Thank you to our West Coast travel writer Kathy Chin Leong, for another great place to stay on vacation.
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the protagonist Lucy Pevensie hides in a closet and discovers the magical world of Narnia on the other side. My recent visit to MacCallum House Inn delights me in a similar fashion. I’m not in England, as the fictitious Lucy is, but in the coastal enclave of Mendocino, California.
Trudging up narrow steps to the third floor, I slowly unlock the wooden door of Room 6. While I don’t enter Narnia, I feel as if I’ve stepped into another place and era. On the other side is a crisp-white, A-frame attic room with high-beamed ceilings. Directly in front is a large curved window drawing the eye to the Pacific Ocean, thick tree groves, and grassy, jagged cliffs. Artists have long depicted this scene for good reason.
Built in 1882, the original five-bedroom home was a wedding gift from the well-to-do parents of Daisy MacCallum. The multi-building property, in addition to the main house, also featured a separate playhouse for the children, a water tower, a horse barn, and its own community church. Today, the 19-room inn is co-owned by Jed and Megan Ayres and Noah Sheppard who have stewarded this Victorian sanctuary since 2002. The team has successfully maintained its gingerbread architecture with restored porches, corbels, and arches. We walk the well-attended gardens bursting with color and curvaceous pathways meandering past groups of Adirondack chairs. The rooms, suites, and cottages are on our little tour, and we peek in when we can. Some have claw-foot tubs, others have sleigh beds.
I am on a mother-daughter getaway with my adult girl, Gwen. We watercolor for hours in front of the room’s attic window. Swiveling in our brown leather chairs is also great fun. Furnishings are country chic atop Old World rugs. The fluffy bedding – very white. The clapboard walls are very white. The waffle-weave comfort robes – very white as well. This room could be on the cover of a Pottery Barn catalog.
Room 6 offers three flat-screen televisions in the living room and bedrooms, WI-FI, and ports and plugs for phones and computers. A writing desk, plus a microwave and refrigerator round out the amenities, along with a heater that’s a wood stove. A white honeycomb-tiled bathroom with a whirlpool tub will spoil visitors with a massaging soak.
Over the years, the children’s playroom, the horse barn, and the three-story water tower have been repurposed into guest rooms. The water tower features a bed on the first and third levels. The second, narrower level surprises with a luxury bathroom and deep tub.
Breakfast, by the way, is included. Charm is afoot in a light-filled sun room. Indulge your taste buds with cornmeal pancakes, house-made sausage, or a coconut chia seed yogurt parfait. Step into the intimate dining room for supper. Warm yourself by the river rock fireplace that flickers nightly. The menu is upscale New American featuring delicacies such as braised lamb shank, Liberty Farm duck breast, or olive oil roasted cauliflower. For a special occasion, opt for the tasting menu. Save room for tantalizing sweets. Among several, there’s the Chocolate Extravaganza with an all-chocolate spread of crème brûlée, ice cream, and a Kahlua truffle. My choice? The poppy seed beignets plopped on a cloud of lemon curd, surrounded by dollops of whipped cream dotted with blueberries.
Based in the center of the former logging town, the inn is steps from boutiques, spas, bakeries, and restaurants. With so many restored buildings around you, you feel as if you are on a movie set for Gone with the Wind.
A number of romantic lodges exist in Mendocino. But MacCallum is special. If the child in you craves a room with a cozy corner or a secret place where no one will find you, this wedding gift meant for Daisy MacCallum can serve as your private Narnia.
- Find your secret room at https://www.maccallumhouse.com
