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Amid all this natural splendor is the formed into a luxurious inn with just nine
town of Mendocino, the only coastal Cali- guest rooms and suites, all right in the cen-
fornia city listed on the National Register ter of town. It sits next to the Cafe Beaujo-
of Historic Places, a jewel of historic lais, which began in 1968 but shot to
preservation that evokes 19th century New national prominence in 1977 when Margaret
England in its architecture. In fact, Mendo- Fox bought it and turned it into a culinary
cino stood in for the fictional Cabot Cove in destination. This hospitality complex now
Angela Lansbury’s beloved television mys- also includes The Brickery, a pizza parlor;
tery series, “Murder She Wrote.” Blair and The Waiting Room, a coffee shop
House, now a B&B, appeared as Jessica where I sipped my java every morning.
Fletcher’s home in the show. Ensconced in my ocean-view suite
In fact, several of the historic homes complete with vintage record player and
and water towers, most dating from the lots of records retrieved from The Waiting
late 1800s, have been converted into B&Bs Room, I planned my forays into the forests.
and shops and restaurants. I visited about a dozen state parks
I stayed in the Nicholson House that and reserves during my five-day stay, and
dates from about 1890 and has been trans- even when I returned to my home away
196 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2025
