Never Pitching a Tent Again (j/k)
Mendocino Grove: wonderful! So easy, so comfortable, and so so peaceful and beautiful...we didn’t want to leave. Stayed two nights with our two kids, aged 5 and 6.5, and we were all impressed with both the common areas and our awesome little “tent cabin,” as the kids called it. Beds were dreamy. Plenty of flat surfaces + wardrobe/garment hanging area + chairs to corral personal belongings to keep a tidy living space. Firepit w. cooking grate plus a nice grill and picnic table for outdoor food prep, check. Stylish little chairs that were easy to move around, check. Lanterns to charge your devices, which we needed. Bocce! A swing to play on! Food lockers! **Wagons** to haul your stuff in (like firewood, luggage from the car, children, hahah). Drinking water refill stations, both cold and hot! Good quality, well-stocked toiletries in the bathhouse—towels were soft and water got HOT—as well as clean, well-stocked communal dishwashing sink. The family tents seemed to be set apart from the 2 person tents area, which was a great call so no couple trying to have a romantic getaway had to wake up to the sound of somebody else’s whiny kids (read: ours) and vice versa. It felt like they really thought of everything to make everybody’s stay comfortable and convenient. Our favorite things were the great little loop hiking trail, easy enough even for young children, and the thoughtful complimentary breakfast in the morning: tea, coffee and cocoa, along with a few flavors of Noosa yogurts and fresh fruit (like delicious in-season apricots, wow!) ... I snuck off with my mat one morning to the yoga deck and had a splendid solo session in the early morning while all the birds chirped around me, which was edenic. The one suggestion to fellow family travelers, besides for definitely bringing cozy layers/a respectable jacket, is to bring a travel nightlight, like little LED string lights or something similar, as the lighting options after dark felt either too dark or too bright for our kids when they were falling asleep. Oh, and perhaps your own reusable mug or thermos for morning coffee, etc. just to be good to the environment like that. :) In all, a fantastic stay; can’t wait to come back again some day!