Alegria Oceanfront Inn & Cottages

Experience a unique, magical oceanfront sanctuary on a bluff
overlooking a sandy beach and the Pacific Ocean.

Built in 1861

The Main House of the Alegria Inn was built as a residence in 1861 by Alf Nelson for his family. A sea captain named John Martin Perry, his wife Mary and their children moved into the house around 1869. The next owners were J.W. Lyons and his wife Isabell. Possession passed to one of their sons, Fred Lyons (also a sea captain). He and his wife, Frances, raised four children in the house. When Captain Fred Lyons died in 1964, it was sold by his son to Lois Hollngsworth, an artist from Berkeley.

Lois began the transformation of the property to what more closely resembles what you see today. Lois created a dining room from the old porch, made a little cabin (the beginnings of Cove Cottage) out of an old chicken coop, and added the ocean facing deck onto the house. She also started building an A-frame foundry for her metal art work but did not finish it before she sold the property to Marilyn Fosse-Solomon in 1971.

From Residence to Inn in 1971

Marilyn was a charismatic and creative woman who grew up in Martinez, Marin County, and San Francisco. She managed some Bay Area rock bands, including Tower of Power and Jefferson Airplane before moving to Mendocino. Marilyn worked with local craftsmen to create the uniquely designed cottages and the woodworking in the main house and called the property “1021 Main Street, A Unique Guest House.” She operated it for some twenty years until just before her death in 1991. Marilyn’s heirs attempted to run the inn for a while but, having established careers of their own in different areas of California, they sold the property to Bob and Linda Blum of Pleasanton and the name was changed to Captain’s Cove Inn.

Bob and Linda worked hard to reestablish the inn. It was featured in Country Inns Magazine in the August 1996 issue then again in February 1997 when it was named one of the 10 Best Small Inns in the U.S. Soon after, Bob decided to make a career change and Linda put the inn on the market. Eric and Elaine Wing Hillesland purchased the inn from Linda in 1998.

Alegria Inn is situated on the ocean side of Main Street in historic Mendocino Village. The inn property consists of the Main House and a collection of cottages nestled on a bluff overlooking Big River Beach and an ever changing ocean cove. Guests enjoy beautiful perennial gardens, an ocean view deck and hot tub, and a path to the beach.

• Closest shop - across the street (Moore’s Used Books)
• Closest gallery - two blocks west on Main Street (Highlight Gallery)
• Closest restaurant - one block north on Evergreen Street (Café Beaujolais)
• Beach - 200 footsteps down the bluff on our beach trail. The trail around the Headlands State Park begins at the beach or use the trailhead three doors west of us.
• GPS coordinates: N 39° 18.312', W 123° 47.712', Elevation 54'

Garden

Always in transition, our perennial garden, under the guidance of master horticulturist, Jaen Treesinger (featured in Horticulture magazine) and our gardener, Dan Salmond, is a showcase of interesting and unusual plants. We’re also proud to be on the Mendocino tour of antique roses.

Hot Tub

Situated in the garden, the hot tub features a relaxing view of the garden, beach, and ocean. A great place to watch the stars and the moonlight on the waves.

Breakfast at Alegria

A full breakfast is served each morning in our ocean view dining room. Breakfast is accompanied by a choice of Greenwood Gold Organic Apple Juice or Cascadian Farms Organic Orange juice, and a choice of Thanksgiving Organic Coffee (roasted locally in Fort Bragg), a selection of Numi Organic teas, or hot chocolate made with Pernigotti Cocoa. At Alegria, we are committed to supporting sustainable agriculture. We serve organically grown produce whenever possible.