Hill House Inn

The hotel maybe older, but that is what you are looking for, when you go to Mendocino, right? I loved the wonderful staircase to the wonderful breakfast room on the second floor. The view is great!! Breakfast was o.k., but there is a whole lot they could do, to make that room a magnificent one. Get rid of the blue and white table cloth and just add a little more style… The rooms were very clean and again, i liked those wallpapers and old fashioned things.

Paid extra for "Ocean front view". What I got was @ 2 feet of view from my sliding glass door of a piece of the water in the Pacific Ocean. Turned on hot water and brown water came out for 5 minutes straight.

An amazing place to stay. Our room not only had two comfortable armchairs but also a couch which was a treat. Very comfortable bed. Deck outside with two deck chairs. Was classed as a room with an ocean view but view was only minimal. Plus no chance of any view the day we arrived as lots of fog (and apparently this is common). In summary a great place to stay but wouldnt bother paying extra for an ocean view.

Lovely lobby and grounds and very courteous friendly reception. Perhaps it was because we had a pet room but I have never seen such horrendous decorating. A miss mash of New England, French Country and French Provincial and maybe Victorian. Really out of date dried flowers and one of those dusty grape vine wreaths with fake flowers over the bed. There was also a huge grate in the floor which seemed to serve no purpose. The continental breakfast was fine and served in a beautiful upstairs room with a view all the way around but it was uncomfortably silent. You could hear everyone else chewing almost. It would be nice if they put on some kind of very soft music.

The hotel is clean but very outdated. Upholstery and fabrics are shabby. Bed is rock hard. Musty odor because there is no air circulation in the rooms.

Probably the worst hotel for the price I have ever stayed in. Water went off for a while in the evening while in the middle of a shower. No real apology from management. The breakfast buffet was very poor; not even any cereal, granola, or yogurt. Unbelievable for Mendocino. Furnishings might be antique but kind of creepy. Of course, the "for sale" sign in front of the property might explain a lot.

While famous as the setting for Murder She Wrote in the 1990's, the hotel has aged and there are fewer amenities since our previous stay 10 years ago. There no longer is a restaurant on the property, although they offered us a 15% meal discount at their "sister property", the Mendocino Hotel, several long, dark (at night) blocks away. A fair continental breakfast (complementary) was provided on site in the morning. Our room was cozy and homey. The staff were very nice, and the peaceful setting on the hill above town was a plus.

For the price, this hotel was very disappointing. Staff continually tried to charge my credit card when I had already paid via Expedia. There was no air conditioning. There was a wedding at the hotel and the noise was very loud through-out the night. The cable connection was not working and my husband had to fix it. The continental breakfast was merely fruit and some "Costco-style" bagels.

We just needed a place for one night, and most places in Mendocino were requiring a two night minimum due to the Music Festival, so the Hill House served our purpose. The location to town is a nice walk, but there are so many nicer places to stay in the area, that I would not make this a repeat stay.