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June 2024 by Steve M
My wife and I recently spent an extended weekend at the charming Packard House. While it's not the most budget-friendly option (but what is in Mendocino), it's perfect for a special occasion, and I very much recommend it. Having stayed at the Blue Door Inn before, we expected similar excellence from this related property, and we weren't disappointed.
We arrived a little after 6 pm and had to arrange for an after-hours check-in. The process was seamless, thanks to the detailed instructions emailed and texted to us. We booked the King Guest Room, which is separate from the main house, located just behind it. The room was very clean, featuring a very comfortable king-sized bed and a fireplace that added a cozy touch to our stay. The couch was perfect for our evening reading sessions. I particularly appreciated the two doors in the room—one leading to the street where we parked and the other opening to the inn’s backyard. In warmer weather, I would definitely enjoy some time on our private garden patio. Since the room isn’t part of the main house, it was very quiet.
For those who travel with multiple gadgets like laptops, iPhones, iPads, and camera batteries, the inn offers excellent WiFi access and plenty of power outlets. Once you enter the WiFi password at the Packard House, it works at the Blue Door too, making it easy to stay connected and share your experiences with friends.
The breakfast, delivered in an insulated basket to our door each morning by a friendly staff member, was outstanding. It included hot coffee and a variety of sweet and savory items that provided a great start to our day. Each basket came with a menu detailing the dishes, which was a nice touch. We preferred to take our basket into the main house to eat at the large dining room table, but most guests chose to enjoy their breakfast in their rooms or on their outdoor porches.
We also took advantage of the complimentary wine and cheese hour held between 4 and 5 pm at the Blue Door Inn on two evenings. The cheese plate was generously stocked with items that paired wonderfully with both red and white wine. It's an event you shouldn't miss, so be sure to plan your schedule around it.
Last, the inn went above and beyond to make my wife’s birthday special. They arranged for a thoughtful birthday card and a couple of treats from Mendocino Chocolate Company, adding a personal touch that made our weekend even more memorable. I can’t recommend the Packard House enough.
Rooms: The rooms have a lot of character - just like the Inn. We were very happy with a room outside of the main house.
Walkability: Easy walk to anywhere in the town of Mendocino
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April 2024 by Ysabelli R Cusi
Spent a Saturday night for my boyfriend and I’s anniversary, and our stay made it even more special than I could possibly imagine. We booked directly through the website which gave us a few wine tastings as apart of a package and WOW! Truly made our trip worthwhile and the 3 hour drive from the city more bearable ? we got to try places we wouldn’t even think to stop at. When we finally made it to Mendocino, the complimentary wine and cheese hour upon checking in was such a warm welcome. Once we got to the room, we were blown away by how spacious and private it was. We hadn’t even checked out before I was telling all my friends to check this place out. Definitely coming back!
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April 2024 by Kelsey Snook
Staff was nice, room was cute (it had a fireplace!), and Mendocino was a fun place for an overnight getaway.
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February 2024 by Lauren Zampa
Such a dreamy, lovely place to stay! Everything about this experience was flawless, from the friendly assistance booking our reservation to the kind follow up upon checkout. The breakfasts were delicious, the Garden Cottage was spacious and so comfy (and quiet!), and the location was perfect. We were especially appreciative of the efforts made to accommodate our 8-month-old, even though this property is usually aimed at adults. Already can’t wait to return!
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May 2023 by Kristy S.
Beautiful, comfortable, clean. Friendly, helpful staff. Great location. Loved the bed and pillows, soft sheets. Delicious breakfast. Great coffee. Garden was idyllic. Bathroom could use a remodel but, again, it was clean so no complaints. Great trip. Will stay there again.
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May 2023 by Rain B.
We stayed at this wonderful B&B Great room with great amenities, lovely comfy bed. Wine and cheese on arrival which enabled us to meet other guests from the other inns and chat! Breakfast in a basket arrived to our room in the morning which we ate in the dinning room as we were next door. Delightful!
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February 2023 by Victoria P.
We just returned from a weekend stay at Inns of Mendocino-- Packard House. We had a fantastic stay and couldn't stop talking about all the attention to detail and special touches, making our stay that much more memorable. Location couldn't be more perfect, right in the heart of Mendocino. Everything was within walking distance including the best ocean views, local cafes and shops. We stayed in the garden cottage, grand king room. Beautiful, spacious room with modern decor throughout. We arrived to our room with the fireplace going, lights on, roman shades drawn up and the french door curtains open. What an awesome first impression and cozy welcome. Breakfast basket was delivered every morning with thoughtfully curated hot sweet and savory items. We enjoyed the complimentary wine and cheese social and the beautifully packaged cookies were such a great touch. One of the biggest things that stood out to us was the room "refresh". After a day out exploring the coastal town, we retreated back to our room and found it nicely refreshed. Bed made and toiletries and towels restocked. THANK YOU! Many hotels have moved away from providing daily room refreshes post pandemic. But it's such a vital part of the overall experience. There is nothing worse than coming back to your room at the end of the day to trash overflowing and wet towels on the floor. We are looking forward to returning and staying at one of your inns again. Thank you for your exceptional hospitality!
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August 2022 by Susan T.
We had a lovely stay one night at Packard House. Perfect location, comfy bed, nice linens, robes and room amenities. The Inn is part of the Blue Door Group ( former White Gate Inn) You pick up your keys at Blue Door and drive down to Packard House which is a few blocks away by the art center. The wine reception is at Blue Door so BYOB from Harvest Grocery store if you want to enjoy wine at your inn. There is a small fridge in the living room cupboard or pick up ice with your key at Blue Door. Breakfast is delicious and delivered to your door nice and hot in the most clever thermo basket .They made a special non dairy egg dish for us. We took our basket to the dining room and enjoyed breakfast in the dining room and living room. I would recommend PH. Also Blue Door Inn looks great. We had enjoyed that location twice with previous owners. All the upgrades look wonderful under new ownership so look forward to a stay there one day!
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March 2022 by Steven Worker
We had a great, quiet one night stay at the Garden Cottage. Check-in was easy and staff friendly. We enjoyed the breakfast. Everything in town is within walking distance
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March 2022 by Penni Nussbaum
Pros. Great location. Staff is accommodating. Breakfast was delishCons. Rundown B& B.
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May 2021 by Francine B.
This review is for the Garden Unit in the Packard house. It has a beautiful garden view with access, a super comfortable bed and & the breakfast food was delicious & delivered timely during COVID but that's where it ends. This unit is very tired & worn - from the structure of the building to the furniture and fixtures. Doors are cracked & have wood rot and mold, The kitchenette didn't have hot water but it does have ants, The sofa legs are wobbly so when you sit on it you feel like it's going to crash to the floor, the bathroom is two big steps down with a cracked sink & dirty grouped tile floor. I created a list of "suggestions & attention needed" for the Inn's management which they appreciated (but they had to know about many of these flaws because they are clearly old). They did offer a partial credit which I received promptly. I've provided a photo of this list along with other photos of these flaws.
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November 2020 by Hope-Anna B.
First off, this place is really beautiful. We've stayed at many BnB's and this is one of the top places design-wise for sure! It's pretty close to the pictures you see online which is rare. Plus it's walking distance from everything so that's deluxe. BUT, although there were few cons, they were bad enough to post. The walls are very thin. Thin enough to hear even a conversation from the upstairs room. I'll leave it at that. Perhaps it's the room we chose that's bad. I don't recommend staying in the Village View Room. There's a door behind the wardrobe that leads to a laundry room. Unfortunately, they picked the worst of hours to do the laundry and we've heard it every other day we've been here. The laundry machines, doors, and drawers are LOUD. This morning they chose 7:30 am to start laundry. The lady has a lovely voice for singing but again, I don't really want to be awakened by this... :/ Breakfast is alright but not notable. Our fireplace didn't work. Robes fit great and are a good touch. There's even basic cable TV. Nice deep bath tub but it's definitely only for one. The price is very fair, I'll give it that.
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October 2020 by Angie Z.
We stayed in Kasten Cottage for 2 nights on a last minute getaway. Things were pretty full in Mendo so I appreciate the fact that we got a spot. TLDR: great location and friendly service, but dated accommodations and underwhelming for the price we paid ($300 per night). I can't recommend Kasten Cottage or Packard House. I *would* give Blue Doors Inn another try because I think the main house Blue Doors Inn might be much nicer. - tiny, outdated shower (but beautiful floors in the bathroom... couldn't they have done a complete remodel?) - the cottage floors sloped quite significantly and the carpet was old. Bring slippers. - curtains are all dusty... just shows things haven't been deep-cleaned in a while. - walls are thin. Because of Covid, the dining room (sharing a wall with Kasten Cottage) was closed. I would expect the noise to be very loud if the dining room were open. - at 10am, maintenance came by with a leaf blower right outside our door. - no WiFi for our entire stay. I believe Blue Door Inn had WiFi. - breakfast on Day 1 was great. Day 2, we got maybe 6 oz of egg salad, two small jars of oats, and two slices of cheese bread (about 1/2 the slide of a regular piece of toast) for two people. It wasn't enough for us and I don't think it'd be enough for most people. I do think the breakfasts were tasty and the afternoon cheese basket was nice. I get the sense that there are a lot of employees (some of whom are new or less experienced), plus 3 separate locations, means some things are slipping through the cracks, especially away from the main Blue Doors Inn. I hope they get fixed because there's nothing like a great BnB experience to make you feel better.
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March 2020 by Cameron Castro
A little pricey but nice
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March 2020 by Shannon Meadows
We had a delightful stay at the Packard House (built in 1878), one of three inns/houses of the Blue Door Group in Mendocino!We were greeted with a warm welcome at the Blue Door House where we picked up the keys to our room and joined a few other guests in the complementary, daily wine social on the deck. What a nice touch!Our room at the Packard House was beautiful, with updated furniture and decor, a lovely view, and an in-room fireplace. Our bed and pillows were very comfortable and the bathroom was on the smaller size, but perfect for us. Each morning our delicious, creative, and generous breakfast was delivered in a basket outside our door. We could tell a lot of work went into making breakfast and its presentation perfect for their guests. One morning we ate in the common dining room and the other two, in our room. There were also complementary teas, coffees, and infused water in the living room, and a plate fresh cookies in the entry way.In addition to being in the sweet village of Mendocino, the Packard House is a short walk to the Mendocino Headlands and walking trail right on the coast where the view is spectacular. Within walking distance of our house were plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants, and pubs. Be sure to visit Padderson's for a great pub experience, Smithwood Merchantile for a unique wine tasting and terrific conversation, Good Life Cafe for the best pastries, lunch, and coffee, and Luna Trattoria for yummy Italian in a quaint atmosphere. We also recommend an evening at Wild Fish for the most incredible seafood, but be sure the make a reservation. It's a 10 minute drive.We were pleased to find the Anderson and Alexander Valley wineries (Navarro, Husch, Alexander Valley Winery, Handley) to provide a personal experience and a short drive from our House.We highly recommend the Packard House and plan to stay there when we visit Mendocino again in the future!
