Thank you to Kathy Chin Leong for spending time at the Stanford Inn!
“When are you going to retire, Jeff?”
“Never.”
After 45 years, Stanford Inn & Resort founder and owner Jeff Stanford has stayed the course in the innkeeping game longer than anyone else in the region. According to Jeff, most burn out after an average of seven years. Many bed and breakfasts have been sold to investors or lodging companies with a portfolio of properties around the world. Hands-on in everything pertaining to the resort, he has become a local legend. The majority of guests are repeats at his Mendocino, Calif., property, and not only has he hosted his customers’ children, but he’s also served their grandchildren as well.
So what keeps him in the industry? He hopes his style of environmental hospitality and stewardship can be a positive force in helping to alleviate Earth’s ills. Few inns have mission statements, and this one is big: “to create an environment in which guests, staff, and family are able to connect, and deeply appreciate the natural, and in so doing, themselves.”
Jeff walks the talk. During a property tour, he reaches for a few nubby cigarette butts he’s spied on the ground. River ducks can choke on them, he explains, and these things really cannot disintegrate and therefore pollute the water channel. At his vegan restaurant, Ravens, he reports they rarely use propane gas heaters for outdoor dining because all that propane is bad for the environment.
The wood-shingled eco-resort tucked off Highway 128 and nestled on a hillside takes you far from urban living. Knotty wood walls and wood floors saturate the spaces. Lemon cucumber water in the lobby quenches the thirst of many weary travelers. The great room’s bookstore reveals titles underscoring the clarion call to an ecological lifestyle. These include: Nature My Teacher, The Nation of Plants, The Anxious Generation, The Sweetness of a Simple Life. Mosey past the wine bar and let the crackling fireplace hypnotize you. (The staff uses the Clean Firewood brand, by the way.) Atop the bookshelves are antique toys. The collection of Old World clocks on walls and mantles also delivers the feel of a Vermont inn, cats and all.
Whether employees are leading pilates classes, planting seedlings in the organic garden, or providing acupuncture services, every staffer adheres to the mission. Jeff’s wife Joan, leads on-site art retreats, encouraging non-artists to enjoy the playful aspects of creating something from scratch without judgment.
In between yoga sessions and vegan cooking classes, guests can relax in their rooms with real wood-burning stoves and CD players with Celtic harp music. Of course, you can sleep on thick mattressed beds under snow-white bedding and high thread count sheets. Rooms are adorned without fuss, with wood end tables and blankets with Native American motifs. Most rooms and suites feature breathtaking ocean views.
Outside, ivy grips railings and archways. If you are not a fan of the color green, it’s best to stay away. In fact, Jeff recalls a time when a guest complained, “There’s too much green here,” and she left to go back to L.A.
The lodge makes every effort to cultivate and respect the land. On site is a community seed box where folks can take or drop off seeds. Guests can pray or meditate in the organic garden, which supplies vegetables and flowers for Ravens.
In the spring, rhododendrons, irises, and geraniums abound. Paths zig and zag. Jeff hopes all his guests will interact with nature. To that extent, the inn operates Catch a Canoe and Bicycle’s Too rentals on Big River, adjacent to the inn. Unique here are the Hawaiian canoes with outriggers on both sides which prevent capsizing and make it easy to have an enjoyable paddle.
Health and fitness are also a priority. At the insistence of Joan, years ago, the resort built its own indoor saltwater swimming pool and a whirlpool. The covered area is saturated with dozens of plants, creating a tropical sauna. There is nothing like it in the area, stresses Jeff.
Meanwhile, the Ravens kitchen does not use dairy, eggs, meat, poultry, or fish products. Instead of creamer, you can add soy, almond, or oat milk in your coffee. Hollandaise sauce for the non-egg Benedict is not made with any cream or butter, but made with tofu and lemon juice. Lucky guests have breakfast included daily. Truly, these vegan entrees taste lighter and fresher. When it comes to presentation, they knock it out of the park, accenting dishes with vivid flowers, tiny petals or a smidge of leaves.
But you will have to adjust your taste buds and be open to new things. During one dinner, my daughter Gwen took one bite of her coconut rice and pineapple dish and felt it was too heavy on the rice and too light on the coconut. “It tastes like soy sauce rice,” she said. However, my curry entrée with mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, and snow peas, adorned with orange flowers, was just as good as any Thai restaurant in the Bay Area. Both of us agreed our favorite was the kale stack salad with massaged kale, avocado, and cauliflower. All the ingredients were seasoned with a bright vinaigrette.
One of the most popular items is the mushroom ravioli with house tomato sauce. We gave a thumbs up to the smooth, flavorful mushroom filling. Later, the carrot cake dessert tasted very close to the traditional carrot cake I am used to. Instead of cream cheese frosting, the chef used a light vegan frosting, and the tanginess came from droplets of pureed strawberry, so I did not have to miss the cream cheese.
Meanwhile, at the Stanford Inn, pets are welcome friends. One dining room is dedicated to patrons and their furry companions. Animals get their own pad and treats. Presently, the inn is home to three cats. Jeff, whose home is on the property, rescues unwanted mules, horses, and llamas. Guests are welcome to visit them on the premises.
It’s apparent that the Stanford Inn caters well to animal lovers, vegans, and environmentalists. But also know that all are welcome, especially vacationers who seek respite in a beautiful setting. After 45 years in business and four stars from the lodging industry, Jeff and Joan are obviously doing something good and right for people and the planet.
- Book your retreat today at the beautiful Stanford Inn
