Weekend Escape: Little River’s Andiron

Mike Mike Mike…Mike what day is it Mike? Click here if you have no idea what that is referring to. It’s Wednesday, y’all. Two more workdays til the weekend. And a mini Prague reunion at Oktoberfest by the Bay in San Francisco!

Some lovely things have happened recently–

• Booked my Eurostar ticket from London to Paris! Now, all transportation bookings are complete! Unless I make a side trip..
• I figured out what neighborhood/area to look to stay in London, thanks to the fabulous Mrs. O. She recommended anywhere in the West End. I happily set forth searching!
• Once I narrowed down which neighborhood to stay in, I perused various house listing sites (think Airbnb, VRBO, Go With Oh!, etc.) for days. I was thrilled actually found a reasonably-priced place in London’s West End on Airbnb!
• Thanks to the lovely ladies at The Lazy Travelers, who confirmed that my NYC neighborhood picks were acceptable, I now know which streets to stay around (errr.. below? I’m new.) and which to stay away from when booking an apartment for that leg of the trip. NYC is the final accommodation I have to book!

Speaking of accommodations… Over Labor Day weekend, I headed up to Mendocino for a little r&r before a crazy work week/weekend. After lots of back and forth-ing between options, we decided to stay at the Andiron Seaside Inn & Cabins in Little River, CA, just a short drive from Mendocino. It was a perfect accommodation choice for us! Here’s why I’m glad we stayed at the Andiron: 

1. Dog-friendly. Yes, The delightful and ginormous ball of energy was able to accompany us on our trip. The Andiron even welcomed him with his own swag-basket. Lucky.

2. Welcoming. We, too, got a welcome pack. Homemade mini-whoopie pie, maps, a postcard, you name it.

3. Happy hour. Everyday from 5-6 (and sometimes longer for late people like us). Scott and Madeline provide Anderson Valley beers and wines for guests, along with local cheeses. It was great to meet other guests in a very causal manner and exchange recommendations for beaches, restaurants, and bars.

4. Toast bar. Since The Andiron isn’t technically a bed and breakfast, they offer a few choices of local breads and spreads alongside a toaster and fresh coffee each morning. It just felt weird photographing a toast bar while people were sitting at it.

5. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Those are the names of the two (very standoffish) goats on the property.

5. Vintage vibe & cool decor. Each room has its own theme. We stayed in “Write” and everything was book-, writing-, literary-related.

We played lots and lots of hangman.

Pages from books and dictionaries.

Various books to read.

Illustrations from books.

Etc.

Scott and Madeline were so sweet and were more than helpful when we would ask for recommendations for anything. It was great to have a local perspective when deciding where to eat, shop, drink, or watch the stunning views of the sunset on the ocean (with drink in hand). We were also told that guests are encouraged to stay in different rooms when they return, and any guest who stays in all 11 rooms gets a free stay in the room of their choice! I’m already trying to figure out when I can get back up to Mendocino and have an excuse to stay in Little River.