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 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!

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!!

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.