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Mendocino’s Eco-friendly Alegria Inn – Let It Flow

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

Alegria Oceanfront Inn

Alegria Oceanfront Inn and Cottages

I arrived via Mini Cooper, my husband traveled by motorcycle.  We had decided to meet at Mendocino’s Cafe Beaujolais for a Sunday lunch.  Our feast began with nettle soup laced with truffle oil, followed with Dungeness crab cakes and the Beaujolais Benedict composed of apple wood ham, rye toast and perfectly poached eggs in a cayenne mornay sauce.  The gentleman next to us raved about the bouillabaisse, so we gave that a try, as well.

Beaujolais Bouillabaisse

Cafe Beaujolais Bouillabaisse

It had been fifteen years since our last visit to this seaside village on the Northern California Coast.  Originally owned by Margaret Fox, Cafe Beaujolais is now in the talented hands of Owner and Executive Chef David LaMonica and his wife Kristy, as well as Sous Chef Luis Lopez.  I’m happy to report that the cafe is in fine form and the housemade breads from the Brickery are as wonderful as I remembered.  The Austrian Sunflower bread, with its nutty texture, paired well with the nettle soup. 

After I checked into the Alegria Oceanfront Inn, I bid adieu to my husband and tripped around town.  I discovered the Gallery Bookshop on Main street and the tiny, but delicious Mendocino Chocolate Company with its factory store based in neighboring Fort Bragg.

Let It Flow

Upon my return to the Alegria I set up my laptop and enjoyed the view of Big River State Beach as it flows into the Pacific ocean.  From the Pacific Suite, one of only two rooms on the second floor of the main house, I could watch hummingbirds flit about the garden.  But what really got me excited was the queen FloBed.  This is the most comfortable bed that I have ever slept on, and I’ve slept around a lot!  Composed of organic cotton and Eco-wool, the mattress cover is naturally fire retardant.  What makes the FloBed unique is the multiple layers of natural latex, allowing for a custom mattress fit.

The 28-year-old FloBed company is based in Fort Bragg and still a small, family-run operation.  Owner and founder Dave Turner ran a water bed store during his college days and made flotation beds for JC Penny.  In creating the FloBed, Turner asked Latex International if they would make the layers half of their thickness.  “They thought I was crazy, but I had the idea that I could manipulate the layers to have different combinations of firmness,” reflects Turner.

Alegria owner’s Elaine and Eric Wing Hillesland would eventually like to have FloBeds in all the main house rooms, as well as the collection of unique cottages on the property.  For a slightly less expensive alternative, the Alegria Quartet is a Mendocino Craftsman-style house divided into four lodgings located across the street.  No matter where you land at Alegria, happiness, joy and merriment are sure to follow.