The Tides Inn

Did not end up staying there, it was all done with on line reservations but at $279 for a room it was not worth it for us. The views and location was spectacular, except for the drive, that was crazy windy, bumpy and narrow as heck for about 20 - 30 miles from the CA101 to Shelter Cove

We absolutely loved this Inn. The location is perfect! Such a beautiful view of the ocean. Our room was very clean and comfortable. It had everything we needed. The managers were so friendly and helpful. They felt like old friends. We wanted a place where we could just relax and watch the water and this place was perfect. My husband has a bad ankle so we didn't have to walk anywhere, just sat outside and enjoyed the view! I loved that I could walk down to the beach and look for shells very easily. Loved, loved, loved this place. We will definitely go back! Thanks managers Verna and Eric!

This is really a lovely little hotel and I am really happy we decided to stay here for a night. It's very reasonably priced, considering that every room has a fantastic ocean view. We sat at the table by the window and watched the seals swimming in the ocean. The hotel managers are very friendly. The bed was comfortable and the shower had excellent water pressure. The room was equipped with a microwave, fridge, and toaster. They also provided some snacks and bottled water. Shelter Cove is a unique town. It's great for a peaceful getaway. The Tides Inn is an excellent place to stay in town.

We stayed here last year. Loved it!! Beautiful views! Quiet and cozy!! We brought our son with us on a trip to California and this was his favorite place we visited! If you can impress a 9 year old without electronics, you have a winner! The owners were great and even left a special snack for our son. We loved this place so much, that I booked my in-laws a room here a few months later!! I'll defintly stay again and continuing to recommend more people to stay here :) The sunsets are absolutely amazing!!

Loved our short time here! We felt like we had the beach to ourselves, and it was so nice to sit outside and watch the waves. The room was clean, and the owners were very friendly and welcoming. It was a short walk down to the beach to see tide pools and seals.

Loved the stay here! The rooms are locked by code so we were a little confused at first since there’s really no front office but figured it out through the confirmation email. This place was like a little condo - living room with fireplace (cracked front glass) couch and chairs, kitchen with table and appliances, bedroom (with a door out), and bathroom with, oddly enough, another microwave and mini fridge. The tidal pools on the beach here were full of life - which was one of my deciding factors when booking. The room was clean and warm. Unfortunately, all of my pictures of the room are on my Canon camera so I may update this review at a later time.

This location is nothing short of magical. The ocean is right at the door step, and you can hear the sound of giant waves crushing onto the rocks right in your room. The room was clean and spacious. I paid less than a hundred dollars for the night, which came as a huge surprise for such a magnificent place! Will definitely come back in the future trips.

From check in to check out, the service was amazing! The lady was friendly and helpful. The rooms were nice and clean. There's a balcony looking right into the ocean. Ocean access from your front door. We had an amazing little get away here!

Shelter Cove is very remote. One way in, one way out. At least 30-40 mins to get anywhere. But they've got a lot to offer right there in the community. Let's be clear: the number of stars here isn't indicative of a four-star hotel. But overall it didn't disappoint. GREAT view and the sound of the waves crashing outside were high on my amenity list. The unit itself is pretty bare bones. Cheap but comfortable furniture. Kitchen has pretty much everything you'd need to cook. Bed is okay, maybe a little hard. Really hot showers, which was nice. Managers are super nice and 100% responsive to any needs. We got one night free bc of their spring special, which bumped it up a star for us. Would I recommend it? Yes. Would I HEARTILY recommend it? Probably not. But I have no complaints.

This place is incredible. All of the rooms have an amazing view of the Pacific Ocean. You are literally on the edge of the continental shelf when you stay in this place. The rooms are comfortable and have everything you need. Complete with coffee maker refrigerator and super comfy bed. There is a television but I never turned it on because the view was intoxicating and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I was here right around solstice and so the day was very long and by the time it was too dark to enjoy the view it was bedtime. The hotel managers were friendly and kind and helpful. This place is walking distance from Gyppo the local favorite brewery. And also right on the lower Pacific Road which runs along the ocean. Close to Mal Combs Park. I absolutely recommend this place to anyone wanting the experience of sleeping right next to the ocean. You could hear the surf and waves all night long. It lulled me to sleep.

BEWARE: this hotel will cancel your reservation for no valid reason right before your visit. Here's what happened to us: - We reserved a room over a month in advance for Memorial Day Weekend. This trip is our babymoon before our twin girls arrive later this year. - Literally two and a half days before our visit (or less than 72 hours before we were scheduled to check-in), we received a phone call from Verna saying that the inn was cancelling our reservation. - Why, you ask? They said they have terms, which are NOT posted on their website, that require a 2-night stay over a holiday weekend. In our confirmation email from April, it confirmed that the 2-night minimum applied to full suites only. We had rented the standard room. - They had a month to contact us to let us know, but they waited until days before our trip to inform us. - We weren't able to find another hotel in the area given the lack of notice and we had to cancel our trip. The manager we spoke with admitted they violated two of their terms (the 2-night minimum is not required for rooms that aren't suites and they cancelled with less than 72 hours before our arrival). She was dismissive of the situation they created for us and did nothing to help resolve the issue. Please be aware that this can happen to you (and we've seen reviews on other websites that have had the same experience as us).

I was looking for a place for my wife and I to celebrate our 12 year wedding anniversary. After checking on a few websites I ended up finding Tides inn at Shelter Cove. This place was perfect, away from big city and heavy traffic. You drive about 40 minutes west of highway 101. The road is pretty windy all around the hill side. Caution with passengers that might get car sick. Upon arrival, my wife and I were greeted by Verna. She greeted us very friendly, she took really good care of us. After receiving our room key, we went to check out our room located on the third floor (see pictures). Our room was great, clean and with amazing views. Everything was working good and well organized. Our room didn't include a kitchen (we were aware of what we reserved) my wife and I had planned on eating out most of the time anyway. Room did include small fridge/snack area. Kept our perishable cold. My wife and I ended up driving to Eureka for one of the days and drove up through the Avenue of the giants (definitely recommend) and then we spent the other days around Shelter Cove. There are a few things to do around town, the brewery is great (if you like beer) food is also good. The light house is a short 5 minute walk (south) from Tides Inn. If you keep walking passed the lighthouse you end up walking towards the brewery and towards the boat launching area. If you drive towards the north end of Shelter Cove you arrive to black sand beach. Overall this town is small, romantic, and not crazy busy compared to big towns. This was exactly what we were looking for, plus limited on cell phone reception (disconnect from the world) We definitely recommend this place to everyone, we look forward to coming back next year. Thanks managers Eric and Verna

We wanted something off the beaten path for our first anniversary and The Tides Inn was perfect. We were greeted upon our arrival by a sea lion arffing from the water twenty feet or so from the door to our room. I've never stayed at a place so close to the sea shore; we could literally sit on the couch by the fireplace and watch the waves roll in from our window. There were many interesting tide pools to explore a short walk from our door. The kitchen was well stocked and there were Milano cookies, as well as lots of extra blankets. Not quite as private as I would have imagined with a steady stream of shore explorers in the area, but no out-of-the ordinary disturbances. Would definitely return.

Oceanfront, . Rooms spacious and beautiul. All 12 rooms (?) rooms have breathtaking views overlooking the rocky shoreline. We stay in room O... huge room and decorated very nicely. You have hear seal lions barking along with the wind and waves crashing along side the cliffs. The ocean smells draw you in and the cool area feels great. Took a book to the beach in front with only seals to share the beach with. Great places to walk and cruise the area. The best thing is the amazing managers Eric and Vern. Friendly, knowledge and approachable. I learned a lot about the mysteries at Shelter cove. My favorite part with the two manager's dogs. Peanut and ty. ADORABLE! Shelter Cove is a hidden gem that I hope will never lose its quaint small town feeling. I love it there and bought two lots with oceanviews. That is how much I adore shelter cove.

There are gorgeous ocean views from every single room! The rooms are well-appointed with spacious mini-fridges, microwaves, tea assortments, etc. The people who work reception are extremely friendly and helpful. They have a whole DVD and book library down there in the lobby and a DVD player in every room. If you wanted to go somewhere with gorgeous views where you could just read books and watch movies, this would be the place. But you could also hike! King Range is an enormous and gorgeous conservation area with both mountains and beaches. The park rangers at King Range are incredibly helpful, and there are so many different well-maintained hikes to take. You could vacation here for a week and do a different hike every day if you wanted to. There's a huge redwoods park (Humbolt Redwoods State Park) an hour away, and you can find plenty of redwoods in King Range as well if you're a fan. There are some great local spots for food nearby (including a world class Venezuelan restaurant), but you could also just go to the general store, buy some stuff to keep in the room, and have picnics with ocean views. To my knowledge, none of the black sand beach in Shelter Cove is safe for swimming. The water is too rough, but the crashing waves make for an excellent vacation backdrop. So if you've always wanted to go to the beach but don't really care for swimming, this is the place!

We stayed in a full suite for four days and were sad to leave. This is a place of extremes. It is very remote and somewhat tough to access. It's also the most beautiful place I've ever been, on the tip of a rocky point featuring tiny, pristine beaches. It was so nice falling asleep and waking up to the roar of waves. The room itself was clean, comfortable, spacious, and well stocked with plates, utensils, etc., and Verna and Eric are the nicest people you could hope to meet. They really made us feel like welcomed guests. Bring groceries, because there isn't much in the way of restaurants nearby, (although we can vouch that the pizza place is legit). Although the golf course within walking distance is pretty rough, it gave us a good opportunity to see the town and ocean from different perspectives. It's not Pebble Beach, but in some ways it's better. We did not encounter another soul while playing nine holes, apart from a very friendly local on his walk, and it only cost $15 and we were able to ramble about and watch birds and just generally enjoy our surroundings with no pressure or time constraints. And afterwards I was able to catch the end of low tide and fill my abalone possession limit right outside our room. Beat that! Yes, the road is windy, but it's not as bad as some make it seem. Just take your time, and pull aside in one of the numerous turnouts if a local gets behind you. Actually, I hesitate to post this because part of me wants to jealously protect this gem from the general public and keep it secret to between those of us in the know.

This place is a must! We're here for our 20th anniversary, and we have the full suit. It's very accommodating and literally comes with everything you need! The owners are extremely nice and welcoming. They even left us a bottle of wine for our special day. Very spacious, clean, and right on the beach! We will definitely be staying here again.

This little gem of a hotel is my favorite hotel in the world. Run by two awesome people Eric and Verna KAII!!! A secret hideaway with waves crashing so loud you'll never be able to fall asleep at home again. I love this place and the people who run it! Crazy Bernie and Tammy The Tornado are huge fans of The Tides Inn of Shelter Cove

A great hotel with a view not to be believed. Shelter Cove is a beautiful area and the Tides is a perfect spot to spend a night or two. Nice rooms, great location, the sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore to lull you to sleep, and the VIEW.

Beautiful Inn practically on the ocean. At night I was able to see a million stars including the milky way from the balcony. You can watch the waves roll in at night while laying down next to a fire. Down at the beach we were able to explore tide pools and see some big old crabs. Loved it!

What a great place. Our family of 4 with two teenagers took a driving trip from Portland to San Francisco and spent a night here. It's such a great area and the room was amazing. We had a second floor deluxe room. Very comfortable with comfy chair or couch for all of us to relax at the same time. All the chairs in the living room had a view of the ocean and the tv. It sounds silly but so many rooms on the coast have a great view from the balcony but when you relax in the living room you don't even realize you're on the ocean. The road in is a bit slow going, though I love driving twisty roads so it was fun. If your trip needs a night somewhere near here it's worth the 45 min off 101 to spend even just one night. It's no secret there isn't much in the way of restaurants but I don't think that's why you would come here. There is a little store in shelter cove or you can stock up at the surprisingly decent grocery store in Redway. The pizza place in shelter cove was quite good, though I think it's a bit strange that we couldn't find a menu online or a paper copy in the room. No cell service but the Inn has wifi so most phones can use wifi calling which is fine. The communication from the hotel owners about the details of the room, town and directions was fantastic. All the details about cell reception, food and details is very plainly laid out. The owners are great and really want to make sure your stay is what you hope it will be.

The Tides Inn is located in the most peaceful place on earth. Right on the shore in the tiny community of Shelter Cove, one is lulled to sleep by the waves, and wakes to the sound of the waves. The ocean was visible from every room in our family suite - pure bliss. The private balcony is a huge plus; we spent lots of time reading, chatting, and watching the tides go in and out. We live in a crazy, busy society where we are constantly tethered to our tech devices, and The Tides Inn gave us the perfect reason to unplug and reconnect. The suite itself was extremely clean, and had everything one could ask for. The king bed was one of the most comfortable I've slept on, as was the mattress on the wall bed, according to our son. The kitchen was well stocked, with a full sized refrigerator, range, microwave, and dishwasher. In the dining area, the window looks up into the mountains, and if you look out through the living room, there is the ocean. One word of caution - get groceries in Redway or another town before descending down the extremely steep, winding hill to Shelter Cove. I highly recommend The Tides Inn, and can't wait to stay there again.

We have stayed here three times now and we keep coming back for the view and the great staff. The best part about staying here is the sounds of the waves that put you to sleep. This has to have one if the best views from any room I have ever stayed at. The drive down the hill can be a pain, but Shelter Cove is a magical place. Already looking forward to making the trip back.

I love this place. I went to sleep with the sound of the surf crashing against the rocky shoreline - bliss. The room was sparkly clean (I almost wondered if the bathroom had ever been used before - it was that clean) and there was a whole pile of pillows. Upon check-in, there was a basket filled with snacks and things for consumption during my stay. There is a DVD player and VCR (?!) in the room along with satellite TV. Now for the low down. Shelter Cove is a quiet very remote little town that requires a windy 23 miles drive from the 101. Most cell phones do not work here and there is a limited number of things to do. Restaurants are open sporadically and there is no real shopping, etc... so why come here? It is a lovely, relaxing get away. From the Inn, you can head down to the rocky shore and explore the tide pools at low tide, sit outside your room with a bottle of wine and just enjoy the peaceful sounds of silence. OH.... if you can't find the ceiling fan control, check along the wall behind lamp shades..mine was on the far wall hiding behind the bedside lamp. :) I will be staying here again if I make my way back up here. Rooms are around $150 and up.

Have you ever been to the Lost Coast of California. No? I just found out first hand why most people haven't. There is a stretch of coastline north of Mendicino where the terrain is so rugged that the builders of Highway 1 basically said "Screw it!" and gave up. Since there are no major highways that lead here, the region is remote, quiet, relatively desolate, and thus rewardingly offers some of the most dramatic land and sea scapes in California. On the southern portion of the Lost Coast is a tiny sleepy town called Shelter Cove and a quaint little place called The Tides Inn. We stayed there for the weekend and if you're looking to get away from it all, this is the place to do it. The location is right on the edge of a headland-- you step out of your room and the surf is virtually at your doorstep. There's nothing like going to sleep to the lullaby of the roaring surf at night. The Inn is very comfortable with *almost* all the amenities. One thing about this area is that you will not get a cell phone signal and the rooms don't have a land line. But puzzlingly enough they do have Wi-Fi! Another thing to take note is that, you are limited to the number of places to get food, so you definitely want to stock up on provisions at the local General Store-- sorry I don't it want it to sound like you're going to starve to death, but from what we saw, there are 2 restaurants, a deli, and a coffee shop. A caveat about Shelter Cove: it truly is a destination place, in that, once you get there, don't expect to go anywhere else. It is about a 45 min. drive from the 101 and the road that leads into the cove is one of the most winding, elevation changing, vomit inducing, roads you will ever find. And driving it at night.... well it basically will put your stomach in knots. Unless you like that kind of thing, you do not want to drive that road multiple times. My hats off to the locals who can drive that road at daredevil speeds. Once you're at Shelter Cove, however, you will be rewarded with serenity, beauty, rugged mountains, raging surf, miles of hiking trails, surfing, hang gliding, a slower pace of living, and of course the dramatic Lost Coast Trail that takes you through miles of black sand beach.

The other reviews were very accurate-this place is very very remote and there is not much to do for Type A's like me, but it was refreshing for 2 nights-I wouldn't have lasted longer- and we were with extended family so The Tides Inn was a great place for us to hang out together. My sister in law and I both got Suite Combos so we had a large room with a full kitchen and a pull down bed in the den and then the kids were upstairs with their own bedroom and bath and a den that had a sleeper sofa. The kitchen/den was big enough for all 12 of us to hang out together for meals. My younger son loved exploring-even got out on the rocks and bothered the sea lions. My husband and sons also talked to people fishing for abalones. Everyone was very friendly. The drive there was windy and scary! We drove to the Avenue of the Giants the next day so we had to tackle the roads again and then come back. I don't think there is a whole lot to do in Shelter Cove but it was a beautiful setting and very nice to sleep to the sound of the ocean right out our door. Ate at the restaurant next door the first night we were there-it was good. The second night we were there we cooked in for everyone-heard the General Store was expensive-we got our groceries in Garberville the day we were at the Avenue of the Giants. Glad we had wifi-but you will be fined if you download things. Our cell phones did not work there. So, overall, glad we had the experience.

We discovered Tides in Christmas Eve 2012... Came back and got the larger suite with full kitchen for Thanksgiving 2013 extravaganza!! Look forward to coming back and checking more of the Lost Coast and Tides Inn our home away from home!

Amazing place, increadible views and real, heart-warming hospitality! The rooms are renovated, absolutely clean and the welcome basket is the cherry on top! Fall asleep listening to the ocean! Thank you Julia and Bill for your warm welcome and hospitality!

Where to begin? My family goes on road trips A LOT and we love it. The Tides Inn of Shelter Cove is magical. The views will blow your mind and leave you speechless. I think the only words I was able to get out were, "wow" and "babe, look". Of all of the hotels we have ever stayed, The Tides Inn is our favorite. Jen took care of us and in the first five minutes of meeting her, we felt like family. There isn't a kinder, more genuine, more friendly host in the world. We rarely take trips to the same place twice because there is so much to see in the world but Jen and The Tides Inn have convinced us to go every year. I can't say it enough, this place is magic.

Love, Love, Love the tides inn. My husband and I came out this way to celebrate our Birthdays. I found this inn by surfing the internet one late night. We both had no idea how beautiful and wonderful this experience would be, Julie was so awesome and made us feel very comfortable. We stayed in the Jr. Suite But to be honest we slept in the living room both nights, we could not believe how awesome it was to be able to sleep to the sounds of the waves all night long. I'm already making plans to go back. We miss it so much. We had plans to go to avenue of the Giants one of the days but decided to explore Shelter cove instead. It was very cool, jumping thru the rocks to check out the tide pools and experiencing sea lions, deer, and sea otters in their natural habitat. Julie recommended to eat lunch at the Tea house which was very cute and the food was GREAT. Then she made dinner reservations for us at the Cove restaurant next door. This was a perfect way to end our last night in shelter cove. The food was amazing, our waitress was good and the live acoustic guitar was dreamy. There was no table available next to the window so if you want a table next to the window make sure you request it with your reservations, our table was not bad we still were able to enjoy the ocean view with the sunset enjoying our glass of wine. It was very romantic.

We had a very clean and comfortable room overlooking the ocean. Explored the tide pools right in front of our room and watched the sunset from our balcony. Be sure and call ahead and ask which restaurants are open during your stay. The owner gave us the lowdown and then made our reservations for us. This is a charming place with nice touches and a fabulous location. Where you go to get away from it all!

Loved this place. The couple who are in charge were very polite. The view was amazing plus the room was great. It had a kitchen that had everything we needed.

Getting to Shelter Cove is a pain in the ass. Saying the road is windy is an understatement and it is a rare drive that you do not smell the brakes when you finally stop (Segundo usually travels with a bucket on his lap following a particularly bad drive where he threw up a half a mile from town- and still laughs about it because he managed to get some on his older brother Primo). If you are looking for a destination where there is non-stop action and excitement, this is not the place for you. If you want a mellow vacation where you can fall asleep to crashing waves and walk to tidal pools in a minute or two, then you may wish to visit Shelter Cove and the Tides Inn. We have been taking the family to the Tides Inn for the past six or seven years and we will keep coming back. They have a variety of room sizes. Our room of choice is one of the full suites that includes a private bedroom with king sized bed and a Murphy bed in the living room (one boy sleeps on it and the other on a blow up mattress in the "fort" under the stairs). The suite includes a full sized kitchen, fireplace, balcony, free wifi and Dish Network. The rooms are clean and while a few repairs are needed (new screens and some cracked tiles), there is nothing too serious that would cause us to look elsewhere. As stated above, the proximity to the beach and tidal pools are a huge draw and this time the night sky was so clear that we could see the Milky Way from the balcony. If you are staying for more than a day, I would recommend bringing your own supplies as there is not much available in Shelter Cove by way of groceries- the full kitchen makes preparation and storage a lot easier.

I think every reviewer but one poor soul has hit every point to be made out this little slice of heaven and the Tides. When I go anywhere on business away from home it is never really a "pleasure" but when I come to the Cove and check in to the Tides that all changes...business can definitely become a true pleasure and when I look out my window it is a breathtaking dose of Zen. The owners are down to earth, and the rooms are not just nice but they each come with mother nature's soundtrack. Thank you, Tides Inn for being in such a wonderful place. Thanks to everyone in the Cove, strong good spirits, every one of you!

We stayed four nights at The Tides Inn. What a lovely place to relax and get away from everything! Our room had everything we needed. It was clean and very comfortable. The Inn's managers were like old friends. They checked every day to see if we needed anything. We absolutely loved everything about this place. The ocean is literally at your front door. We plan on making it our new getaway! Thank you managers Verna and Eric...you're awesome!

Wonderful place to stay if you are ready to get away from it all and relax! We slept with the windows open to hear the waves crashing all night long. You can take a small path down to the beach right in front of the hotel to sit in the sand and sort through rocks or look in tide pools. There is a nice restaurant in the hotel next door. There was a welcome basket with trail mix when we arrived and a room that was not extravagant but exactly what we needed for a weekend away to relax. My only recommendation is that they get new pillows as we had 4 thin pillows for our king bed but that's not a huge deal at all. The price was right even for a holiday weekend. The town is remote if that's what you like then you will love this hotel as well.

Great, very remote location. Follow the directions they give you with your reservation because the GPS will take you down some crazy back roads and double the time it takes you to get there. There are 2 or 3 local restaurants but we opted for the room with a kitchen and cooking our own meals. The general store at the top of the hill has an amazing selection given the distance from the nearest civilization.

Quite a place! Absolutely beautiful! So close to the water. AND the tidepools - ah, the tidepools. Everything about this place is wonderful. It's close to the ocean, every room has a view, the "full-suite" is very large and has a fireplace, a balcony, a separate bedroom, and a full kitchen (everything from dishwasher to ice maker to blender). I love The Tides Inn!