Benbow Historic Inn♡

They say not all change is for the better- This proves the point.

4.0

We had stayed here years ago before the renovations and loved it. This time not so much. While some changes like an elevator were appreciated, others were not. The bar used to be smaller, intimate, and had a great lineup of Scotch's. They expanded the bar, lost the intimacy, and totally downgraded on the Scotch. Sadly they also added televisions which means we would never sit at the bar like before. Our room was nice until you got to the bath area. The sink in front of the toilet is so close I was afraid I would bump my head when standing up. The plunger in that sink did not work at all, permanently closed. The worse part was the room next to us or the one above us had a toilet that ran, We called the front desk and it was fixed but in the middle of the night started up again and made it hard to sleep. It is a pet friendly place, which is fine, except they were allowed in the dining area. Who wants to try and have an enjoyable dinner with dogs barking? Also the so called provided dinner music was way to loud, The artist did an operatic number but the music was so loud you could barely hear him, and so loud our conversation stopped. I can remember the front staff being helpful and welcoming, now it seems we are bothering them just by trying to check in. Sadly the things that would make me recommend this place are gone.

Spooky and Unkempt

9.0

Location, spooky, character

− First room entered was occupied already. Restaurant is only OK

Great job. Happy Birthday Benbow!!!

9.0

Guest review

10.0

Beautiful location over looking the lake. Restaurant was great!

Historic property with wonderful staff.

9.0

It was quaint and cute and a great place to stop in the area that doesn’t have much to choose from, especially driving south on 101. The people are truly very nice and helpful. Would love to try again in the future. Such a beautiful part of California.

− Really not much to dislike. The rooms are small and a bit dated, but it is old and historic—so to be expected. I guess perhaps the loading and unloading area if you have a lot of luggage (which we do when we travel by car). This area can be a bit hard to negotiate when there are others trying to get to the main area.

The Redwoods are a beautiful place to stay.

7.0

We've stayed here with our family and buy ourselves 2-3 times in the past over the years and had wonderful experiences. We felt the Benbow really wasn't as nice and friendly as we remembered. We love the history and look/feel of the Inn but felt it hadn't been kept up as well as in the past. The dining room looked beautiful but was empty in the morning and evening so we went to Garberville for dinner. We had a hiccup checking in because the Booking.com and the house system didn't sync but the issue was resolved. The first room we were given was very old with stains on the carpet and sofa and the windows didn't function properly. We requested a change and were given a new room which was in the newer Terrace part of the Inn which seemed much more taken care of. Our room was nice and we appreciated the quiet and view. It all turned out well, but the feel of the Inn is just different. We read that the Inn was sold in 2024. It is very large with many rooms so maybe the new owners just don't visit often and don't walk the rooms. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained and we enjoyed walking through the property and playing corn hole too!

− I recently had knee surgery and needed ice after a long day. When my husband went to get ice, he went to the front desk and the woman there said she couldn't help him but he could go to the bar and ask. When he went to the bar, it was closed but a person did get it in the kitchen but seemed a bit put out by the request. It might be a good idea to just have an ice machine near the rooms so people can help themselves.