Mendocino Hotel

The Mendocino Hotel and Garden Suites was started in 1878 as the Temperance House. It was later expanded when a second building was added on and a facade added to unite the two buildings from the front and renamed the Central Hotel. It is said that the hotel, at onetime, served as a brothel. The hotel is located in Mendocino’s Historic District which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Ghost Stories

It is said that a Victorian era woman visits tables 6 and 8 in the restaurant. The employees had a little to add about a friendly ghost upstairs that would move things in the bathrooms and turn the lights on and off. There are also certain rooms the main building that are supposed to have visitations.

Our Review

Situated in the picturesque town of Mendocino, the hotel that shares its name is a throwback to an earlier era, as I suppose, most haunted places are. The whole main hotel has a Victorian feel to it. The accommodations in the garden suites are nice, but not worth the money that we paid for it. Our complimentary breakfast (included in the special package that we bought) was very good on both of the days that we tried it. As a part of the package, we also had a complimentary wine tasting at the wine shop next door to the hotel. It was a nice town to get away from it all. There is no cell phone coverage in Mendocino, so you do not have to worry about that breaking the mood as you enjoy the shops and stores.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can learn more about our stay by checking out our honeymoon pages day 2, day 3, and day 4.

Official Website of The Mendocino Hotel

Madrona Manor

Madrona Manor is located in Healdsburg California in the heart of wine country and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1879 by John Alexander Paxton. It has been open to the public as Madrona Manor Inn since 1981.

Ghost Stories

When we asked the employees during our stay, none of them had admitted any unusual experiences with the supernatural or paranormal, but we did hear of a story about the ghost of a woman approaching a guest in the main house and asking her to tell the owners that “She liked what they have done to the place.” There are consistent stories on the web about unusual experiences in room 101 and the dining room. Most of these stories say only two things, that there is a ghost of a young girl in room 101 and a woman named Elise in the dinging room. This seems to indicate a single source, and not corroboration–especially since some websites use the exact same phrasing. Another website listed many more manifestations, and among these both the dining room and room 101 were prominently mentioned. However, there was no mention of the ghost of a little girl or anyone named “Elise.”

Our Review

Accommodations: We stayed in the carriage house. And it was very nice. We liked the decor (Kryis especially liked the amount of Asian art in the carriage house) and the atmosphere. It was nice wandering the grounds. We appreciated the lack of “soft” water in the shower. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Breakfast: The breakfast buffet was one of the best that we have experienced.

We stayed here as part of our “Haunted Honeymoon.” You can get more information about our stay by visiting our honeymoon pages day 1 and day 2.

Official Website of Madrona Manor