Abalone Inn – Bed & Breakfast

We stayed 2 nights with our 2 children and had a wonderful stay! We enjoyed the top floor of this adorable historical house, with views of the marsh and the moon rising. The kitchenette was handy to make our dinners, and Dona provided us with plentiful breakfast items. Best of all was the warm welcome of Dona, her tips on the area, and the hot tub! Highly recommended!

I know Inverness and Point Reyes well, but found the Abalone Inn by accident after a terrible stay at Point Reyes Cottages that lasted one night after the microwave didn’t work and the freezer made a mess of what I brought. I was about to go home and saw it listed on my phone. What a great surprise! Abalone Inn is old and quaint and has some of the charm of Deetjen’s Big Sur. Donna is simply a great person – articulate, sensitive, lively, accommodating. I’m a writer on my sixth book and stayed in The Garden Room. Negative reports about this room baffle me. If you’ve ever stayed at Deetjen’s, you know that older rooms may not have all the modern conveniences, but amply make up for this in authenticity and charm. I looked out the paned windows at night and saw stars. I wrote by the fire. There was a morning newspaper, a lovely hot tub, and the bathtub was charming. Donna provided me with a radio and a calming station. She doesn’t accept credit cards; but when I spoke to her on the phone, ready to head back for Berkeley, and she said she only took cash, some instinct made me go to the Wells Fargo in Point Reyes –even although I wasn’t sure I’d stay. But the minute I drove up, I knew: I’m a city girl; but the stars at night and the sun in the day reminded me of the kind of nature that simply *is* and people don’t rush in throngs to look at. I enjoyed being in a place with so few people. A find.

My partner and I really enjoyed staying at the Abalone Inn. Dona, the proprietor, is a very warm and welcoming person. She gave us excellent tips on things to do and see in the area, including special events going on just during the weekend we were there. The house is very sweet, comfortable, and relaxed. We can definitely recommend this place to anyone interested in an easy kick back, no frills kind of vacation. Very easy to get into Point Reyes Station, Inverness, and, of course, the coastline. Cannot recommend the Elk Hike enough! Pack water and plenty to eat!

This is a very nice cozy place to stay in. It is a 100 year old house and host Donna is very nice and helpful. We payed $ 154 for the room per night. The room had everything organic and nature friendly, even the decorations. It is an old style house so the setting is bit odd but it was a different kind of experience, the room was small but had everything like microwave and refrigerator. We slept peacefully there.
For breakfast she served two packed muffins, apples and two yogurt shakes, this is the only area where she can improve. Apart from that we were happy to stay here as other places in point place were charging a lot more.

My boyfriend and I just sat down to write a review of our stay. Before doing so, we took it upon ourselves to read the reviews, of which some were just downright mean. In fairness, The Abalone Inn is a historic 100 year old home with lots of charm. Donna is a lovely hostess and proprietor. She was kind and friendly and accommodating. Yes, when we showed up she invited us to take a look and make sure the accommodations were suitable to us PRIOR to paying the fee to stay. She gave us a choice of rooms, and told us how to care for the plumbing as this is a 100 year old home. We were fine with this as this is a common request staying in such an old house. I’ve experienced the same requests staying out of the country in older B&B’s too. We were invited to use the hot tub which we did, and Donna showed us how to turn it on and off. The shower was hot and the room comfortable. She had an array of books to browse which we found fascinating.
We had a peaceful sleep and woke up, had a quaint continental breakfast, as much coffee as we wanted and then Donna gave us a map and told us of a few places one of which was the historic Cheese Factory, we should visit.
She is a lovely person and a very warm and inviting hostess. All of these bad reviews are unnecessary and mean in our opinion as Donna gives a tour PRIOR to staying and if the B&B was not up to their liking and standards, they could have easily found another place considering how many other lodges, inns, B&B’s, and hotels there are in the surrounding areas to choose from.
This place is a hidden gem and we would stay again!

Don’t stay in the «garden room». I never entered the inn, so I know nothing about the other rooms. What they call a garden room is nothing but a converted sun porch that smells like mildew. The room was not clean. I even found a used soda can and a glass under the little table. The hot tub was not hot. The jets were not strong. The breakfast was 2 stale Costco muffins and fruit. The coffee machine didn’t work well. The coffee tasted like Folgers. The «queen» bed was really really short. I am only 5’5″ and my feel hung out. The pillows were flat and not supportive. The heating blanket did not heat, even though it was turned on. The «porch» was not a room. It was too small to be a room.
Other than the location, the whole experience was truly a disappointment for $ 150 a night.

Overall, staying at the Inn was a great experience. My girlfriend and I stayed there for two nights (gay friendly!). The house had a tremendous charm. It was very comfortable and relaxing, and decorated nicely. It didn’t feel pretentious (which we appreciated it), but it also wasn’t dumpy by any stretch of the imagination. There were plenty of books on hand to read, including many art and photo books as well as novels and books about history and politics. There was also a large binder available, with information about local events, hikes, and menus from local restaurants.
Since we were traveling on a budget, we stayed in the Mountain room. It was small but cozy. We had a private bathroom just outside the room. As it was on the bottom floor, we had access to the living room and a small kitchenette with a fridge and a microwave. The living room had a comfortable couch and nice lighting during the day.
The breakfasts were fair to good: muffin, hard-​boiled egg, and an orange the first day; muffin, yogurt smoothie, and an apple the second day. We were very impressed with being treated to mulled wine our second night, which was extremely delicious.
There are a number of rules to follow, like taking your shoes off at the front door, but nothing really to complain about. The hot tub, which stays open until 9:30 pm, was lovely as well (though we wish the hot tub could stay open a bit later). I highly recommend this place and would love to go back some day.

The Abalone Inn is fantastic, and the owner is quite friendly. The room was decorated beautifully, and it was hard to get myself to leave every day. They have a hot tub, as well. Probably the best BnB in Marin county or the whole bay area for that matter. Cannot rate highly enough.

We stayed two nights at the Abalone Inn, $ 170 per night. Before making the reservation, I read reviews on several sites and thought well, so the hostess is a bit eccentric and sometimes reviewers can be cranky, probably this place is fine. It was not fine.
The Abalone Inn is more of a spare bedroom type of place with housemates to watch out for rather than a bed and breakfast inn. Starting with the arrangements to arrive and extending throughout the stay, everything is dictated by the hostess’s convenience. It might seem natural to include her convenience however at some point, one can remember that this is supposed to be a business that provides a service.
We stayed in the upstairs attic room. We were told that this room would use a particular path (out and around the yard) and to keep any noise down while in the room so the downstairs guests would not be disturbed. In spite of the somewhat recent remodel, the electrical wires had not been upgraded so there was the warning about having the toaster oven and other items plugged in at the same time. We smiled and kept an open mind to accept the long list of rules and be agreeable guests but the open mind business grew harder the longer we stayed. The house was always locked so there was little opportunity to mingle with other guests had we desired to so so. Our room was decorated in what can only be described kindly as leftover garage sales and personal storage, some of it long forgotten – dusty junk, brown dried flowers, travel guides from the early 90s, bookcases full of decades old magazines, unhealthy plants, a file cabinet, stacks of music records, family picture albums… chipped china in the kitchenette… remember old thin electric blankets with bulky wires? That’s what was on our bed. One of the two breakfasts contained two apples, two store-​bought muffins, and a packet of coffee grounds, the kind that you get in motels on the side of the highway; the other breakfast had something and two small yoghurts, the four ounce container types.
The hostess is friendly, if over chatty about her personal business, and obviously trying to make a living. For her sake, I regret to place a negative evaluation but for everyone else’s sake, this is not a place worth staying at.

Excellent stay at the Abalone Inn! If you go into your experience knowing that there are some quirks that come with staying in a 100+ year old house including removing shoes upon entry, an old septic system, and no TV’s, it’s a truly wonderful place to stay while exploring beautiful Point Reyes. Donna, the owner, is very friendly and super helpful. She recommended some great restaurants, hiking trails, and oyster farms to visit. We also enjoyed some wine we brought with us while we soaked in the outdoor hot tub! Everything in our room (the Garden Room) was clean, orderly, and well-​kept. It was a truly quaint and lovely B&B experience.

Great little place to get away for a week or weekend. Nice and cozy without the hassle of a large hotel or motel. The owner is a nice older lady with a friendly demeanor. Definitely not a five star hotel. I would recommend this place for single people as it is not really set up for families. Has a hot tub. Free breakfast even though it is meager. Excellent price for the area and accommodations. Great location about 2 miles from Pt Reyes.

We stayed at the Abalone Inn for two nights this week. We made no reservations while we were in the Tomales Bay area and were pleased to see a vacancy at this nice-​looking B & B. Overall, it was a great stay. The room was good — for $ 120 per night, we didn’t expect and didn’t get anything fancy. But having freshly baked muffins for breakfast each morning was great — they’re actually prepared the night before and ready with fruit and sometimes eggs, which is convenient if you’re hungry and the stores around are closed — and the hot tub is a surprising and excellent addition to the otherwise pretty typical B & B experience. As other reviewers have mentioned, Donna was a bit harried and asked a lot of questions, but if you are planning on enjoying the area rather than holing up in the inn, it won’t ruin your experience.

We come back to the area from time to time and find the Abalone Inn delightful. The Abalone Inn is one of the original houses in the area and has tons of charm!
Donna has artfully created a place that is comfortable, thoughtful, and the location is great for accessing the Pt Reyes Seashore. This place feels like someone really cares about the ambiance and customer experience. Donna goes out of her way to make sure you’re having a good stay.
If you want to experience a taste of ‘Original Pt Reyes’, go the the Abalone Inn.

I should have listened to all the previous reviews that pretty much summed it up with «control freak». Unless you’re the type of person that enjoys feeling like you’re fifteen years old living in your parents’ house, do not bother staying here. Sure, the pictures and description sound enticing. But everything loses its charm when you show up and are berated with rules after rule. The place is designed to be «zen», with cliché meditative music playing in the background, but really it’s a joke because all possibility of relaxation is trumped by the constant overbearing presence of the owner, literally throughout the entire stay. What rules are you bombarded with throughout your entire stay? Well, of course no toilet paper in the toilet, as everyone else has mentioned. That actually didn’t really bother me because I have sympathy towards old houses and their «fragile» plumbing. Some of the more annoying reminders: at least four times being told to lock the front door AS SOON as I stepped in, because you never know who might wander in.(again, not exactly zen); you can only open the hot tub cover HALF WAY (so that a relatively nice outdoor hot tub area becomes uncomfortable and unpleasant) and you must be out of the hot tub by 9pm! (so when you don’t get home from dinner until then you actually can’t use it); no glasses out by the hot tub area, so you must enjoy your wine in plastic cups; eat your oysters outside in the corner over there so the smell doesn’t disturb the other guests; don’t use this one pathway (that’s the private one), instead use this very long roundabout pathway to get to the hot tub; etc etc etc. And the epitome of the experience: enjoying a relaxing morning, drinking the prepared coffee, when the owner barges through the door, and we kindly ask if we could make more coffee, and the harried response: «Well, check out is really at 10 am (we were NEVER informed of this or given any warning) and it’s 10 now.» And off she rushes from room to room to change the sheets before we had even had a chance to gather our stuff. (One might expect from a small, supposedly zen, B&B, for the hostess to respond– Oh well check-​out is at 10 am but sure, why don’t you stay for an extra fifteen minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee before heading out…)
Moral of the story: the «serenity» of the inn is extremely deceptive. This was, most plainly, an unpleasant experience.

Ok, lots of reviews pro & con about the Abalone Inn, just understand that you are staying in a little bit of «heaven» and the owner is just trying to keep it that way.
Our host, Dona, was the best. Very gracious and accommodating in every way.
This is country living, not a five star hotel, and the peace & serenity were exactly what we needed after a long day of travel. Beautiful surroundings, lots of unique habitat to explore and a delicious breakfast to start each day made the Abalone Inn a most memorable experience, one that we will long cherish.
Thanks Dona for the memories. John & Ann

First, I have to say that Donna was really attentive, helpful and a very sweet lady. I was surprised to learn they actually stay in a tiny camper when the inn is full, so they are pretty dedicated.
I stayed in the Chicken room, or the side room with windows for viewing the chickens. This was pretty charming in the morning. Upon arrival (we were late) we got the tour as other’s described. I didn’t see it as rules really, just a few quirky things to mind, but not really an issue for me. Removing shoes was hard to remember because I don’t do it at home, but I managed. The toilet paper thing was a little odd, but I knew about it ahead of time and expected it. Donna emphasized she would clean that daily, and she did. It wasn’t really something we thought about. She did have an ipod charger in the room (I saw that suggestion in another review– so she has updated!) and we were offered heat, which we did turn on the first night. The bed. well let’s just say it’s not very comfortable. That was really my only complaint. Another pillow or two would have been nice too. The tub was really nice, and relaxing. Donna was great about giving us suggestions as to where to eat, and where to visit. We did have breakfast both mornings, but not a ‘hot’ breakfast. I figured on Sunday morning it would be hot, but we got hard boiled eggs (from her chickens which was kinda neat) but I don’t eat hard boiled eggs so it was pretty much just yogurt and a muffin for me. For the price, I felt it was reasonable. Overall, 4 stars, I will most likely go back in a few years. It was very relaxing.. and if that is what you want, you will find it there. I think next time we may stay upstairs so we don’t hear the noise above. One cool thing about the chicken room though is it’s very private and it had a private entrance to the hot tub. I guess it just depends on what you want. I loved the house and the décor– you could tell it was a labor of love. I might go back in the winter next time just to compare.. Finally, we didn’t know about the checks or cash only. Something to note. Also, make sure you visit the oyster farm. that was really fun and a unique experience!

After reading the reviews on Unilocal about the Abalone Inn, I was a bit hesitant to book a romantic nights stay with my boyfriend. To put it frankly, I was kind of expecting a dump. I called around to see if there was anything else in the area but it was the least expensive option and we’re used to roughing it.
I was surprised when we arrived at the inn and saw that it wasn’t a dump at all — it’s really quite beautiful. There were cookies and tea sitting out in a kitchen-​like alcove, sherry in the sitting room, plus books and chachkas specific to Point Reyes. The room we stayed in was right off the main room; it was quiet, cozy and served us well. There was also an amazing hot tub that I would highly recommend.
The other great part about our stay was the owner, Donna, who is fabulous. She is clearly invested in her community and the politics of Point Reyes and I liked that when we mentioned where we were going for dinner (recommendation via Unilocal), she suggested an alternative. The restaurant was not only closer to the inn but supported the Point Reyes community in a way that the first choice did not. It’s locally owned and didn’t feel commercial.
The next morning we ate breakfast and she pulled out a map and circled point of interest. We followed her advice and went to almost every spot and had a great day eating oysters, hiking Pt. Reyes hills and visiting the lighthouse.
I would definitely stay at this inn again. The fact that you have to throw used tp in the trash and take off your shoes at the door were very minor inconveniences and did not detract from my relaxed and satisfying stay at this inn.

Relax those aching bike muscles in the sweet hot tub and get cozy in this wonderful Bed and Breakfast. The fantastic location and welcoming hosts made for an amazing Bay Area getaway weekend. Park your car, store your bikes and slip into a kimono for a night at The Abalone Inn.
We stayed in the attic suite complete with kitchenette and stunning views of Tomales Bay. It was a brisk clear night under a full moon and one made for snuggling under a warm quilt (think of bringing one if it gets chilly) in the spacious lounge area. Room to read your favorite book and snack on goodies bought at the nearby deli and bakery.
Give yourself over to fresh breakfasts and warm hospitality staying at The Abalone Inn. Don’t forget to pet Mr Zoo and cluck with some gregarious hens on your way to a great bike ride or an evening out in Point Reyes Station. We will be back and fully recommend that you check it out too.

Though it was several years ago that I stayed at the Abalone Inn, the experience is fresh in my mind. This place scared me and my husband off B and B’s for years. This year was our first attempt at returning to B and B’s; and it was the loveliness of our most recent stay that jogged my memory of this place.
Judging from the positive reviews here and on trip advisor, this place clearly has a niche (or the hostess has a lot of friends), and we were clearly not a part of the target demographic. Maybe it’s just too «establishment» of me, but the rules of this place were just too much for me. When staying at a hotel the proprietor should accommodate you, not the other way around. The first ten minutes of our visit were a litany of restrictions; the most bizarre of them being the no toilet paper in the toilet rule. I see that a lot of people have labeled this place «Eco-​friendly» but I don’t see what is Eco-​friendly about sending your feces to the local landfill rather than the local waste treatment plant. «Surely,» I thought as I looked the Abalone «this woman has updated her plumbing» but I see from the most recent reviews that she has not.
In addition, I was not impressed with the additions that had been made to the bathroom in our gran room. I’m not well aquatinted with bathroom construction, but I am fairly sure that shower floors should not bounce. I will say that the hostess is a very talented photographer, as they pictures of the inn are truly impressive. I was a little disappointed that the sunny pictures I thought were a sitting room were actually pictures of the bathroom. I don’t know about you, but I do not like to spend my leisure time sitting in the bathroom, especially a bathroom with a «sanitary can» in it.
In fairness, the dog was very sweet, and the breakfast was healthy, but I could have accomplished the same thing with five bucks and a trip to a farmers market.
Like I said, this place does have a clientele it caters to, but I wanted to warn off people like us who don’t fit into that group. If your idea of ecology sounds like the description above, knock yourself out. If you don’t like the idea of having someone hover over you while you are trying to eat, look somewhere else.

Dona is a wealth of information for your stay in Pt. Reyes, as she should, having operated this B&B for quite some time. It’s an old Victorian with character — the attic room which we stayed in was quite spacious. It doesn’t have the most modern of amenities, and yes, there are a lot of rules, but just see if breakfast in the sunny nook in the morning doesn’t put you in a good mood for the day! Extra plus — convenient location + the hot tub out back!