Victorian Inn

This was our first stay at a small independent hotel — what a charm! A fantastic experience from a stop in at the bar through our relaxing dinner with live piano and overnight stay, followed by the wonderful breakfast. A wonderful experience!

Great Victorian hotel in this quiet cool looking town. Very helpful and friendly staff. Rooms are just like walking into a dream. Décor is just phenomenal. Very pleasant temperatures, gorgeous views, and just a perfect place to get away from city noise.

This place is a must! Great rooms and a fantastic staff… A real change of pace from the fast lane. Nestled up in the dairy country of Humboldt county, VI has is all rooms in the hotel, apartment like dwellings across the street, great bar and restaurant… Come NOT IN A HURRYING and be pleasantly surprised !!

What a great place. The hospitality is amazing. The rooms were clean and the bed and sheets were some of the best have ever slept on. The staff was amazing. They were friendly and welcoming and went out of their way to make sure you were taken care of. The VI Restaurant was delicious. You can see and taste the pride the chefs put into the entrees. The breakfast is great as well. The owner has created a home town family experience. Cant wait to stay there again!!!

By far one of the best places to eat in Humboldt County. Prices are a little more expensive than some other places but its completely worth it. Food quality is outstanding, many locally sourced meats and organic fresh veggies. Everything is made in house, and is seasoned very well and tastes fresh. Ive had many lunches and dinners here and have never had anything I didnt like.
Its also never very crowded so its a nice quiet place for lunch or dinner. Staff is friendly and attentive and there is plenty of parking right out front.
Come in and check it out, you wont be disappointed.

We recently had a great 2 night stay here. The Inn is in a wonderfully restored building, in a great location in town. The room was spacious, well appointed and maintained. The restaurant was very good. We had a delicious dinner the first night, followed by 2 great breakfasts. The staff was very friendly and attentive at all times. Zachary at the front desk was always ready with a smile. Will definitely stay here again.

A friend and I had a great dinner, plus we got to listen to Jeffrey Smoller. The Inn is beautiful and the service and food was excellent. Walking the streets window shopping in this little Victorian town was great fun too.

It was a perfect stay for our family. Really beauiful old building, kind staff, small but lovely town, I’m missing already.
And I highly recommend the restaurant in the hotel. My family’s dinner in V. I was fantastic experience. Awesome food, full list of local wine and beer, perfect service for my kids.
When I visit Ferndale, I definitely will stay in this hotel.

My husband and I stayed here last night, New Years Eve. The room was beautiful, spacious and spotlessly clean. We stayed in the Abigail Room on the 2^nd floor.
It was very quiet, despite the hotel being full and it being New Years Eve. Very pleasant stay. It was a bit expensive and the breakfast in the morning left something to be desired, but we will return.

I didn’t stay here, I just had Thanksgiving dinner with family visiting from out of town. I wound up embarrassed at how bad the dinner was. The au jus for the prime rib was so salty it even ruined the side dishes it touched. It also tasted like prepackaged mix, made me wonder how much was prepared fresh and how much was heat and serve from Sysco.
The apple tart also managed to be massively salty. Replace chef for one with less jaded palate?
Really wish we’d gone to Curley’s.

The «Victorian Inn» is as fine an example of the true essence of a B&B — Boutique Hotel experience to be found anywhere. Located in a Town that epitomizes a step back in time of over 100 years, this Inn clearly is the crown jewel of the area. Our goal was to be transported back into the time period of the Inn and to experience an essence of the luxury of a past era. This experience was accomplished with grace and style.
We booked the room after viewing the choices on the Inn’s website, which was an accurate representation of the room we found waiting, no surprises. The room even came equipped with an antique make up station for my wife’s needs. The comfortable sofa and table gave us the chance to read and relax. The electric fireplace (inserted into the original fireplace) added a nice touch of ambiance and warmth. The room and bathroom were perfectly clean and spotless. The 14′ high ceilings with period chandeliers were impressive. The woodworking trim and features of this grand edifice appear to be mostly original construction. Most of the stained and varnished wood work remains with it’s original finish.
The owners — innkeepers, Lowell and Jenny set the bar very high and were totally hands on in attending to our needs. Their balance of attention without being overbearing was perfect, and always ready to engage and to share with us their wealth of information about the building and the area. The staff, from the housekeepers on up, were found by us to be fully capable and willing to make our stay enjoyable. (How rare this is today) When you find a staff that is half asleep it is a reflection of the people at the top, this was truly the opposite here, everyone was on their game.
Morning coffee and tea were ready in the community room by 7:30 AM and the breakfast hours of 8 –10:30 AM were more than flexible enough for us to not have to watch our time schedule.
The included breakfast was served in their stand alone fine dining facility on the 1^st. floor. We were free to choose a spot in the dining room to suit our needs at the time, either by the windows to experience the back in time street scene or by the fireplace for some warmth. The menu choices were varied and the staff customized it a bit to fit our needs, no problem at all.
My wife is known by her friends as a «food snob» and is not easy to please. The breakfasts we enjoyed and the dinners at the «VI» Restaurant were excellent. Most Bay Area restaurants cannot do it as well. We were impressed at how fresh the ingredients were, not easy in this outpost location! The fine details of the food presentation were obviously done by a well trained chef with pride in their work. A couple of nights at the restaurant they had a live piano player and even a jazz musician.
The owners and staff were very helpful in gathering information on things to do and helped to plan an outing to nearby Eureka. We almost felt like family the way we were treated.
Finally, the old adage: «you get what you pay for“is true to form here. An establishment like this is enormously expensive to run, the rates were fair and I felt that I got more than I paid for. Indulge yourself a bit, your memories are priceless.

We had a very nice stay at The Victorian Inn. The place is actually quite intimate, with only 33 well preserved and thoroughly enjoyable rooms. The skylight upstairs makes the whole place cheerful and bright. It is also quiet. Ferndale itself is a pretty quiet place but the Inn’s 9″ thick walls make for a very charming bunker. I read about the walls in the souvenir newspaper we received when we checked in.
They don’t make buildings like this anymore. We loved the high ceilings and even door hinges were decorative. Everything at the Inn was super clean and well cared for. There was zero dust on any of the window sills, for example. The lush drapes also seemed surprisingly clean. One more big plus was the hospitality of the owner. He knew where we were from and he greeted us very warmly during the really nice complimentary breakfast.
I have to mention that the place was a little odd. We checked in in what appeared to be a jewelry store rather than a traditional lobby, there was no elevator, and the rooms were tiny. Our «suite» was 2 adjoining rooms with an old door in between. The communal lounge upstairs was also a little tired, and the shared old fridge in there was a bit of a fright. Many of these idiosyncrasies actually added to the charm of the place. One thing I can’t forgive, however, is a mediocre shower. There was also a crazy variety of heating and cooling equipment, although none of the devices were particularly effective. It happened to be quite hot when we were there.
Overall, great place, despite a few mostly charming historical quirks.

The service was the worst part here. Our waiter was inattentive and looked overworked. Maybe not his problem, but it affected us in a negative way. Couldn’t get refills and had to ask other passing waiters multiple times. The food quality was split in our party, some liked it. I did not. My New York strip had a lot of fat on it, had to cut around it quite a lot. And in the end, it wasn’t that tasty anyway. Cost of the meal was definitely too high for what we all got. Overall, a disappointing experience to say the least as we were told this is one of the best restaurants in town. Probably should have gone across the street to the other recommendation.

Please note that several of the negative reviews appear to be for the restaurant: unfair, because we really enjoyed our entire stay at the charming Victorian Inn, which is a cozy little Bed and Breakfast at the far end of the main drag in the cute little Victorian town of Ferndale. Hubby and I stayed in the Marens Suite with our two kiddos, ages 10 and 8, and it was the perfect size for a night – in fact, I would have gladly stayed for a longer stretch. The rooms are comfortable, with small flat-​screen T.V., free wi-​fi, air-​conditioning, separate sitting area, nicely-​sized closet, and well-​appointed bathroom. To get to this room can be a bit of a trick, since the Victorian Inn does not have a lift. You may want to accept the gentleman’s kind offer of help with your luggage, because we did not and the staircase is a mighty steep one upon which to have to hoist luggage (fortunately, this was the end of our trip so the suitcases were significantly lighter than they were at the start). Our room was just steps away from the common room, which had fully-​stocked tea and coffee and a game and puzzle cabinet (thoroughly enjoyed by my 8-​year-​old, though puzzles really are aimed at adult skill levels). Breakfast in the morning (included in our price) was generous and cooked-​to-​order. I would gladly stay again if ever in the vicinity.

Let me start by saying that this is my first ever negative review of anything ever. My experience with this inn has been the poorest customer service and the most absurd policies I’ve ever heard of.
My fiancé booked us a room there as a surprise on our first night in Humboldt. Sadly, we had a family emergency and had to cancel. We gave twenty-​four hours notice, but The Victorian Inn is the exception to general curtesy and policy. Nowhere on their website does it state that they have a seven day cancellation policy. They do send you a confirmation that includes this info in the fine print. However, these reservations where made within seven days and we essentially forfeited our money the moment we made said reservation without any recourse. Furthermore we think the best of people and not the absolute worst, as is sadly the case.
When I called to clear this matter up I was told that we should be honored to even receive a gift certificate for later use as they most often don’t even do that. «Consider it a compliment,» was the information given to me by their front desk manager. I should also mention that the gc is void three months of the year and all holidays. When I asked to speak to the owner, Mr. Daniels, I was told that he was to busy to speak and that his «policy is his policy.» When I asked the desk manger to tell Mr. Daniels that I insist on speaking with him I was told that he insisted on not speaking to me.
We are quite kind and reasonable, but when I’m told that I must endure an unfair policy under the duress of a family crisis because they run a business in a «poor area»…well I am left to understand that Mr. Daniels has put himself first and his guests in a faraway second. Smh

The food was fine… once it finally arrived! The service was incredibly slow. It took 20+ minutes just for the waitress to come see us for the first time. She barely checked up on us at all throughout the dinner. We wanted a light meal and ordered just two bowls of soup and a salad, which she said she would bring after the soups. We waited for the salad for about 45 minutes after finishing our soups, without even a chance to flag her down or anything as she kept rushing by our table. We were just going to forget about the salad and ask for the check, but she ended up bringing the salad before we had the chance. She said the kitchen was slow and comped us one of our beers. Perhaps it was the kitchen’s fault, but the waitstaff should still check in to let you know that your food is running behind, refill your water, etc. We got none of that and spent most of the night sitting around waiting.
The soups were good but not extraordinary, and the beet salad was okay but the greens were on the wilted side. I wouldn’t complain about the food normally but combined with the high price tag and the lousy service, the dinner definitely didn’t stand out.

As always, great setting and good food. But, also, wait staff is always overworked and service is always too slow.
We waited 20+ minutes to get coffee and another 10 for someone to start taking our order. That is when Lowell the owner told our waiter to stop taking our order and go serve another table. That really made us feel second-​class.
The whole meal took over an hour and a half and we just had omelettes.

Save your money and tummy, go across the street to the Ivanhoe! Last night we ordered crab cakes and calamari. We sent the cakes back. They tasted like fish from a can. We live on the coast!!! Buy and serve fresh fish, please! We didn’t finish the calamari, oily and rubbery. After the appetizers, we decided to go across the street and eat dinner at the Ivanhoe.

Vegan and vegetarian options! I called ahead and was rewarded with a fantastic vegan meal: vegetable medley with yams, carrots, roasted garlic, cherry tomatoes and fingerling potatoes. A winter squash mash with a beet purée gravy and kalettes. Service here is outstanding, as is their «regular» food. The owner is creating a vegan/​vegetarian menu, so let him know if that’s your preference. Surf and Turf is also remarkable.

We were road-​tripping to Oregon and found this B&B along our path. We had no expectations as we’ve never explored this part of CA. The Inn is truly a victorian, inside and out. The room size is nearly twice what we had expected. All the furnishings and appointments reflect the vintage of a victorian inn. It is situated in the middle of town, which is just a few square blocks. This is a great overnight pit stop and worth devoting a half day here to enjoy what a small township feels like. For us city-​slickers, it was like being in a Hollywood movie set walking down Main Street, filled with boutiques, a vintage drug store that has a scale that uses weighs and a cash register that rings when the merchant pulls the handle.
We typically don’t dine at hotel restaurants. The Victorian Inn dining room is an exception. The included breakfast was made to order and literally carried us through dinner. And for evening supper, the service, menu selection, and food quality were consistent with a 4 or 5 star restaurant, at 3 or 4 star prices.
There’s no express check out, elevators, wifi, business center, or other modern conveninces of the Hyatt or Hilton. But if you want to turn the clock back in time for $ 150 B&B, this is a good ride to go «Back to the Future.»