My wife and I were looking for a nice place to spend a rare long weekend this past November when we stumbled upon the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek. Honestly we were planning this so last minute that they were about the only pet-friendly vacancy we could find. We were quite pleasantly surprised when we checked in.

The Inn sits on a hill on the west side of highway 1 with a few types of accommodations to choose from. There are a few small motor inn type rooms up front, some cottages in the center and two big vacation rental houses in the back.

We had the Thyme cabin and could not have been happier. On paper it seems like a poor choice, the ADA room is sometimes not as appealing than the less "disabled friendly" room layouts. But in reality is is definitely the preferable option at Schoolhouse Creek, offering more privacy than any of the other options on the property. Even the two big houses are right off the main path to the communal hot tub, sauna and massage room. Thyme is far enough removed from everyone that we felt completely private, while sitting on the big patio or sunning on the lawn out front we didn't feel like we were on display.

The restaurant was only serving breakfast and we enjoyed it, the restaurant has some of the best views at the Inn.

The only issue was an error with the front desk which resulted in us missing our massages. It could have been a perfect five star experience if the restaurant had been open for dinner service and we could have gotten our massages.

My husband and I came for the weekend to celebrate our 5th anniversary. We used a Living Social certificate, which was easy to use, even if not fully disclosing. The staff was helpful with booking our room, and we looked forward to our stay right from the start.

They knew it was our anniversary, greeted us warmly, and were helpful about where to catch a bite to eat that evening. Our cottage was SO MUCH cuter in person than on the website. We stayed in Cypress, and although it doesn't boast the "best" view and is close to the main office, we found it's location to be great; quiet, cozy, large-ish bathroom, full mini-kitchen, and even a bottle of wine waiting for us on the table!

The bed was oh-so comfy! What a dream to fall into every night! The cute little fireplace/stove was so romantic, and put out a ton of heat in the evenings! Having the kitchen was great for snacks and re-heating leftovers, etc.

And breakfast! Breakfast! The perfect way to start each day: granola, yogurt, fresh fruit, home-baked breads, eggs of the day. Delicious! We ate at the same table each morning in the cozy breakfast room with a fantastic view of the gardens and ocean. We had some of the best eggs benedict here, which I am a stickler about. I swear, I could have drank a gravy boat of that delicious, lemony hollandaise!

We were close to everything we wanted to do. A quick walk to the beach. A walk along the property's creek. A short drive into Mendocino. And a spa on-site! We pampered ourselves with the 1,000 Flower Facial and 60 minute massage. The prices were expensive, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. And, budget permitting, will definitely indulge in the treat again!

There aren't enough good things we can say about the owners, the staff, the room we had, the fantastic pampering at the spa, the views, the hot tub...EVERYTHING! We wished we could have stayed longer, and are already looking forward to visiting again.

I wonder if they have a frequent visitor program? :)

The staff at the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek were extremely gracious, accomodating, and welcoming, to both ourselves and our doggie.

I agree with others here that the drive up to Mendocino is not the easiest drive, but beautiful nevertheless as you drive through redwoods and by the coast. We got to check in an hour early, which I was thankful for, and were greeted happily, and were presented with a goodie bag for our pooch.

We stayed in Anderson Valley, a studio at the end of 4 attached studios, with a deck with views of the coast. Our first step into the room was an overwhelming whiff of air freshener potpourri that we had to unplug because it was too much. There was a super comfy king size bed, a gas powered fireplace, microwave, coffeemaker and mini fridge. The room came with add'l doggie supplies--towels, blankets/covers, cleaner (just in case), doggie bowls and bags. Bathroom was small but clean, and we were provided with towels, mats, shampoo/conditioner, makeup remover, soap, hairdryer, 2 bathrobes.

There was a meadow on the property that allowed us to let the dog run around unleashed and play with other dogs staying at the inn. They also have 2 mini donkeys on the property who were extremely cute and super calm, which our dog was apprehensive at first but by the next day had no problem with. There was also a water/hose area to wash our pooch post-beach romps. The property also had a hot tub which we never tried because it was just too chilly for me to get in there (the thought of coming out!).

Breakfast was served daily, first morning was bagels/log/creamcheese, assorted muffins/breads, fruit salad, cream, cereals/milk/oat, juices, coffee/tea, the hot dish was eggs benedict which the yolk was more hardboiled than coddled but still delicious. next morning was the same assortment minus bagels, hot dish was an egg souffle/frittata and bacon which wasn't as good as the benedict, and needed some salt/seasoning.

The inn was in close proximity to Mendocino Village where we stopped by for walking around and meals. We also canoed at Big River which is just a stone's throw away from the inn. We loved our stay and time here. Other guests majority seemed to own dogs, who were all well behaved and courteous to each other. It might be overwhelming to an unsuspecting guest, but I honestly think the inn has a good thing going for them, fulfilling a need because many ppl like us consider their pet like family and love travelling with them when possible, and it's not always easy finding pet friendly lodging.

The inn was quiet, peaceful and the perfect place to recharge. Oh and free wifi on the property.

We spent one very pleasant night at the Inn at Schoolhouse Creek. Our room was Van Damme, which has a view of the ocean filtered through telephone wires. The room was comfortably large, w/ rustic pine furniture. The king size bed had gracefully draped curtains that made it look like a four poster bed. The lacy diaphanousness of the curtains was a little incongruous w/ the rustic pine, but was lovely if you didn't think about it too much. There was a fireplace/stove w/ a raised hearth that was potentially dangerous to toes in the night, but ours remained unscathed.

There was free wifi in the room and connectivity was easy. A table and two chairs by the west facing sliding glass door made it easy to use the computer. There was a good dual reading light over the bed but otherwise the lights were a bit dim for reading. Our hostess was Amy and she was cheerful and welcoming. The gardens are beautiful, w/fuchsias in bloom and even a scented rhododendron still blooming. Scattered throughout the garden are whimsical sculptures, some fixed, some kinetic.

The bed was comfortable and we slept well. Breakfast was served in the former Creekside Restaurant attached to the Inn. The Inn is under new ownership and dinner is not being served at this point. Breakfast was excellent. When you enter there are fixings for coffee and tea, an assortment of sweet breads and breads for toast, granola, fresh fruit and plain yogurt. Ingredients for omelets were listed on a porcelain plaque. As we looked out the window we could watch a couple of chipmunks cavorting on a tree stump and a hummingbird hovering in the flowers. It was a lovely and peaceful end to our stay. The Inn is dog friendly and we saw several well mannered pooches.