Harbor House Inn
For our babymoon, we returned to one of our favorite spots: the Harbor House Inn, a beautiful two-Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel on the Mendocino Coast. We had already visited Harbor House for lunch on when we got engaged and returned for dinner on a second trip, and now we would complete the experience with the full hotel stay, and of course a few more meals. It was the perfect getaway for the occasion, filled with slow days, indulgent meals, and a wonderful sense of peace.
Our first stop on the road trip was at Tenfold Farmstand in Petaluma, with a very cute bakery pop-up an the airstream in the front. So charming!
Lunch was at Spud Point Crab Company.
Over to a old favorite, the Sea Ranch Lodge.
We visited The Loft, a yarn shop in Gualala. I picked up three balls of very slightly pink yarn, which I just recently completed knitting into a cabled cardigan for baby.
Then we finally made our way up to the town of Elk and checked in at the Harbor House Inn. We stayed in the main house, in a beautiful wood paneled room.
We took advantage of the in-room dining option and got to enjoy our dinner at our own pace in our own room. Perfect for a super pregnant lady!
Everything is presented on a lovely tray.
So, so wonderful!
We wandered outside after dinner to enjoy the sunset from this special spot on the coast.
Lovely, lovely, lovely.
Got engaged back here!
The hammock has been replaced by a bench, but the views are still the same.
And I was knitting a little top for baby all along the babymoon.
Waking up at Harbor House is also a special treat. We were treated to breakfast each morning.
Very pretty omelette!
And there are beautiful cows across the street too.
We drove inland a tiny bit to visit Drew Winery. Well, Alex did a tasting while I just tagged along.
Next, a visit to a couple shops in the very tiny town of Elk.
We picked up lunch and brought it back to the back patio of Harbor House. Might as well soak up these views as much as humanly possible!
Dinner for night two was at Gama, a little Japanese izakaya in neighboring Point Arena.
A fun self portrait on the cliffs of Point Arena.
Sunset by the sea. Really lovely.
Crossing the threshold between entryway and lounge. It’s very fun to feel like this lauded restaurant is your home.
We were just hanging out by the fire when chef/owner Matthew Kammerer came by to show us the books about the history of this place. And then I spotted my clients walking out of the restaurant from across the room. So funny, I love it. She was also expecting and due around the same time as me!
Another morning, another wonderful breakfast.
Today we went over to shop around in the town of Mendocino.
And then we finally made it all the way down the little staircase behind Harbor House to get to their little beach cove. Wow, third time here and first time actually walking down there. It was so fun beachcombing.
I made a little collection of fun treasures.
Another wonderful in-room dinner.
Final morning: breakfast in the dining room, then journaling and knitting out on the back porch.
Then it was time to head out from our stay. This time we took the inland route through Anderson Valley.
We picked up some fancy juice from Navarro, which makes the most fantastic nonalcoholic pinot noir and gewurztraminer grape juices.
A visit to the little apple farm as well.
Lunch at new-to-us Jumbo’s Win Win, a great burger spot from a former Trick Dog partner.
A stop by the Boonville Hotel gift shop. We previously stayed here and had a wonderful time too.
And finally, a visit to Healdsburg. We always stop in to the same shops, and it’s wonderful.
Finally, we trekked back to San Francisco and on to our merry lives. This was such a special trip during a special time. Love, love, love!
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.
