Darkness crept through the giant redwoods and a chill blanketed us so we headed to our destination—the Carter House in Eureka.

We were welcomed with glasses of crisp Spanish wine served by an Italian waiter as we, damp and lichen-covered from our various hikes, entered the fire-lit lobby. Within 15 minutes we were paddling about in the giant Jacuzzi tub in the center of our suite. Wine and wild mushroom appetizers were perched on the tub rim as we splashed about like happy otters on holiday.

I donned my silk and pearls—casually combined with my jeans—and we walked downstairs to dinner at 301 Restaurant. We boldly ventured into the Discovery Menu accompanied by a flight of wines. From the six-course menu I chose oysters on the half shell, Dungeness crab & prosciutto, pumpkin ravioli, vodka sorbet, roast sablefish and buckwheat crepes with cream and braised apples.

The service was first-class. The staff almost bowed when they set each plate before us and they all had fabulously affected foreign accents. French, British, Italian. I kept scratching my head…how do you get a French waiter to relocate to Eureka? It’s the Carter House reputation that draws them and the quaint, refreshing quality of a northern California seaport town.

Proprietor Mark Carter is a perfectionist. He was born in Eureka and built this Four Diamond 20-room hotel and the other authentic Victorian cottages which are part of his hospitality compound that almost encompasses a city block. He designed the restaurant and the menus and has developed a wine cellar worthy of many a Wine Spectator Grand Award.

The next morning, over steaming mugs of French roast, Mark offered us tastes of aged triple-cream Saint-Andre from France or a local Humboldt Fog goat cheese with a covering of ash. After all this indulgence, it was definitely time to go for another hike at one of the many state parks nearby.

Carter House
301 L Street
Eureka, CA 95501
(800) 404-1390
reserve@carterhouse.com
www.carterhouse.com