Superior Suite, Ensuite (Fountain Suite) | View from property
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Reviews of Shaw House Inn

3 out of 5
Shaw House Inn
703 Main Street, PO Box 1369, Ferndale, CA

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 93 out of 180 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 61 out of 180 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 17 out of 180 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 180 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 180 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Sanjay

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our stay at Show House Inn was a great experience. This old house has its charm and coziness inside and outside. Staff is very friendly and cooperative. Nicole was very resourceful about nearby areas to explore in Ferndale. we had a memorable stay here. Couple of suggestions: 1. Increase breakfast items. 2. Provide 220v, 30A charging plug for EV charging overnight
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Nancy

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Dave

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Amenities
This was an excellent inn. The food was superior. the room was nice. The ambiance was excellent.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Victorian wonderland!
Amazing inn in a beautiful location. Super friendly staff made us feel at home and the absolutely terrific breakfast every morning really fueled our site-seeing adventures throughout the days of our stay. Highly recommended!
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Chin To

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice vintage rooms, tasty breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mike

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This house is beautiful, and Paula is a wonderful host. She welcomed us and gave us a tour of the house, showed us all the places we could relax, invited us to enjoy macaroons, tea, coffee, water, sparkling water, fruit in the dining room and to wander the grounds at our leisure. Our room was the Orchard Room which opens on to a small deck with chairs to sit and enjoy the garden, in view of an historic apple tree planted in the 19th century. It has apples on it! Although our room shared a wall with another guest room, we barely heard the guests in that room. So quiet! Breakfast was simple and delicious with perfectly made skillet cornbread to accompany a wonderful Spanish flavored egg dish, fruit, granola, yogurt, juice, tea, coffee, and hot cocoa. There was a large dining table, but also tables in other rooms by windows to look out, and there were tables outside to eat and enjoy the garden. We saw deer in the garden in early evening. It is an easy walk into Victorian Ferndale to browse in shops and admire the Victorian architecture. So glad we stayed here, we want to return as soon as we can.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Duane

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

ELAINE

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Loved the charm of the house.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Christopher

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Wayne

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautifully maintained historic Inn in the heart of Ferndale. Quality antique furnishings inside. Massive old trees and beautiful gardens. Delicious gourmet breakfast from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., French toast was splendid. Friendly chef. Every afternoon the chef prepared a batch of chocolate chip cookies or other tasty snack. Plenty of areas to sit inside the main house. Just a 15 minute drive to the coast and a beach with lots of huge logs to sit on while watching the sunset. A quaint town to stay in while exploring the Avenue of Giants. Negative: our room (Isabella) had an exterior access on the far side of the house from the front door which would not have been convenient if it were raining. I believe most of the other rooms have interior access. The TV in our room was only a couple inches bigger than my laptop screen. We were not able to get it to work either but didn't ask for help and just used our laptop instead. A dog on a nearby property barked steadily ALL night long and kept us awake most of the first night. I'm sure that can't be helped but the second night it didn't bark or was taken inside and our sleep was much better. There was a rocking chair on our porch which would have been lovely to sit in but was so thoroughly covered in spider webs that we couldn't enjoy it.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place
Overall this place is lovely and the grounds are gorgeous. Small details like the hanging fruit basket in my shower that was to be used for toiletries and the tired looking carpet detracted a little bit from my overall experience. The breakfast was delicious and the staff was great. Would definitely go back.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

YANET

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This was a fantastic Inn in the heart of Ferndale. The host was very friendly, suggested places to visit and the breakfast was excellent. The room was very charming and very clean
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Geralyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
What a Lovely surprise!
This last minute stay in a town we discovered by accident was just lovely! Nice staff, pretty grounds, tasty breakfast— what else do you need!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Glynis Anne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Can’t wait to go back!
Highly recommend this Inn. Beautiful location, beautiful grounds and really lovely and welcoming staff. Unfortunately this is an old Victorian building and the water heater broke so we did not have any hot water. The management promptly refunded us $25 for the inconvenience. Thank you. We are looking forward to staying here again. (Ask for the downstairs room if you have problems with stairs. They are steep, authentic Victorian!) Good job, Shaw House Inn!
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kathleen

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Propeety was beautiful and bery clean. Staff was awesome.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Russel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stepping back in time.
It was a nice experience . The grounds around the property are well kept. The inside was clean and interesting. People from the property were very nice and helpful. Steeps from town.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Carol

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great food, great location
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Harry and Gloria

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I liked the fact that it was close to town and that we could walk everywhere. The staff was wonderful and the breakfast and snacks were plentiful and delicious.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Top notch accommodations in a beautiful quiet town. The Shaw House provided exactly what we needed for a beautiful and relaxing vacation. Looking forward to staying here on our next trip.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Christine

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very surprised to see how beautiful this house is and how well maintained it is. Owner greets travelers and provides a tour as well as leaving healthy snacks available. Breakfast was delicious, homemade muffins and mini-quiches. Fruit, juice, coffee and tea available. Walking distance to the main downtown area.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021
Response from Paula and the Shaw House Fabulous staff on Jul 5, 2021
Dear Anonymous, Words like yours keep us going! Thank you for taking the time, and please, come again one day!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is an awesome property, well appointed and maintained. The hostess was so gracious, make us well totally at home. Definitely a place to visit again in the future.
Stayed 1 night in May 2021
Response from Paula and the "Shaw Girls" on May 20, 2021
We look forward to having you back. Maybe for a couple of cheery sunny days with some breakfast.

10/10 Excellent

Steve

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Romantic getaway
It was unique and romantic. The room for feminine, pink, and from another time. I took a bath in the massive claw footed tub and it was so relaxing. The bed had so many pillows, that I had more than i needed. The breakfast was delicious, fresh, and hot. I would recommend this place to a couple looking to spend an anniversary together, or celebrate a special event.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021
Response from Paula and our great staff on Apr 13, 2021
Thank you for choosing us as your place to stay. You were wonderful guests, and would love to have you back!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2020
Response from Paula on Nov 3, 2020
I don't know who you are Anonymous, but Thank You for taking the time to give us such good feedback! It keeps us smiling for sure.

4/10 Poor

Jon

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The photos online are NOT representing the reality. It was clean but very old and worn in comparison. The check in was good but breakfast and the rest of the staff experience was lacking. Not worth the prices they are charging.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

Matt

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2020
Response from Paula on Nov 3, 2020
So glad you two were happy, we love guests like you!

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2020

8/10 Good

Steve, Santa Rosa, Ca

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Found the bed to be way to soft and as person with back issue did cause some pain, also getting in and out of deep tub that is slippery with no grab bars was very tricky. But over all liked the Shaw House and manager
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

Julia

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

margaret

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very well kept. Oozes charm. A special experience.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020
Response from Paula , Shaw House on Jul 30, 2020
We're so glad you stayed with us!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020
Response from Paula, Shaw House on Jul 28, 2020
Thanks for staying with us!

8/10 Good

Alfredo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The person that received us was very nice. She took the time to explain everything around the house, and overall a beautiful, peaceful facility. Here are my issues. First, the TV did not work. I tried everything in the instructions with no luck. Breakfast was very limited due to COVID 19. One of the main reasons for our stayed here was due to the great reviews of the breakfast. In my humble opinion, a better breakfast could have been served. Lastly, the room was hot, and it was really nice outside. The window would open, but you had to place a trash can to hold open. Something was definitely wrong with the window.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2020
Response from Paula - Shaw House Inn on Jul 9, 2020
I wish you'd told us about the tv. It's on a wireless fire stick and may have been able to be rebooted. Since you were here though, I have ordered a fancy new router which will arrive today I hope. But not in time for you, and we're sorry. Covid is requiring many new limiting behaviors including sacrificing our breakfast service. We've given a thorough description of our offerings on our website and reduced the room rates by about $20 per room to reflect that.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020
Response from Paula,+ Emily, Martha and Maria on Jul 4, 2020
Thank You!!

10/10 Excellent

Jay

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A Delightful Inn
Just a wonderful location and very nice people (and animals if you include the dear that came through).
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Paula on Mar 1, 2020
Thanks for staying with us and taking the time to write this nice review. We really appreciate it.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A nice old fashioned place to stay. Bacon could have been cooked more.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Paula on Dec 24, 2019
Thanks for staying with us and the feedback. A word with our chef is now on the list. Merry Christmas!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019
Response from Paula on Dec 23, 2019
Thanks for staying with us and so glad to know you enjoyed your time here!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The house is incredible and the large lot has gorgeous big trees and lovely outdoor space that guests are encouraged to enjoy. The rooms are very pretty and romantic and the breakfasts are delicious. A real Victorian stay in a Victoria town full of history. Definitely worth the trip.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Paula and the best staff in the world. on Sep 18, 2019
Thank you for your very nice words. We're glad you enjoyed this home and took the time to say so!

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Paula on Sep 3, 2019
Thanks for staying with us!

8/10 Good

Frank

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Paula on Aug 20, 2019
Thanks for staying with us! We hope to see you again one day.

10/10 Excellent

Kenneth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent place... in every way!
Really amazing! My first B&B experience, and this made me a believer. Really great in every possible way!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Paula and the best staff in the world on Aug 15, 2019
You were a great guest! Thanks for the good words, they keep us happy!! Hopefully, we'll see you again one day.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Beautiful accomodations, very comfortable, super hostess!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Paula on Aug 11, 2019
Thank you for staying with us, we're so glad you enjoyed yourselves here. Please come again one day!

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ferndale gem!!
Fantastic house and excellent innkeeper. Delicious breakfast (& cookies!). Totally enjoyed the gorgeous yard & garden. I will be back here!! The various sitting rooms were perfect for reading, or just sitting and looking out the windows reflecting on what life here must have been like when the house was built.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Paula on Aug 11, 2019
Thanks Robert! Come again one day soon.

10/10 Excellent

robyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Spoiled
Whenever I go to Fortuna I always stay at The Shaw House. Very quaint. Personable and relaxing
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Paula, chef Linda, the girls and the cats on Aug 3, 2019
Thank you for choosing to stay with us, you are a delightful guest!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The old-style house was beautiful as were the grounds. The location was within walking distance of "downtown" (it's a small town) where there are several good restaurants and interesting shops. The breakfast was very good and plentiful. Beds were quite comfortable. The house could use some new paint, but that didn't detract from our stay.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Paula on Aug 2, 2019
We are glad you chose to stay with us! Linda is definitely a happy chef, you can taste it in her food. Come again one day. ps. Painting is making its way up the to do list.

6/10 Okay

James

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
So so
Very old and not well maintained,OK if you like old musty smelling houses
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Paula and hardworking staff on Jul 31, 2019
You're right, it is a very old home. But we have to disagree with you. This home is kept spotless, it does not smell old and musty, that it does not has been commented many times. We spend a lot on yearly maintenance, so that isn't acceptable either. We were glad to have you stay with us, and hope the rest of your trip was enjoyable.

8/10 Good

707Lioness, Ukiah

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Property was set back on a huge lot with beautiful gardens. Room was quiet & we had a tub in the actual room. Tv had an Amazon fire stick which didn’t work quite as we expected; we thought we could get espn but turned out we had to create an account to view it. Would have been nice to know which apps we could use on the tv & which apps we would need to sign into. Breakfast was delicious & location was great super close to downtown.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Paula on Jul 31, 2019
Oops, I'm sorry about ESPN. I would've created an account for you had I realized. We're glad you enjoyed the house and breakfast, and glad to have you here too. Please come again one day.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff, unique rooms, & delicious breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Paula on Jul 29, 2019
We are glad you stayed with us, please come again!

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Staff, Shaw House Inn on Jul 25, 2019
We were glad to have you stay with us.