The Hotel and Resort gardens are bright with colorful May flowers. The grounds look great. We had a hot spell for 5 days with temperatures reaching 103 degrees, but now we have cooler temps and the flowers are thriving. Over the Memorial Day weekend the weather was cooler than normal, but many guests who stayed with us enjoyed the outdoors, veiwed the gardens, went hiking and played golf...or, just relaxed.
This weekend is the Summer Arts and Music festival at the Benbow Lake State Park, - Saturday, May 31 and Sunday June 1. There will be live music, food booths and many artisans will be showing and selling their crafts.
The Benbow Hotel is ready for the Summer Season and everyone on staff is looking forward to guests visiting from near and far who come every season and who come for the first time.
We are busy getting ready for our 3rd annual Jazz In June event which runs June 22nd thru June 29th. Wonderful jazz artists from all over the country come to play jazz outside on the terrace and it's a spectacular venue where you can dine and listen to great performances. Check out our event calendar for more information.
We hope to see you soon.

Spring in Benbow brings blossoms, warm sunny days, and blooming gardens. This photo was taken on our Hotel Terrace.

Mother's day is comming and we have some special things going on that weekend. Saturday, May 10th we are having our Portalupi Winemaker Dinner, a Cookie Lee Jewelry show and on Sunday, May 11th we have a scrumptous Mother's Day Buffet planned. We will be seating for brunch from 9AM to 2:30. Call for reservations. If you need some gift ideas for Mom - take her out for a great meal or check out our hotel gift shop. We have Mimi Mouche and Holly Yashi Jewelry, plus beautiful beaded silk scarves and more.

The golf course was aerated almost 2 weeks ago and the greens have healed and it's in great shape. We are gearing-up for the summer season and hiring various postions at the Hotel and at the Resort and Golf Course. Maintenence crews are busy getting the grounds planted with flowers.

We host work/exchange students from countries all over the world. We will be welcoming students from Russia next week. We currently have students from Thailand and Moldavia. They are an absolute pleasure to have here. All of them are bright and curious to learn about our culture and hone their English skills. Our permanent staff also learns about their language and culture...the exchange is very positive. We look forward to meeting our new students and it's always sad to say farewell to them when they must head for home. The staff at Benbow looks forward to seeing you as our guest, soon.

When the owners of the Benbow Hotel & Resort decided to open it's doors year-round, part of that commitment was to purchase and install a generator the would keep the Hotel operational 365 days a year, twenty-four-seven. This week a 125 Kilowatt generator and automatic transfer switch was fully installed and is now operational. Back in the 1920's the Benbow family needed to build a dam across the Eel River to power their hotel. Today, they would be surprised to know the Inn can be powered by a 4 ft. by 10 ft. generator and the automatic transfer switch can sense power loss and have the whole Hotel back up in 10 seconds. The photo shows John Porter, Owner/Managing Partner with Neil Harris, Chief Engineer for the Hotel & Resort in front of the generator which is located in a spot that does not spoil the curb appeal of the Historic Hotel. The unit was supplied by Cummins West and installed by Kneaper Electric. We're committed to staying open and provide our guests service even during the worst storms.

We are having typical March weather, showers and sunshine. The last rain did not blow-out the Eel River. Steelhead fishing is still good. These photos were taken at the South Fork of the Eel River and Sprowel Creek today. Anglers are wading out into the riffles and some are launching drift boats and finding luck there and at Sylvandales. Check back for more fishing and river conditions.

Are you wearing green? Today is St. Patrick's Day and...as the luck of the Irish would have it...our Executive Chef has prepared a wonderful Irish dinner special with Corned Beef, Caraway Smoked Bacon Cabbage, and New Buttered Potatoes.

We are having spring-like weather and the trees are exploding with fragrant blossoms. Our golf course and hillsides are lush green and golfers are out there getting their swing in shape for the season.

Here's a fun factoid...Did you know that Humboldt County is ground zero for Big Foot? Many North Coast States claim they are, but the story of a hominid-like creature living in the Redwood forests and the name "Big Foot" was coined by the Times-Standard newspaper of Eureka California, almost 50 years ago. The famous Patterson-Gimlin film of a Big Foot sighting was shot in Bluff Creek, here in Humboldt County. The existence of Big Foot is hotly debated by experts. Most of our guests are here to relax and enjoy the many amenities Benbow has to offer, but some visitors come to see and walk among the Redwoods and decide for themselves. Are you a believer?

The Eel River is prime fishing again this week. The river has cleared beautifully and anglers are out in drift boats near Sylvandales and the Miranda Bridge. We have fantastic spring-like weather right now and steelhead are running. These photos were taken this morning south of Benbow. Check back for fishing and river conditions.

Benbow Hotel has it's Murder Mystery this weekend. There will be a full house and mayhem lurking about. This is one of our most fun and popular events. The next one will be November 21 & 22.

We are now hiring for the Summer season for the Hotel, the RV Resort and Golf Course. We are looking to fill many different postitions. Send us your resume, or drop one off at the front desk.

The bar/lounge has come up with a new specialty drink menu. Try a "Sasquach In The Mist", or an

"RV Wallbanger".

Our Master Gardner is busy. We've ordered annuals to plant and the rose garden is beginning to bud. The Terrace will soon have thick, fragrant pink blossoms on the crab apple trees. Any time of the year...is a good time to visit Benbow.

The last rain storm blew-out the Eel River for steelhead fishing for a few days, but it's clearing quickly now and promises to be good fishing by tomorrow and all through next week. Anglers...check back...for photos and conditions.

Great news for The Benbow Hotel. For the 16th consecutive year the Benbow Inn received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award rating for 2008. Only one lodging has been honored this year with a Four Diamond Award, making the Benbow Inn the only full-service Four Diamond property in Humboldt County. John Porter, Innkeeper, is seen here accepting the award from AAA area Manager, Judy McKinley. We are very pleased and proud to receive this honor.

We're getting spring-like weather right now. The trees are begining to bud, and the hills are lush green. This is a beautiful time to stay at Benbow.