Proposals on the Mendocino Coast

Proposals: the questions we get asked

When is the light best?

The hour before sunset, and the fifteen minutes after it, which is when the water turns colour and the crowds have gone to dinner. Check the sunset time for your actual date. It moves by more than three hours across the year here.

How do I avoid an audience?

Go midweek, walk five minutes further than the first viewpoint from the parking area, and avoid the two or three spots every guidebook names. A short walk removes almost everybody.

Should I tell the restaurant?

If you want a specific table, yes, and call rather than leave it in a booking note. Small dining rooms here are genuinely accommodating when they know, and genuinely full when they do not.

What if it rains?

It is a coast, so it will sometimes. A storm through the window of a warm room is not a downgrade, and the surf after a front comes through is the most spectacular thing this shoreline does all year.