Eureka Hotels include Romantic Carter House Inn

Historic Boutique Lodging on Northern California Coast near Ocean

Nov 11, 2009

The Carter House Inn is a romantic hotel made up of four historic Victorian houses in the Old Town of Eureka, near the Pacific Ocean and close to Pacific Coast Highway.

It's impossible to miss the Carter House Inn, one of Eureka's very best hotels. The Inn comprises four Victorian-style buildings in Eureka's historic Old Town, with the main Carter House being a bright yellow, and the other houses a more subdued yellow color. Clustered around the corner of L Street and 3rd Street, a few short blocks back from the ocean, they make for a striking – and wonderfully comfortable – place to stay in Eureka.

History of the Carter House Inn in Eureka

The look of these romantic lodgings is deceptive, however. The main Hotel Carter, where the hotel reception and the highly praised Restaurant 301 are both located, was only built in the mid-1980s but was modeled after a turn-of-the-century Eureka inn. Diagonally across the street corner is the Carter House, which was built in the early 1980s and is a replica of a San Francisco house that was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. The Bell Cottage next door to it is an original 1890 building, lovingly restored to all its glory in 1992.

Cottages at the Carter House Inn in Eureka

The Bell Cottage has three separate luxury suites, each with its own bathroom, with a large living area and a fully-equipped kitchen. Next to this is the Carter Cottage with one luxury bedroom, two bathrooms, and a large living room adjoining the fully-equipped kitchen, though the dining table here is large enough (see photo below) to accommodate a private dinner party that can be catered for by the Restaurant 301 kitchen.

Rooms at the Carter House in Eureka

The Carter House is the largest of the three private accommodations available at the Carter House Inn, with five private bedrooms, four common living rooms, and its own kitchen.

Eureka's Hotel Carter

The main Hotel Carter building has perhaps the most romantic rooms, with their luxury suites all having whirlpool tubs and fireplaces, though there's a fireplace in the common area in the hotel lobby too. Here is an informal place to relax before dinner at the Restaurant 301, or to enjoy the complimentary wine and hors d'oeuvres every afternoon, and tea and cookies in the evening.

Spa Treatments at Eureka's Hotel Carter

The Carter House Inn doesn't have its own spa but in-room massages can be booked including a duet full-body massage for partners.

Dining at Eureka's Hotel Carter

A complimentary breakfast is served in the Restaurant 301 dining room, with pastries, fruit, juices, and a choice of a hot eggs dish. In the evening the much-lauded Restaurant 301 serves dinner, for guests and non-residents too. It's been called the best restaurant in Northern California by the Frommer's Guide, and its wine list has won the Wine Spectator Grand Award for ten years in a row, and the Grand Award is only held by 77 restaurants in the entire world.

It's clear, then, why the Carter House Inn ranks as one of Eureka's best hotels, and a truly unique place to stay here in Northern California.

Carter House Inn in Eureka: Contact Details

Unique Inns

The Carter House Inn in Eureka is a member of the Unique Inns organization. For further information on all Unique Inns in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and in British Columbia in Canada, and to make online bookings, visit the Unique Inns website.

The copyright of the article Eureka Hotels include Romantic Carter House Inn in California Travel is owned by Donna Dailey. Permission to republish Eureka Hotels include Romantic Carter House Inn in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.