Jenner Inn

My wife and I booked a 2 night stay. We had hoped the web site pictures and comments were accurate on the positive side, they were not. We left after one night, and drove to Santa Rosa, cut our loses as they say, lost $ 150 for night two. I will let the other folks negative comments speak for us.

This is a little eatery right off the Russian River, on your way to all the other great spots like Bodega Bay, etc. it’s a great pit stop for stoping to get a quick bite to eat, or filling up on gas across the street. The food is just ok, seems people mostly get bar food and beers and sit outside to watch the kayakers as they paddle the Russian River. It’s dog friendly, people friendly, and can get pretty crowded with parking… Even street parking. (More like road parking). You can launch your paddle board, canoe, kayak (they have rentals here), small boats) here. The Russian River runs into the ocean if you go right, and if you go left, you go into Sonoma State Park, which is a cool hike too. Off/​on cell reception. Certainly worth a trip if you’re into water sports. (I didn’t see jet skis so not sure those are allowed)…
If you go left (away from the ocean) you’re allowed to fish once you go under the bridge, but not before… I think people fish for Sturgeon. Friendly cows on the banks, sea lions, and lots of ducks on off duck season floating around the River. Nice way to spend a day.

What a magical experience! The Jenner Inn is under new management and the new owners could not of been more gracious or hospitable. Currently, the Inn is undergoing a remodel but that did not put a hamper on our memorable stay at this quaint location. My husband and I had the pleasure of staying in one the cottages located directly on the river. The day we arrived the weather was beautiful and windy which enhanced the dramatic view from our wind protected deck. Looking to the left we looked up the river. Looking to our right we could see where the Russian River met the sea. Sitting on our deck, we took in the views of the birds, sea lions, and surrounding beauty of the hills and natural landscape. The following morning there was no wind and the landscape had a whole different serene feel to it. Just spectacular. Our room accommodations included a beautifully appointed bedroom, mini bar, large bathroom and spacious deck with complete privacy. The grounds offer hiking, kayaking, and even a waterfall! Because the restaurant was under construction, we dined at three close by restaurants all of which were very good. The Jenner Inn’s Restaurant is scheduled to open this summer. We can’t wait to return and have a drink at the very «if these walls could talk» vintage bar and enjoy a meal at the restaurant which offers inside and outside seating with a full view of the river. We also took my 87-​year-​old father-​in-​law on this weekend adventure. He had a lovely cottage that had street access (no stairs) with a full kitchenette, living room, dining room, bedroom and bathroom. His cottage had a two-​entrance access. One door led to his bedroom/​bathroom and the other to the kitchen/​living room area. The views from his cottage were outstanding as well and offered a full view of the river and where the river meets the sea. Outstanding! As we compared our notes in the morning we concurred that we all slept like babies in our very comfortable accommodations. Even though we were only an hour away from our home in Marin, we felt as if we were worlds away. We’ve already planning our return visit for this summer.

Stopped here on a road trip i was taking up highway 1. the café here is abSOULutely divine! I had the blackbean and goat cheese burger with sode of fries and coffee! All organic and local. plus the view is breathtaking.

After seeing all the negative reviews I was cautious and prepared for the worst. So maybe my expectations were set low. This place is really nice! We stayed two nights in the Grey Whale room last weekend (late March 2016). The room was very clean and had pretty much everything we needed. Surprised to even find Wifi in our room (though slow internet through HughesNet– but who cares, that’s not why we came).
The location of the Grey Whale room is right on the Russian River and the room has windows looking both south and west — beautiful. The windows had «drapes» that didn’t really cover the windows so it feels as if anyone can just look right in… but there’s no close rooms or houses to look in, so no problem. But the sun in the morning comes right in, so no sleeping in! =)
The fireplace was even set up ready to light, which was good because it did get cold in the night. There was a space heater too, so that was nice. The deck is spacious and a nice place to enjoy a glass of wine in the evening or our morning coffee. Oh, there is a Keurig coffee maker, but there were only four K-​cups in the room and two were decaf. Luckily I brought my own.
I can tell that the new owners are trying to improve the property, so keep that in mind when reading some of the older reviews. We had a really nice time and I would definitely consider coming back.

Save your money and go up the road to the cabins at River’s End. Or wait until the new owner remodels. Wanting a brief sojourn to the coast, so off to Jenner. Picked what thought was a cottage with pleasant view, went off to dinner. Returned to find the wall heater busted, the fireplace a dirty mess. Found portable heater, left on all night, could not break the chill. Up in the AM to very cold room. Paint peeling off the walls, mold in corners. An expensive lesson, but the sunset from rivers end: priceless. A disappointed local.

We stayed in the room titled «grey whale» and were so excited about the way the website described the rooms. We were there on business for a photoshoot and needed to be up and out by 6:45 am along with many conference calls and communication with our vendors. We got to the Inn lobby with a note taped to the door which kindly gave us directions to our room along with contact information and a sincere «thank you for your stay». We got to our room which was very unpleasant and appeared very old which was the least of our concerns, we had no heat and no directions of how to use the heater which were told to be above the heater in the guest info book, the water was so cold that only one of us could take a half of a shower for our photoshoot, we had no wifi (we were told the password was in the room but it was no where to be found), we were aware that there would be no cell phone service but that a phone would be provided in our room to make phone calls and there was NO PHONE! After freezing, not being able to do business with computers and phone calls, no showers, and trapped in this old room for four hours we had no choice but to leave and sleep in our car where we had cells phone reception and wifi about a half an hour away. I feel that the description for our stay was very misleading and lead us unprepared and very tired for our photoshoot the following day. I couldn’t be more disappointed. We want a refund, worst night ever!

It was late and I stopped in — the inn keeper was very gracious and let me into a cottage which had an old world charm. Once warmed by the fireplace it was quite cozy. Considering the lodge was built in the early 1900s as a logging camp I can see it may be a challenge to keep up with some of the maintenance, but as I grew up at a ski lodge I tried to see it as it could be. It has changed ownership and they seem to be working hard to bring about some changes :)

We live in Florida and came to California to visit our daughter and her husband. We decided to visit Sonoma and some wineries as my son in law works there. We chose Jenner by the Sea to spend the night as we were advised that the Mill Cottage could accommodate all of us. I asked Rhonda at Jenner if the cottage was okay for two senior citizens, one 71 and one 80 years old, and she said yes. The website made Jenner by the Sea look charming. We now refer to it as the «Bates Motel». This is the worst place we have ever stayed. We stayed at the Mill Cottage at Jenner by the Sea on December 27, 2015 for 1 night and paid $ 358 for 4 people to stay at the cottage.
We got our keys and were told to go to the last house on the road. We went down a dark road and could see no house. There were no lights anywhere. My daughter and her husband climbed a long flight of stairs to a dark house and were unsure if it was our house or a private residence. Luckily, we had a small flashlight and we finally found a door that the key would fit and entered.
The house was ice cold (50 degrees) and we later discovered that most heaters in the house did not work. One heater even bore a permanent sign saying that it did not work.
My husband and I had to carry our luggage up 44 stairs into the house. He is 80 years old and only has sight in one eye so it was treacherous for him. We had no cell phone coverage and were exhausted after a long drive from Santa Cruz so finding other accommodations was not an option.
When we spoke to Jessie, the front desk person, about our concerns she said she had relayed our complaints to the current owner, Richard Murphy, and that he would contact us regarding a refund. We have not had a response.
These are the problems that we experience at the cottage:
1. There were no outdoor or indoor lights when we arrived.
2. There was no sign or number identifying the house.
3. No heat was on when we arrived. Most of the space heaters in the house were broken.
4. The entire house was filthy and run down.
5. There were only 2 bath towels in the house for 4 people.
6. We found dirty towels in the dresser drawer in the downstairs bedroom.
7. The hot tub and water were dirty and there were no lights from the house to the hot tub.
8. We went to turn on a bedside lamp and found there was no bulb.
9. There is a twig in the refrigerator holding up the upper shelf.
10. The mirror in the living above the fireplace had slid down showing the wood behind it.
11. The fireplace mantel had a 2 inch burn hole in the center.
11. The first floor door does not close property and cold wind came through the doors into the bedroom.
12. The only clock radio in the house did not work.
13. The shade in the downstairs bathroom only covered ¾ of the window so when you are sitting on the toilet the whole world gets to watch.
14. My daughter awoke the next morning to find a mouse in the upstairs bedroom chewing on an old candy bar wrapper and mouse droppings in the room.
15. There is no one is available after 8:00 pm and before 9:00 am so if there is any emergency, you are on your own.
After this bad experience, we will not be returning to this area. I find it amazing that the Chamber of Commerce would allow the Jenner by the Sea to remain in business.

28-Dec-2015…What a shame and horrible experience. Jessie receptionist quoted reasonable price with AAA/​Senior discount and pushed for two night minimum which I reluctantly agreed, however, after all said and done, she quoted a final price and as I was ready to charge, Jessie stated here comes Richard, the new owner, and wanted to re-​confirm our booking agreement, but Richard said no AAA/​Senior discount, wanted a 3 night booking minimum, got on the phone and was not customer friendly and down right rude and short tempered and hung up on me in mid conversation. I reviewed other Unilocal ENTRIES… and, sure enough, my bad experience was backed up by numerous complaints ranging rom lies, amenities, cleanliness, accommodations and last minute cancellations! The new owner Richard does not give a rats ass about your conversations, your website findings. Unethical, Unprofessional and Please DO NOT BOTHER and waste your money and increase your stress levels… KARMA WILL COME BACK TO BITE THEM!
Happy Holidays and Be Safe!
Also posted in Facebook page for this establishment…

I’ll make this simple. My family and I have been coming here for 20yrs the ‘new’ owner does not care about the people who go there. Sad to say my family and I will never go there again and tell everyone we know what an ass the owner is. You need to honor your gift certificates Now I am out $ 200 and have disappointed parents.

This place is perfect! Picturesque setting and delicious food. We had turkey burger and clam chowder bowl. The bread for both was grilled to perfection, a little crunch, but still soft! Flavors were excellent! As far as the interior, I was sooooooo inspired, it’s simple and eclectic!

This was the perfect escape. We stayed in Rose Bud, an absolute jewel of a down-​to-​earth cottage. Being there, right at the nexus of the Russian River and Pacific Ocean, was hypnotic. The view is amazing. The cottage was clean, comfortable, quiet, and the large deck (surrounded by roses, hummingbirds and a multitude of indigenous vegetation) was difficult to leave. Each stage of the day brought a new beauty, from sunrise through to the dead of night.
The cottage is 400 yds. down the road from the main lodge, which afforded us unparalleled privacy and independence. Wifi only exists at the lodge, and there is no TV or phone in the room, which is refreshing. I’ve read criticism of this in other posts here, and I just can’t imagine anyone being so addicted to their digital toys that they’d rather play with them than absorb the stunning surroundings and atmosphere here. Those are the type of folks we come to a place like this to escape from, I suppose.
We will be back again and again.

Beautiful views, but that’s about it. Need serious renovation. Smoke detector lay disconnected on dresser. Staff distant and unconcerned.

My husband and I booked the Rosebud Studio for a 1 night stay in late August. I had originally intended to book one of the 2 other rooms that were available at the time which were $ 40.00 cheaper per night but the person who took our reservation told us how lovely the Rosebud Studio was and so I let her talk me into booking that one instead. Big mistake! I’ll know better next time. The cottage is located down the street from the registration building and the only parking is located directly on the busy highway next to a guard rail and fence. Not very safe. The Jenner Inn does not have any TV or WIFI which I was not aware of at the time I booked the reservations. We were told that it was stated on the website. I checked the website and it was not mentioned on the main page but I later found it under Accommodations. They said they have WIFI in the main parlor however when we connected we were not able to access the internet, make a cell phone call or send a text message. Had we known ahead of time we would have downloaded a movie on our iPad or brought a book. I guess I’ll take responsibility for that since I didn’t look at the website more thoroughly. We arrived at our cottage which smelled very musty. I immediately opened the sliding glass door and windows only to find that one of the window latches was broken. The pictures of the room on the website showed charming little rosebud wall paper on the walls. There wasn’t any wall paper as the picture showed. Not that the wall paper was a deal clincher or anything but the Inn should put current pictures of the rooms on the website since traveler are booking rooms based on what they see on the website. In the room we noticed that there wasn’t anyplace to hang your clothes, no radio, clock, alarm clock, books, magazines (other than local entertainment/​dining interests), microwave or refrigerator. There was no kleenex, napkins, pens, pencils or notepads. They provided a teapot however there were no teabags. There provided wine glasses but no wine opener to open the bottle. The bedspread had visible stains and a musty odor. The wooden headboard was damaged and there was a considerable amount of dust under the bed. Not that I was looking for it but I had dropped something from the nightstand which rolled under the bed which is how I discovered it. The throw rug on the floor had dirt and dust swept under it. There was dirt on the floor, a dead spider in a web behind the night stand, a live roly poly bug on the bed and live bugs and dirt in the bathroom. We found a filthy plastic Re-​Nu eye glass cleaner bottle under the dresser as well. On to the bathroom… the internal shower curtain is not waterproof. It also was not positioned at the correct height so when I stepped out of the shower the entire bathroom floor was flooded with water and we had a limited amount of towels to clean up the mess. My husband tried adjusting the curtain rod before taking his shower and it completely fell down. It took him 10 minutes to put it back up. The toilet paper was at the end of the roll with no additional toilet paper in the bathroom. We had to drive back to the main reception area to get additional toilet paper. The waste paper basket could use a good coat of paint or be replaced. A bit picky you think? Seriously, how much would it cost to replace a waste basket? I may sound a bit harsh leaving only 1 star but when I book an accommodation somewhere with a $ 250.00 price tag I expect the room to be CLEAN and in working order. When you are sleeping in a room that is shared by different people on a daily/​nightly basis with unknown hygiene habits, the room should be CLEAN! The only positive things I have to say were that the surroundings were very quiet and the view was beautiful. I actually discovered that we really didn’t need to spend the extra money on a room with a view as we can see the magical coastline all day for miles. To wrap things up, I will be filing a payment dispute with our Credit Card company. I feel that the Jenner Inn did not represent the room accurately on the website and we should not have to pay for staying in a dirty room. Next year I will do a better job at researching accommodations for my birthday weekend. Pictures attached.

Richard the inn keeper is so gracious and the best host.
Had the best time and stay at Jenner by the sea.
It was a last minute trip up the coast and popped in to get a room and were treated with the best hospitality… the room and view were beyond our expectations.
We have already made plans to return next week!

The Jenner Inn is a horrible place to stay. Over-​priced for the Harbor Seal, Plumbing fixtures would’nt work, couldn’t take a shower. management refused to do anything but to move to another room. No refund Ugly furniture, smelley bedspread and pillows, bird poop on windows, broken lid on coffee pot. Poor Wi-​fi reception. The one star given is for the location – nice location, and view.

This place was a terrible experience and way way overpriced! We needed a room last minute and unfortunately stumbled upon it. We checked in and found our way to our cottage, the Blue Heron Room … It has a lovely view of the river is all I can say that is positive. The cottages feel like they are about to fall into the river… Very run down and moldy smelling. The outside deck smelled like they had a sewage problem.
We woke up early to get out as fast as we could. When packing up the smoke alarm went off and would not stop, we opened the doors incase it was gas and hurried out… I would never recommend this place, $ 200.00 is outrageous, for a room in that condition. I looked up reviews of others experiences at the place and saw additionally the mentioning of the fire alarm and smelling gas … Rather scary!
I would however mention the organic café next store, not affiliated with the Inn had one of the best organic coffees I have had in some time… Maybe stop there, get a coffee and keep driving!

The Jenner Inn is the kind of place where they will double book you for a room on your wedding night and while you are at your ceremony they remove your belongings from your room and check someone else into your room, resulting in you having to find another place to stay. Did I mention my crying bride and her tears that are causing her make up to smear? Do yourself a favor and never stay at Jenner Inn.
PS, they just recently denied our gift certificate to stay for one night on our anniversary. It gets better. They decided to wait until just 3 days until our reservation date, which we made and had received confirmation from Richard Murphy. Don’t trust Richard Murphy, the owner of the Jenner Inn.

Over-​priced and hyper-​embellished. My cottage was not as described – cute from the outside but horrible on the inside. Examples: spiders and dead bugs/​flies on window sills, the shower stall reminded me of summer camp, the bathroom floor has two layers of old linoleum peeling up, the bathroom sink fixture has mold/​grime underneath the handles, nicer furniture could be found in the back of junky thrift store! I am so disappointed and I feel ripped-​off. The one star given is for the location – nice location.