Ever since visiting Mendocino County for the first time several years ago when living in San Francisco, I’ve often considered Mendocino among the most unique corners of California. However, after this most recent trip, partnering with Visit Mendocino, I think it may be the single most unique, interesting part of the West Coast, if not all of America.
I believe the ingredients that make Mendocino County so interesting are many of the same ingredients that you’ll find in most of the world’s most interesting places. Mendocino affords a combination of natural beauty, culture, history, and unique things to do that are reflective of its region, but also unique to the destination itself. In other words, Mendocino offers experiences that can only be offered here.
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The Madrones
In full disclosure, after first coming to The Madrones many years ago to write about it for 7x7, I’ve become friends with owner Jim Roberts. While The Madrones wasn’t expressly part of the trip, I had to stop by one of my single favorite destinations in all of Northern California, especially since Long Meadow Ranch, a Napa winery, had just been added.
The best way to describe The Madrones is to call it a “wine country destination,” but not the type of wine country destination you’ll often find in California. That’s because it’s part accommodations, part restaurant and part collection of wine tasting rooms. The latest addition is Santé, a spa and salon, and Long Meadow Ranch, which is a well known ranch and winery out of Napa. Additionally, just on the other side of Indian Creek is a collection of new unique accommodations, The Brambles, set below the cover of a small redwood grove.