We loved the place. The view was FANTASTIC, kitchen well equipped and property very comfortable. There is a dog nearby who barks sometimes during the day but was quiet all night!

It was nice, neat, and clean. Very happy to sit outside when it wasn’t raining. A nice place to land after a full day of excursions.

We enjoyed our stay at this cute and comfortable beach house in McKinleyville! Close to stores and restaurants but located in a quiet neighborhood with views of the river and ocean. Perfect size and amenities for our needs! Great communication with the owner!

Perfect location overlooking the water. Whales Tale Cabin was a comfortable and clean spot to stay while visiting various redwood forests. I hope to come back again!!!! Couldn’t have asked for a more convenient and relaxing place to stay.

Needed a relaxing place to stay during the down time, while attending a family wedding weekend. This place was perfect, private and relaxing.

The view was incredible. The house was immaculate. The only downside is the neighborhood- very mixed and rundown. The house is in need of updating : floors, cupboards, but the beds and furniture were comfy.

Clean and well-kept home was a great homebase for our family while exploring the Redwoods. Quiet neighborhood with great wildlife watching out the back door. Would highly recommend for anyone visiting the area!

Great view and great location as a jumping off point to several attractions in the area. With a family of 5, i appreciated how well-stocked and thought-out the house was. Can’t wait to return!

The Whales Tail was a perfect home base for my family of four to vacation in Humboldt County. It is truly a special place - right on the estuary, with a gorgeous view of both the river and the ocean, and all the birds that live there. The house boasts lots of windows and glass back doors, so you feel like you're outside when you're indoors. Sunsets are amazing, and you'll have use of a BBQ, fire pit, and hot tub. The house is clean and comfortable, with a well-equipped kitchen. The neighborhood is quiet and peaceful, with a corner store and walking trails along the river all in walking distance. 15 minutes to Eureka and Arcata. Couldn't have asked for a better location or better view!

Family vacation to Northern California from West Virginia. The views were great and it was fun watching the seals swim the Mad River. Everything was as described and comfortable. Thanks for sharing your home. Definitely recommend.

I have stayed on the Humboldt coast dozens of times, this is one of the best rentals I have been in. Very comfortable, cheerful, private, and with amazing views of the Mad River and the ocean

This VRBO is a little island nook on the ocean side in McKinleyville close to Arcata. While there are houses around it, it seems private due to the landscaping and mostly the dunes and ocean to the west. We arrived after a typical Lost Coast rain, unloaded-unpacked, and soaked in a gorgeous sunset. The early 1960’s architecture and decor brought me back to a more simple time. Like comfort food, we thoroughly enjoyed this house. It was super clean, and was so well appointed with appliances and the small items you would have at home. The host provided an excellent detailed list to things to do behind the Redwood curtain. We loved staying here, and it was the best VRBO not only of our trip but also in the last 8 years. Thank you

The home is spacious and very clean and included many amenities for our Thanksgiving stay. The location is terrific and the backyard is perfection. We would love to stay again! Perfect for my small family!

The Whale’s Tale Cabin is beautifully situated where the Mad River meets the sea - and you can see and hear the ocean. Quiet, well appointed and comfortable - a perfect place for our family when visiting the north coast.

The property was immaculate and had a wonderful view! We loved the authentic mid century features of the cabin! My husband, daughter, and her boyfriend had a wonderful time exploring the area!

Second time staying here. Beautiful, well-appointed house and a killer view. What's not to love?

My three sisters and I have talked about a sisters get together for years… it finally happened and this location and house was the best place for us. It’s calming decor and delightful view, thoughtfully equipped kitchen, quiet location were the exact restorative qualities we hoped for. Thank you so much!

We loved the 60's feeling of the house, and found it to be very comfortable. The view out the back was beautiful! There were plenty of brochures and information about local attractions, and the owner was very responsive to our questions.

WHAT A HOUSE! WHAT A VIEW!! Every single second of our stay at The Whale's Tale could NOT have been more perfect. The photos of this house DO NOT do it justice! It is beautifully beautifully decorated with every single detail lavishly appointed. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! The only issue we had was NOT booking more days! CAN'T WAIT TO RETURN!!

This was a nice location to stay while visiting the Redwoods and beaches in Northern California. The house was nice and well kept.

We thoroughly enjoyed this property. It had a great beach vibe and the view was great. We stayed during spring break so there was some rainy weather, but still plenty to do in the surrounding area. The hot tub is a great feature and was well used despite the weather!

This house is spotless and comfortable in every way. The view is wonderful and for birdwatching unbelievable! Also an excellent location location for getting on the highway and visiting all the other wonderful towns and parks.

Richard and Joanne were very nice and gave us all the information we needed to enjoy our stay. Great place, just as advertised.

Absolutely beautiful and relaxing and just what we needed. Immaculate inside and out, stocked with all the essentials and the view... nothing like it. It was wonderful to visit Wales Tale twice this year and looking to return in the future. Thank you so much Richard!

Took lots of photos of birds off the back patio. Visited several Redwood Forrests and beaches. Great Redwood vacation. Comfortable home, very clean.

Wonderfully relaxing home as our base- while we explored the giant redwoods, remote expansive beaches and local breweries. The sounds of the waves crashing and birds talking added another layer. We had a great time! Highly recommend.

We had a wonderful stay at Whale's Tail. The house was impeccably clean, well stocked with everything we needed in the kitchen and bath and artfully decorated. We enjoyed sunsets that went on for ages perfectly in line with the quiet, beautifully landscaped backyard. The picnic table, hot tub and chairs made it the perfect place tov escape the heat from the southeast and enjoy the refreshingly cool evenings. It was the perfect place to land and spend time together in the evenings after exploring the beaches and Redwoods nearby. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed the space. We loved all the ways mid-century touches are combined with a restful, minimalist vibe. My only complaint is the distance this gem is from us North Carolinians! Thank you Richard for opening up your lovely home to travelers like us who long for a bit of home away from home.

We enjoyed our stay so much!!

Well kept, lovely house with a view of river and ocean. Communication was the only difficulty. We never received the email with check in details. I called the owner on our way to the property. He was gracious and helpful an gave me the code for the key box as well as informing me of the slightly earlier check out time as compared to the initial information. I called him back the day before we left with questions about check out and to let him know about the running toilet but never heard back from him so we cleaned thoroughly and left a note about the toilet. The house was very well equipped and lovely with comfortable mattresses. My only concern was the communication difficulty.

We loved this house. It is right by the water, you can sit outside and hear the ocean. House itself is clean and well maintained, kitchen well stocked. Neighborhood is quite, didn't see or hear the neighbors. Not many restaurants in the town so be prepared to drive a little for dinning. There is grocery shopping close by though.

Words cannot describe our stay at Whales Tale. Thank you Richard for such a lovely home. My 2 best gals and I enjoyed every moment from the immaculate interior, super clean, gorgeous bedrooms and the view was phenomenal and very hard to leave. I highly recommend this perfect beach cottage. Looking forward to returning.

We stayed 6 nights and had a wonderful time. We split our days between staying local and seeing the sights and visiting nearby Redwoods NP/SP sites. But in particular we enjoyed the beautiful, quiet location of the cottage. It was very spacious, very clean and had all we needed for a really nice stay. We would definitely visit again.