Retro-chic 1950s cabins in Little River. Whimsical, salvaged vintage design meets the rugged Mendocino Coast on five wooded acres.
The Andiron Seaside Inn & Cabins, located at 6051 North Highway 1 in Little River, is a retro-chic coastal retreat spread across five acres of redwood-fringed meadows and woods. Originally built in 1959 as The Andiron Lodge, the property was briefly renamed the Pacific Mist Inn before current owners Scott Connolly and Madeline Stanionis purchased it in May 2009. Celebrating the property's 50th anniversary, the couple immediately restored its original name and set about transforming the property into a whimsical homage to mid-century nostalgia. Eschewing sterile hotel uniformity, Connolly and Stanionis have spent years curating the property with an extensive collection of vintage, salvaged, and recycled furnishings sourced from flea markets and salvage yards across Northern California. The result is a highly individualistic, unpretentious base camp that combines 1950s roadside Americana with modern eco-friendly practices, such as on-site Blink IQ electric vehicle charging stations and ecological bulk bath dispensers.
The property features 11 entirely unique one- and two-room cabins, each designed around a specific theme and packed with interactive vintage details. In Cabin 1, named Nature, guests find a rustic sanctuary complete with a guitar, a book of campfire songs, and an owl lamp, while its adjoining neighbor, Cabin 2, named Nurture, embraces fifties beauty school kitsch with a salvaged Berkeley barber chair, a vintage doctor's scale, and a working "Magic Fingers" mattress massager. Cabin 5, named Read, offers a library-chic aesthetic with floor-to-ceiling books, a writing desk, and a library postcard museum, which adjoins Cabin 6, named Write, where a working typewriter and a chalkboard wall sit alongside literary quotes. Cabin 11, named Curious, caters to astronomy and science enthusiasts with a working telescope, vintage binoculars, and star-gazing guides. The crown jewel of the property is the spacious William & Mildred Suite, a romantic 1940s-themed space featuring a custom camel bar, a record player with vintage vinyl, two bathrooms, a jacuzzi tub, and framed, original World War II love letters exchanged between Stanionis's parents, who met while serving as a U.S. flyboy and an RAF nurse.
Beyond the cabins, the five-acre grounds encourage a communal, slow-paced lifestyle. The wooded property is home to resident rescue goats, Peanut Butter and Jelly, whom guests are welcome to brush, alongside a coop of chickens that provide seasonal fresh eggs. Evenings center around the community fire pit, where the owners host weekend happy hours featuring local Anderson Valley beers, Mendocino wines, and house-made snacks like fondue or tamales. A secluded outdoor hot tub is tucked away in a redwood grove, illuminated by string lights. The Andiron is also exceptionally welcoming to pets, providing visiting dogs with specialized welcome kits containing treats, towels, and personalized notes for a fee of 20 dollars per pet, per night. From lawn games like croquet and badminton to in-room details like local pour-over coffee, the inn offers a deeply personal, nostalgic alternative to standard coastal lodging.
Don't miss the weekend happy hour by the community fire pit to meet the resident rescue goats, Peanut Butter and Jelly, while enjoying local Mendocino wine and beer.
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