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Arcata, CA

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The Front Porch Inn

4.4 (59 reviews)
Open • Open 24 hours

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Deanna C.

We stayed in the Basecamp and it was absolutely awesome. From the moment we pulled behind the gate and parked our car we were in awe. The owners did a good job on the landscape and nailed the oasis feel. The more we walked around the little compound the more we discovered and the more we loved this little private hotel. We will most definately be returning.

Chris M.

Our only regret is checking in pretty late in the evening and not having time to hang out another day! An absolutely beautiful property. As soon as you walk in you feel like you've entered a fairytale land.

An unusual color scheme
Judith S.

I'm certain that this property is just right for some people. Soaking tubs and a landscape of ferns and bamboo and moss. There is a hippie vibe. However, I'm a senior now with mobility issues. All transactions are on your computer or phone. There is no one to greet you, or help you if you need assistance. You receive entry codes on your email, and then you get to figure out which code is for which transaction. I managed to figure out how to open the car gate and took one of the 4 secure parking places . I was lucky and got one of the spaces. Then I had to handle my luggage and get to my room. Fortunately, an employee's dog happened to get out and she accidentally met me. At that point, she actually did assist me to my room. The key was in a box with a code and the stairs were difficult. I walked in to find incense blowing in the room. The decor was unusual and in colors that were more jarring than welcoming. Rules for the kitchen: wash your own dishes. Does that mean that I would be using dishes washed by the previous occupant? Is there ice? Only if the previous occupant filled the ice cube tray. The shower was nice and large and dark. No top sheet on the bed, just a duvet, and it was actually comfy. I was afraid to use kitchen items as I paid a deposit. I had no map of the grounds to find the hot tub and sauna. There was a multi-paged book of instructions and information. I was not willing to go out for food and lose my protected parking space. My stay felt like staying with a grumpy and demanding old fashioned aunt with rules that keep you from making any kind of disorder.

Bathroom sink. Unbelievable

This is the best kept secret in Arcata. Loved everything about The Front Porch. It was magical. i can't say enough about how much we enjoyed ourselves. I would recommend The Front Porch to anyone looking for a quaint quiet extraordinary place to stay. You will just wish that you could stay longer

Taped remote

I stayed here on a work trip while in the area. The inn is old and needs some updating. The $260 per night after tax rate for one person on a weeknight was not a good value in my experience. The photos and overly generous/complimentary 5 star reviews lead you to expect a nice relaxing resort but it did not meet my expectations. The neighborhood is a bit dreary and I felt I could not leave anything visible in my car when parking on the street overnight. The sauna was a big factor in choosing this place but was broken when I arrived and when I left. The bathroom sink was cracked and should be replaced, the light switch was broken, the remotes for the lights/fans were taped to hold the batteries in, furniture was in poor condition, TV did not have any service and so on. The garden was nice but not overly impressive and also small. The inn is close to the Arcata Marsh which is convenient for a nice morning walk.

Lush garden outside our room.
Casey T.

I'm glad I didn't read any reviews prior to making our reservations for the Independence Day weekend. We had a lovely stay and experienced none of the negatives that other Yelpers complained about. Yes, the prices are on the high side and the breakfast offerings are sub-par. However, we found our room to be clean and quite comfortable. The amazing thing about the property is the presence of the outdoor tub grottoes. Someone put a serious amount of time and energy into creating their vision for relaxing spaces. This is the primary reason for staying at this establishment. The grottoes are first come first served but we always found a space when we looked. Location is a few blocks from downtown Arcata with a great Saturday farm market. Adjust your expectations and relax. We did and enjoyed ourselves very much.

In front of our room ~ lush on top of lush

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Filthy. Gross. Miserable. Most everything was broken. Read the other one star reviews - they are 100% accurate.

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Someone has put a lot of love into this place. Every detail is well thought out. Easy place to be and right near the wonderful marsh.

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Ask the Community - The Front Porch Inn

Are there outdoor tubs for each room or do you share?

There are three locking outdoor spaces with tubs for all guests to use on a first come first serve basis

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Review Highlights - The Front Porch Inn

“All wood, ferns, moss, and stone surrounding a gorgeous sauna and the cutest outdoor tubs you ever saw.”

Mentioned in 19 reviews

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Lost Whale Bed & Breakfast Inn - Egret Room

Lost Whale Bed & Breakfast Inn

4.9(148 reviews)
18.3 mi
•$$$

Stayed here over the weekend for my buddies wedding and we had our 14 month son with us. Everything…read morefrom the views to the food and hospitality was top notch. They were also very nice and kind to our son who just wants to climb stairs and get into everything. The breakfast in the mornings were great and filling, the grounds are so beautiful with little secret trails and gardens all over. You can also hear the seals as t night along with the waves. Overall if you're looking for a relaxing place to stay or an insanely beautiful wedding The Lost Whale B&B is a very special and solid choice.

We stayed a couple of nights for a wedding this past summer. The place has a breathtaking view just…read morein front of the coast. Our orca whale room was small, but will organize for a family of four. The bathroom had mold on the corners of the ceiling and some of us suffer from asthma, so that wasn't too great. We tried having the sliding door open as much as we could during the day and close during the chilly night. The bathroom has no windows. On the wedding day, we had a breakfast buffet set up downstairs for the guest in nearby close family members. We were already having our meal when the bride and the house manager came towards us asking if my daughter had eaten the waffles. Gladly she was eating the sausages first. The house manager added almond flour on the waffles. She denied she was not aware of any food allergies when the bride responded back that she gave them the food survey. The survey had a question about food allergies and we added tree nuts a two months before the wedding. The house manager did not seem apologetic at all, this is the reason why we decided to review this place. Beware if you have family or friends with food allergies especially during events for this location.

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Lost Whale Bed & Breakfast Inn - Egret Room

Egret Room

Lost Whale Bed & Breakfast Inn
Lost Whale Bed & Breakfast Inn - Egret room

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Egret room

Turtle Rocks Oceanfront Inn - Outside view

Turtle Rocks Oceanfront Inn

4.4(71 reviews)
18.3 mi
•$$$

This place is amazing. This family is super friendly from the time you walk into the Inn until you…read moreleave. I really enjoyed meeting Sam, Roger and Francine. Great family. They have all the sodas you can imagine in the fridge along with Coffee, fresh fruit and homemade baked goods all day. I almost forgot: Roger makes one hell of a cooked egg breakfast every morning. Make sure not to miss it. The rooms are large and spacious with fantastic ocean views. It can't get any better than this. I personally worked out every morning (we stayed 3 nights) in their beautiful backyard overlooking the Pacific ocean. The air was so clean and refreshing. I loved every minute of my stay at this Inn. We will certainly be back sometimes soon.

3 stars...... 2.5 isn't an option…read more Overall experience: It ended up being an acceptable time here. There are positives and some negatives that I will explain. Main concerns: * Overpriced for overall stay / experience * Unpleasant, extremely outdated decor; hard to ignore Positives: * Beautiful ocean view * Nice garden * Close to trailheads * Communal fridge filled with cold drinks; breakfast (I know it's a B&B but for this price, in-room coffee would've been nice.) * Very clean rooms * Hosts were kind, pleasant, informative Negatives: * Decor: The first impression was alarming at best. Online photos do leave you with the impression that the decor is dated but it is overwhelming to actually see once there. I had to walk back to the car and process whether I could actually stay here. After looking up availability of neighboring lodging and seeing no options (and considering the loss of money already spent here...), we decided to go inside. Instead of walking in the door, you have to use the old, outdated intercom where you're asked if you have a reservation. After being let in, we were still experiencing a lot of feelings ("creepy" is the word we kept repeating to each other and "Grandma's estate sale".). While the host was polite and informative, the environment / decor was so outdated, it was hard to get past or ignore. I spent half the day working to force myself to not feel uncomfortable here; I should feel good about the stay - not spend considerable vacation time talking myself into not feeling grossed out by it. * Cost of stay: Considering this was the most expensive option in the area, I expected more / better. Besides the overall decor, our bath towels had bleach stains on them. And be sure to bring your own bath supplies. The ones provided that are boasted about on the website.....looks like they bought Dollar store products, stuck old-fashioned-looking labels on and have refilled over and over. I did not feel comfortable using them at all. Summary: * Nice hosts. Great view. That's it. * Would I stay again or recommend to others: Hard no. You think it's obvious to want an ocean view but I'd easily pass on the view for a more comfortable place to stay. We actually left a day early. Could be good if recommendations here and in other reviews are taken and implemented. Relying solely on "the view" isn't cutting it.

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Turtle Rocks Oceanfront Inn - Ocean view

Ocean view

Turtle Rocks Oceanfront Inn
Turtle Rocks Oceanfront Inn

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Victorian Inn - Robust iced tea! Delicious.

Victorian Inn

4.1(180 reviews)
21.9 mi
•$$

I wish I had the pleasure of actually staying in the hotel. But because of a slip up, I end up…read morestaying in an adjacent property. However, I did have the delightful pleasure of having cosmopolitans in the bar. The two bartender Sierra and Lillian were absolutely amazing and full of knowledge about the end and the town. I really enjoyed speaking with them. So if you get a chance, go to the Victoria Inn and ask for Lillian and Sierra in the bar.

An owner who clearly doesn't care - mold everywhere, no daily room servicing, trash abounds…read more Despite the lovely historic architecture of Ferndale and this building, this is a hotel I cannot recommend until ownership realises hospitality is about more than having a vintage building. From old lumpy pillows and 20-30 year old blankets and bedspreads, to NO daily room servicing, to black mold in the unhygenic common area, to uncleaned ashtrays entrance doors, mold on the orange juice dispenser at breakfast (which is pathetic)... the list goes on. When this feedback was given to the front desk person, the comment was basically - 'Yes, I'll tell the owner this stuff matters - they know but don't care'. To be specific: Bedrooms: while the sheets are likely less than 5 years old, the rest of the bedding is well over 20 years old, and the decor / furnishings are not 'charming', they are just old and run down. Broken handles on drawers, chipped paint everywhere, an 18 inch TV from 20 years ago, no in-room coffee/water, no daily trash emptying or room service. Sleep quality: poor - lumpy pillows, windows that only open a bit, and warm rooms, thin walls so you can hear everyone, bad plumbing so water hammer wakes the building when anyone showers, and not enough hot water to go around all rooms - so they ask you to be quick in the shower! Common Space: As there's no in-room amenities they have a common space with a residential fridge, a residential style freezer box, and a Keurig single pod coffee maker. There is no filter or bottled drinking water. The freezer is rife with black mold all around the rim / seal and the ice is just in a rubber dish bin from the kitchen, with a metal scoop - it's the most unsanitary thing ever and will get people sick. The fact that the owners don't acquire a proper ice making machine just screams cheap and lazy. Dirty dishes pile up all day in this space in another bin (the same style used for the ice). The fridge is for anyone to store something that needs refridgeration in - again unsanitary and unsafe - everything in there could be tampered with. Hotel general observations: The disgusting dirty cigarette butt filled trays outside each entrance door are never cleaned - so that's what greets you on arrival! The breakfast is very poor - a few 'protein yoghurts', dry cereal, banana etc... but with black mold present on the tops of the juice dispensers, who wants to touch any of it without the real prospect of getting sick. Carpets throughout are likely 40-50 years old and look like they've never been cleaned. It's just a dirty, dusty, uncleaned space. We also ate at the onsite pub - the staff at least seemed to care, despite not being trained on basics (i.e. wipe down table first before seating us there, deliver appetizers first, check on us and refill empty water bottle) and the food was very mediocre. Overall, such a shame as it has so much potential.

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Victorian Inn - Dining room waiting area.

Dining room waiting area.

Victorian Inn - We used old tarnished silver teapots with white flowers, eucalyptus garlands and white ribbon.

We used old tarnished silver teapots with white flowers, eucalyptus garlands and white ribbon.

Victorian Inn - Front of house horse tie-ups.

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Front of house horse tie-ups.

Best Western Plus Humboldt Bay Inn - Oasis Spa Area

Best Western Plus Humboldt Bay Inn

3.9(279 reviews)
6.2 mi
•$$

Excellent selection for a hotel!…read more What we liked: -Secure parking lot. -Newly renovated rooms. -Comfy beds, very clean. -Excellent breakfast. -Nice pool areas, relaxing spaces. -Great TV / Channel selection. -Friendly staff Challenges: -Lots of stairs if upper level room. -One way roads on both sides. -Wonky light switches. Overall a great stay and will for sure be using this location again.

Our check-in experience was incredibly frustrating and unnecessarily unpleasant because of the…read morebehavior of the front desk attendant, Aaron. After a tiring 6-hour drive, I requested a ground-level room because two members of our party could not comfortably manage the stairs--an elderly woman and a man with limited mobility. Since the hotel has no elevator, this was a very reasonable request. Aaron responded by repeatedly sighing--loudly, deeply, and dramatically--throughout nearly the entire check-in process. I have honestly never heard someone sigh so many times during one conversation. His reaction was so exaggerated that it came across as immature, rude, and completely unprofessional. The most irritating part was that he eventually gave us a ground-level room anyway. So apparently the request could have been accommodated from the beginning without the theatrical breathing, visible annoyance, and attitude. When you work at the front desk of a hotel, basic courtesy and hospitality should not be optional. Guests should not be made to feel guilty or burdensome for asking for a room that accommodates mobility limitations. After 6 hours on the road, the last thing we needed was to be greeted by an employee acting as though helping us was a tremendous personal inconvenience. Aaron desperately needs a refresher course in professionalism and customer service. The dramatic sighing may be appropriate for a teenager being asked to clean their bedroom, but it has no place behind a hotel front desk.

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Best Western Plus Humboldt Bay Inn - 5th St Entrance from 101 south

5th St Entrance from 101 south

Best Western Plus Humboldt Bay Inn - Lobby area at front desk check in

Lobby area at front desk check in

Best Western Plus Humboldt Bay Inn - Lobby lounging area

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Lobby lounging area

The Front Porch Inn - resorts - Updated October 2026

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