As you go along traveling in this world with a special need, you'll find the vast majority of lodgings will do the bare minimum that they can get away with under the ADA to accomodate their disabled customers. It might be a room with the worst view, maybe way in the back of the property, get shortchanged on maintenance and housekeeping or it's a room for one or two people at the most.
Exploring Northern California, this is our main roadblock...there are three of us and we don't want to have to pay for two rooms. It's rare but, luckily, we do come across some rooms that will accomodate all of us. The five listed below not only fit all of us but are really special rooms that go above and beyond to provide their special needs lodgers with a very special stay.
5. Half Moon Bay Lodge - Half Moon Bay. Just south of San Francisco, but a world away, this hotel sits on the edge of a golf course with the homes of the rich and famous just beyond. Unfortunately, those homes block your view of the ocean but it's still a nice view in this relaxing inn with a low-keyed luxury to it. The ADA room has a roll in shower and sliding patio doors allowing access to the back golf course view making it a wonderful place to have your morning coffee in the cool sea air.
4. Cottages at Point Reyes Seashore - Inverness. Another seashore-adjacent inn. The spread apart cabins of this hotel sit in a hollow separated from Tomales Bay by a small hill so no one here gets an ocean view but a short walk or drive can get you to the water. The accessible unit here has a spacious living room with a queen bed and recliner. This is also the only accessible bedroom. Another room towards the back has two twin beds and the accessible bathroom is a tub with bench combination.
The location is tranquil with lots of room to roam and explore the woods surrounding the property.
3. View Crest Lodge - Trinidad. Another property that's more a collection of cabins rather that one big building. Here, you park in your dedicated accessible parking spot that is the driveway of your cabin. A ramp takes you to the back door, which is on a nice deck overlooking the park like grounds and, on non-foggy days, gives you a bit of a view of the Pacific across the street.
Two queen beds...one in the living room and one in a separate bedroom...provide plenty of space for sleeping. There is a full kitchen and a cozy, comfortable living area with a sofa. The large bathroom is tub/bench combination. The TV only has Tubi so your entertainment will be whatever you can find on that basic streaming service. There is wifi but it tends to slow down at night when everybody else in the resort is on it...perfect time to head out to the deck with a thick blanket and a hot drink to enjoy the great outdoors.
2. Ada's Place - Quincy. A magical little cabin that, while only a block from downtown, feels like you far away in the woods.
A queen size bed is adjacent to the accessible bathroom, which features a beautiful roll in shower, and a very cozy living room that faces a woodland scene outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. A full kitchen and laundry room are underneath a loft that features a king sized, fluffy mat on the floor. A small half bath is also upstairs.
Games, books, stereo, and TV fill the downstairs area for plenty of ways to keep entertained when you're not out exploring the beautiful town of Quincy and the surrounding area of the "hidden Sierra" of Plumas County.
1. Mercantile Hotel - McCloud. I had mistakenly thought we had this entire hotel to ourselves the first night we stayed here because it was so darn quiet. Nope. We were actually surrounded by other guests but the over century year old solid construction of this building completely silenced everything.
Here, along the southern flanks of the massive Mount Shasta in the former company town of McCloud, the accessible room on the second floor has a perfectly framed view of the mountain. a king size bed sits in front of a fireplace with a table and a couple of chairs for relaxing. A cozy nook nearby has a twin bed. Next to that is the washroom with two sinks and a jetted tub. Just beyond that is the toilet room that features a large, roll-in shower.
It's an extremely comfortable and appropriate room for a wheelchair user family of three. The hotel also throws in a ten dollar credit for each person for breakfast in the diner downstairs. It's the best of the best of accessible rooms for three here in the northern half of the state.
There you have it, our top five accessible rooms for three (or four) in northern California. You may find a few others but, so far, none we've found in the four years we've been looking even come close to these.
Know that they are also located in spectacular locations and are not budget lodgings. The cheapest on this list, the Half Moon Bay Lodge, starts at over $150 a night and most go for over $200 but we've found they're worth every penny.
Darryl Musick
Copyright 2023 - All Rights Reserved
No comments:
Post a Comment