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Bay Area Overnights: Enchanting Coastal Ruggedness at 2 Michelin Harbor House Inn in Mendocino County
Of course I love Big Sur. How could you not? It’s some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. And I’ve had the immense privilege of traversing countless of the globe’s most breathtaking coasts. But my number one coastline anywhere, including everywhere in my stunning home state of California, is the Mendocino Coast. Mendo County weaves from Anderson Valley’s farmland and vineyards to dense miles of redwood forests before opening to the rocky Mendocino Coast, where towering redwoods meet ocean waves crashing below.
The village of Mendocino is an enchanted, Victorian village jutting out into the sea. About a 30 minute drive South of the town of Mendo is a sleep slip of a stretch called Elk. Not so much a town, although it was a major logging community in the 1800s, but a few inns, a couple restaurants, historic houses and churches. Elk is also home to, a 1916 house and gorgeous inn in its own right. It’s also home to the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the entire County, though neighboring Sonoma County boasts multiple stars and destination…