCullum House, etc.
As for the Inn itself, we stayed in the Tower II, which had a small wood burning stove, which was excellent for the cold night (even in the summer, Mendocino is cold).
The best part of our stay was the breakfasts, however. We had a stuffed french toast that I replicated at home with much success and fan fare! This is definitely a place to go to take your betrothed. Very quaint and romantic, highly recommended.
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Super cute inn in a super cute town.
This was a great little place. Our room, while small, was very cute without being overly full of, like, doilies or otherwise feeling like we were at our grandmother's place. And even though I'm sure it's an old building (we were staying in an old water tower after all), it didn't feel run down -- the room was well put-together and clean. The fireplace was nice, and every day, the housekeepers would set up the newspapers and kindling for us, so it was easy to light. You should probably note that there's no TV in the room -- but, for crying out loud, you're at an inn in Mendocino. You're there to get away from that stuff!
The innkeepers were very nice and helpful, and breakfasts were tasty(along with the cookies you get when you first stay there). We'd certainly look into staying there again on our next visit.
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We just returned from a lovely 3 night stay at the Joshua Grindle Inn. This is one of the best inns I have ever stayed at and the reason is that the innkeepers and employees have thought of everything to make your stay enjoyable from things to do, to places to dine, to respecting your privacy....
We stayed in the Master Room which is in the main building and is probably one of their nicest rooms - a beautiful 4 poster bed, wood burning fireplace and huge modern bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, comfy robes, shower and little yellow ducks to ;lay with in the tub really make it special. .A half bottle of wine and cookies from the local bakery are in your room when you arrive which we thought was a nice touch. The breakfasts were really good - especially the stuffed french toast, fresh fruit and yogurt on our first morning. My British husband loved the fact that the parlor had tea and cookies and brandy in the afternoons. The parlor also has board games, menus from all the local restaurants, hiking guides etc. In addition the inn has beautiful gardens and is about a 5 minute walk from the Mendocino headlands/beach and downtown restaurants.
This B&B is one a good one! Friendly service, nice rooms, "extras" like afternoon tea, wine and sherry in the parlor and a decent half bottle of wine in your room. It's centrally located so walking into town is very easy. Breakfast was yummy on both mornings we were there, and we definitely would go back.
We went to the JGI three times and haven't been back since November 2003. It sounds like a bad thing, doesn't it? Not at all. For us, the JGI represents the absolute best B&B destination in Mendocino and probably the world. Now, it sounds over the top. Maybe, but let me explain...
They have all the basics right: cleanliness, consistency, accuracy of service, great rooms and amenities, great breakfasts. It is already hard enough for most places to get the "basics" right but with hard work and consistent effort some achieve that goal. But what makes The JGI different is their level of hospitality. Hard work and consistency don't have much to do with real hospitality. Anyone can learn a few cheap tricks but these will never be genuine. You have it or you don't. Charles and Cindy have that genuine care, that profound and sincere desire to make their guests welcome. You know it as soon as you talk to them on the phone. The first visit leaves you hungry for more time. It feels a little bit like the summer vacations you spent as a kid: it is sad when it ends but your mind and heart are full of wonderful memories. Charles and Cindy will remember you. They either have a great memory or a very tight guest recognition file. Probably both. Either way they don't give you a fake "Welcome back!". They really mean it. Their years of experience in the hospitality business and -once again- their natural kindness, make them understand that a repeat visit is a HUGE compliment. And they will return the compliment by a HUGE smile. Even the idea of sitting at a breakfast table with the other guests was quite frightening. I didn't want to talk to any strangers, especially before coffee! But the simplicity of their communal table and every guest's obviously delightful experience made it a very enjoyable time. It was a healthy boost of good feelings and what most of us lack of in our daily lives. Great opportunity to share among guests our ideas for things to do today. When you add a couple home-made muffins and scones, you get a perfect recipe for a day of enjoyment in Mendocino.
The JGI just makes sense. It has Ritz-Carlton standards with a homey hospitality. It is a benchmark for anyone thriving to open an inn or a restaurant. Charles and Cindy are the Universal ambassadors of Hospitality and Excellence.
Years later, our memories are still warm and admiring. We will be back. We just need to find the time between family and work commitments. This is the -little- drama of our reality.
Nick & Esther
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I loved staying at the Joshua Grindle Inn. What a sweet, romantic little place. No T.V. No noise. No nothing. Just a big comfy bed and some Laura Ashley-type decor. The Inn is surrounded by nature...flowers, trees...you'd almost expect Bambi and Thumper to come bounding out of the bushes. I loved the tranquility of the place. We sat in the garden for hours, relaxed and happy. So charming. Along with the amazing views, this place can't be a nicer place to stay. Breakfast is yummy, too.
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This AAA four-diamond Inn deserves every praise the other reviewers have thought of, and more. It was my first time in Mendocino and I spent a lot of time trying to book the right room, for the right price over the Internet - I finally decided on the JGI and it was well worth every penny. The Innkeeper, Lindsey, was attentive and welcoming, and made perfect recommendations for this first-timer. Her breakfasts were lovely and the room (Tower I) was clean and cozy. The JGI maintains independent proprietors and their dedication to the Inn is captured in the details, amenities, and very attentive staff. I highly recommend this Inn...but don't come on my weekend!
Joshua Grindle Inn is wonderful.
While I only met them briefly, I imagine the inkeepers have the perfect personalities for their profession - friendliness combined with an incredible eye for detail. The innkeepers (and the receptionist) were extremely helpful and friendly.
There was an honor wine bar and complementary sherry, snacks, water, soda, etc. There were umbrellas, hats, robes, wireless internet access, a DVD library - all examples of all the little ways the innkeepers made it a wonderful experience.
The entire inn was *spotless*. We stayed in the "master suite." It was huge including the very large bathroom which had a skylight and a great jacuzzi tub.
The breakfast on the porch overlooking the beautiful garden was fantastic. I found their website to be typical of our experience there - very thorough and very helpful (http://www.joshgrin.com).
UPDATE JUNE 09: Still great, best B&B on the coast. Cindy is the most hospitable hostess you could imagine. She, her husband Charles and their innkeeper Lindsey really want you to have an enjoyable stay. They depend on repeat customers not just snagging tourists passing through. They make you feel at home, pampered and wanting to come back soon. It works! I am hooked on the Joshua Grindle Inn. Don't miss the breakfasts, Charles's waffles have no equal. take a ride on the Skunk Train too, it has really spectacular scenery.
OLD REVIEW: I have stayed here seven times and will keep coming back. It is the best B&B in the area. The Innkeepers are friendly and helpful and put a lot of effort into making your stay enjoyable. The breakfasts are very tasty and a low key social event where you can meet other guests. The rooms are cozy and romantic. The location is near highway one but noise is not a problem at all. It is an easy 4 minute walk into town and is more private than the inns that are packed in close to each other in the middle of town. There is no substitute for dedicated owner-operators in the hospitality business. Charles and Cindy are pros and are very actively involved in the day to day operation of the inn. Your comfort and satisfaction really matters to them and it shows in all that they do. The housekeepers and gardener deserve praise as well. The place is really clean and the garden is gorgeous.
If you are up this way do ride the Skunk Train, it is spectacular. Also try Headlands Coffee House in Ft Bragg, great live music every night. Chapter and Moon is a quirky restaurant in the Noyo Harbor flats which is reasonably priced and has great food. There is a new restaurant at Little river called something like Le Petit Riv which you should also try. Pricing is way better than the uppity gourmet places in Mendocino and the food is very good.
This is a lovely b&b in beautiful Mendocino. We stayed in the South Cypress room for 2 nights and thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts, including chocolate chip cookies and a half bottle of red wine in our room upon arrival (ok not the best of the valley reds, but it is the thought that counts, right?) Breakfast was delicious and bountiful with great coffee. The grounds are beautifully maintained and the inn is spotless. We will be back.
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