^TM

AND OTHER ROMANTIC ACTIVITIES

by Madelyn Miller

"I wished this place into being.  I dreamed of a stormy, wind-swept weekend getaway. I envisioned my chilled hand in his--- along the beach and bluffs. The romantic fireplace, the cozy down comforter, the romance.  I wished for all this...and so it was.  The dream is fulfilled."
    -- excerpt from the Whale Watch Inn's Ocean Sunrise guest journal --

For many, a quiet respite away from life's everyday chaos is only a dream...for others, a weekend getaway is a dream come true.  When stress is at it's peak, there is no prescription, no doctor's orders, no stead-fast remedy.  However, bot!h Mendocino's Whale Watch Inn and have uncovered guests' sure-fire cures and their secret sanctions in the series of journals tucked away in each of the inns' guest rooms.

Some guests have found the cure to their fertility obstacles, others have re-ignited the faltering flame in their tired relationships, still others find solace in a sweet, private haven to celebrate a special occasion.  The only link between the chronicled therapies of the inns' varied guests is the overwhelming record of success.

Guests of the Whale Watch Inn  come to get away from it all, to resurrect an intimate relationship, to celebrate.  For pure human interest, and perhaps to offer a natural, non-medical prescription to the stress that has saturated our lifestyles, the innkeepers at the Whale Watch  want to share some of their favorite Innside secrets and excerpts from the guest room journals.

Romance:
Reading through the inns' journals is reminiscent of a steamy Danielle Steele novel.  Guests are very candid about everything from their sexual prowess to their most intimate notions. A library of beautifully-scriptured love poems, skillfully-archived drawings, and personally-inspired ballads are all documented for future guests to relish in.

"Here's a place where whales surface even though you're not looking at the ocean.  I'm spent...just looking at her sleep reminds me of the love we shared today, the three hot soaks in the tub, the long, hot kisses beside the fireplace.  We haven't even left our room today and I feel completely fulfilled."

"We arrived on our wedding night...we could not have imagined a more beautiful and romantic location.  From the feather bed to the warm glow of the fire, the night will always be remembered as the happiest of my life.  As this evening has evolved, we believe the Inn has provided us with a perfect send off to a wonderful life."

Therapy:
Sadly enough, some guests have visited the inns as their last, dying wish, or in a final effort to heal a broken relationship.  Still others come to forget the unpleasant reality that they may never bear children, to simply de-stress, or to recover from the painstaking hardship of a cruel reality.

I was diagnosed two years ago with an unusual, incurable cancer. My husband and I came to relax, to celebrate what might be our last year together. After a miraculous recovery, we've returned to this beautiful haven to celebrate our good fortune.

"After so many years of trying to bear children, the reality that we may never be biological parents finally hit us.  We were devastated and needed to get away from it all.  A few weeks after we returned home from the Whale Watch, we discovered I was pregnant and now we celebrate this reunion every year with a return trip to our ‘nesting ground.’"

"(Day one)  Our marriage is on the rocks.  This spontaneous weekend away is our last hope to salvage a marriage which has very little promise...
(Day Two)  What a wonderful refuge this little inn has become, we're opening up and communicating, for once.
(Final Entry: Day Three)  We're not leaving...I almost forgot what courtship was like, until now...thank you Whale Watch Inn!"

Celebration:
The most common reason guests visit the inns' is of course to celebrate...an anniversary, a birthday, retirement, a promotion, or a honeymoon.  This is, after all, why these perfect little getaways exist...to provide a home for those in love with life, nature, and each other.

"Looking at these journals reminds me of how truly bashful we are.  But we're celebrating our 50th anniversary, and we still ignite a fire when we kiss.  I just don't ‘kiss and tell.’"

"He always forgets.  My birthday seems to creep up on him...this year makes up for all the forgotten moments as he surprised me with a decadent weekend in this breathtaking inn."

Reunions:
Annual getaways are certainly becoming more popular and much more pleasant than the more common psycho-babble many couples get from their therapists.  Even though many couples arrive harried and obviously at odds, they seem to relax, re-unite, and rekindle the romance that brought them together in the first place.  It may be the serene environs, the glowing flame in the fireplace, the creature comforts of the irresistible "stage" for intimacy...or it may be a bird named Fred?

"We return to this breath-taking harbor of sanity every year.  I guess you could say we "grew up" here.  After our first honeymoon visit seven years ago, two kids, a mortgage, and our fast-paced climb up the corporate ladder, this special inn is a reminder of our love and passion for each other, year-after-year."

"This place is the best present we give ourselves!  Each year, on our anniversary, we book a different room at the Whale Watch and spend the weekend loving one another!"

At the Whale Watch Inn, many guests clamor for the Ocean Sunrise room because an ole blue bird named Fred keeps watch over the fort and greets them like an old friend each time they return.

"Fred looks like a bird who's seen too much"

"We didn't see our old friend Fred this time...and we are very suspicious of Sophie the Cat"

 Located just north of Anchor Bay, the Whale Watch Inn is an idyllic respite set high on a precipitous spit of land on the scenic Northern California Mendocino coast.  All of the inns 18 rooms feature breathtaking views of the ocean, fireplaces and private decks.

Whale Watch Inn
(800) WHALE-42
 http://www.whalewatchinn.com

Back to TravelLady Magazine