Benbow Historic Inn

Amazing grounds, various activities such as corn hole provided, excellent food.

Such a beautiful setting and feeling of being transported to a different era. Very relaxing. Great food and service. Friendly and welcoming.

Die Orginalität!

N/A

Day four of a 31 day road trip throughout the USA. I have stayed at the Benbow Inn countless times in the past 25 years and have never been disappointed. As usual I will list the PROS AND CONS

PROS:
1. Beautiful location right on the river. Very quiet.
2. Nice starf, especially Garrett at the front dssk.
3. Beautifully furnished and comfortable rooms including a small decanter of sherry.
4, Fantastic dinner, BBQ New Orleans Shrimp and Grits on the terrace.
5. Free parking and internet.
6 Nice lobby, tea and scones served each day.

CONS
1. No workout facility.
2. Terrible golf course which should not even be open. $10 to play nine holes plus $30 for the cart, quit after five holes because it was so terrible. I know they have a water issue but the course is unplayable.

Overall, I would stay there again in a heartbear, but never to play their golf course.

The Inn is pretty dated but that is what you expect from a historic inn. The room was clean and liked that the windows opened to let air flow in. Bathroom was very small. Restaurant was very nice and we had some delicious meals. The restaurant staff was definitely the nicest and most professional of the staff at the inn.

Left something in the room that I would have really liked to get back at my expense, of course. I left three messages and never received a return call. Very disappointing!

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.

Location, spooky, character

Beautiful location over looking the lake. Restaurant was great!

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.

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!

Great location for exploring the Redwoods and surrounding area and the setting is beautiful.

Beautiful historic building next to the river
Good fireworks show on the 4th of July

We didn’t plan on staying here but glad we did. Our (terrace) room was lovely with easy access to the lawn and river! Having a swim in the water then rest in the shade of the redwoods was lovely. Staff was great, food was very good!

Location

What a wonderful establishment. The hotel, bar, restaurant, and surrounding grounds were inviting and relaxing. Definitely worth a night or two when you are in southern Humbolt County.