ALONG HIGHWAY 1 NORTH OF SAN FRANCISCO, INNS EMPHASIZE CREATURE COMFORTS THE COZY COAST.

Byline: Eric Noland Travel Editor

ALONG HIGHWAY 1 - Maybe it's just an illusion, a trick of the imagination, but the segment of Highway 1 that hugs the California coast north of San Francisco seems a bit harsher than its cousin to the south. Here, the onshore winds are stiffer, the fog thicker, the waves angrier, the tree-shrouded darkness deeper. Or so it seems.

But those willing to forsake the comparative ease of travel along adjacent U.S. 101 and take on this weather-beaten coastal squiggle might find that the forbidding elements are mitigated by a distinct sense of hospitality.

In addition to meadows, narrow coastal valleys, well-worn working farms, thick stands of trees - and the requisite breathtaking views of all-but-deserted stretches of coastline - this route features a string of charming roadside towns (Olema, Inverness Park, Point Reyes Station, Tomales, Westport), as well as numerous beach parks ideal for a picnic and a stroll.

And in recent years, it has gained acclaim for offering some fabulous accommodations.

No frilly, Victorian bed-and-breakfasts these. They are inns - stately old properties that have been meticulously refurbished and outfitted in the finest of feather beds, linens, wool blankets, down pillows. Many offer detached cottages for maximal privacy, with fireplaces and spacious soaking tubs.

Let the wind rip and the rain pelt the window. It's nice in here.

There is also food. Glorious food. Not willing to concede dining excellence to the Napa region, many miles inland, the inns have brought in innovative chefs keen on working with items grown or raised locally. Wine lists have been upgraded, many drawing on the impressive offerings of the nearby Anderson Valley.

To treat your palate to this, you can leave the car parked near your lodgings (you wouldn't want to brave that highway at night anyway) and simply stumble to the dining room at the appointed hour.

The concept is probably best exemplified by Manka's Inverness Lodge, located just off Highway 1 in Inverness, 35 miles north of San Francisco and on the very edge of tranquil Point Reyes National Seashore.

``There are these essential things you do every day - eating and going to bed,'' said owner Margaret Grade. ``Why not make them a celebration?''

Here, they are. Decadently so.

Grade, a former San Francisco neuropsychologist who gravitated to innkeeping in the early 1990s, says she was motivated in the planning stages by her own travel experiences as a businesswoman. She knew that when people in the professional world could free up a few days for a leisurely getaway, the last thing they wanted to do was skimp on the creature comforts.

The rooms and cabins in her 14-unit inn near the shore of Tomales Bay reflect this. The property was a hunting and fishing lodge in the early 1900s, and the current motif is faithful to it - with significant upgrades. It could be described as rustic chic.

We settled into Manka's Cabin late one July afternoon when a thick overcast had all but blotted out the sun. Settled in? Sank in is more like it.

Our living room featured a considerable stone fireplace (July on this coast feels like January in Southern California, so we soon had a blaze going). There were two worn-leather easy chairs, plus a couch covered in a red-plaid wool blanket. On the walls were ancient fishing gear, a giant deer's head over the fireplace and seven pairs of antlers on another wall. On the floor was a bearskin rug - a real one, claws and all.

There was an antique floor lamp, but unfortunately only one, such that a room that seemed perfectly suited for reading was noticeably ill-equipped for it.

The bathroom featured an enormous, 6-foot-long tub, an antique medicine cabinet made of steel (and well-stocked with towels, bath salts and other amenities). But the most intriguing feature of this room was an outdoor shower. That's right. You step out into a stall that is paved with flagstones and enclosed by a thick concrete wall - tall enough for privacy but sufficient to put you in company with the oak canopy and mature, 10-foot camellia shrubs as you linger beneath the sizzling stream.

Six of the rooms have outdoor showers - one, on the lodge's second's floor, that features a view of the bay. The side porch of Manka's Cabin, we were told later, will soon have an outdoor whirlpool tub on it.

Then there was the dining experience. Manka's subscribes to a restaurant philosophy pioneered nearly 30 years ago by the incomparable Chez Panisse in Berkeley: seek out fresh, local items and contort an ever- changing menu to fit them. Grade noted that she relies on 11 growers, three fishermen, some local small ranchers and ``a whole cadre of foragers.''

The bounty contributes to the kind of $48 prix-fixe dinner we savored on our night there: a soup made of tomatoes from two local gardens, local king salmon on French green beans (the best course on the menu), a savory sausage of local rabbit, a local lamb tenderloin cooked on a grill laid out in the lodge fireplace and a desert featuring strawberries and rhubarb. (A diner at the next table, who apparently had seen too many Disney movies, lamented the fact that her choices included rabbit - the menu promised that it would be served in ``bunny broth'' - and lamb.)

To retrieve our wine selection, the waitress stepped into a huge closet that doubles as a cellar. There are 340 bottles in there, many from small, boutique wineries within a 100-mile radius.

After such a feast, sleep came easily, especially given the obvious high quality of the bed, a thick feather bed atop the mattress - and a glimpse of the fireplace through the two, barn-like doors of the bedroom.

The next morning, coffee in the lodge was quickly offered to early risers. Newspapers were available, but it was much more intriguing just to poke around the room. It features twig-and-wicker furniture, Arts and Crafts lamps, more bearskins rugs. The walls are adorned with vintage fishing gear and old photos, and its shelves hold quite a collection of internally lit globe atlases - some of them so old they still include a Belgian Congo in Africa and list Thailand as Siam.

The previous day, we had briefly joined the forager brigade while killing time by the bay (check-in time is a rather late 4 p.m., and no one is permitted in a minute before then). Happening upon a wild, overgrown bramble loaded with fat blackberries, we picked a pint within just a few minutes. When we asked a front-desk clerk if they would be welcomed in the kitchen, we were told, ``Probably not,'' but our waitress at breakfast was infinitely more enthusiastic and whisked them off to the kitchen.

Manka's, for all of its charm, cannot offer a view of the ocean. For that, we continued our unhurried drive up Highway 1 (there is no other way to do it) and pulled to a stop at the Harbor House Inn in Elk, a dozen or so miles south of Mendocino.

The 10-room inn, originally the home of a lumber baron, dates to 1916 and features one of the most beguiling overlooks on this coast - a quiet cove sheltered by a series of islands and one natural arch, bordered to one side by a knife-edge ridge with cypress trees lined up in single file along its summit.

A riotous garden, accented here and there with wooden decks and Adirondack chairs, spreads out behind the inn toward the face of the bluff, and a series of paths and staircases provides access to the cove. You'll pass a waterfall on the way.

There is nothing quite like whiling away the late afternoon in one of those Adirondack chairs, sipping local wine and drinking in the sights and sounds of the setting: screeching sea birds, ocean swells ruffling the kelp beds and lapping against the rocks, a couple of hummingbirds doing a midair dance above a thick clump of the garden's orange nasturtiums.

A winter stay here three years ago was spent in Oceansong, a cottage that fronts the sea, and its plate-glass window and wood-burning stove gave us little cause to budge from our reading chairs. Since then, Sam and Elle Haynes have taken over the inn (he swapping real-estate development in Orange County for the innkeeping business) and instituted sweeping upgrades.

They replaced beds, linens and carpets, and outfitted the rooms with feather beds, down comforters, robes, CD players. And they're not nearly finished. The four cottages will be closed in January, Sam said, so that the bathrooms can be expanded and outfitted with whirlpool tubs.

When booking a room here, it might be advisable to spring for something facing the ocean. The house clings to a fairly narrow stretch of bluff between the highway and the cove, and on this trip, upon finding all the cottages booked, we had to settle for a road-facing room called Meadowview. The appointments were elegant, the bed enormous, but before we left, we were secretly referring to the room as Highwaysong - and we were dismayed to discover that the many logging trucks and road-repair vehicles begin rumbling along the highway before dawn.

The kitchen, overseen by former Napa-area chef Paul Ciardiello, features the big-flavor influences of northern Italy - plenty of mushrooms and hearty risottos. Dinner for two, included in the price of the room, was excellent, featuring a portobello mushroom ravioli appetizer and a grilled pork tenderloin main course. The only mild disappointment was a strawberry vinaigrette, which was candy-sweet and a poor match for the tangy feta cheese in a butter-lettuce salad.

The following day, after meandering north along the coast to the point where Highway 1 bends inland and rejoins U.S. 101, we doubled back to Heritage House in Little River, a few miles south of Mendocino.

It's a funky place, built in stages over 37 sprawling acres during the 121-year ownership of the Dennen family (which operated it as an inn for nearly 50 years before selling to the current owners in 1998). No two of the inn's 66 rooms are alike. Heck, no two buildings appear to be alike.

The place inspired and served as the location for ``Same Time, Next Year,'' the 1978 film featuring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn as furtive lovers. In fact, the cottage used for the movie has been split into two units, according to general manager Charles Dyke, one called Same Time, the other Next Year. ``They're in heavy demand,'' he said. ``It's amazing how many people relate to that movie.''

While overlooking these two cottages from the restaurant patio at breakfast, however, we noticed that some of the Heritage House's older guests seem fond of traipsing past the two units, video cameras rolling, so it might be a good idea to keep the curtains drawn.

As at Harbor House, some of the rooms here are a bit too close to the highway for comfort. For greater serenity, specify something at the west end of the property, where the only sound you'll hear will be waves crashing on the rocks below. Our room (one of five Carrousel units) featured appointments worthy of a Four Seasons hotel, including a wood-burning fireplace, double whirlpool tub beneath a skylight, double shower, and perhaps the finest feature of all: a weathered redwood deck with a sensational coastal view to the south.

The dining at Heritage House is of high quality, but not in the same league as Manka's, Harbor House, the Albion River Inn, the Stevenswood Lodge or the area's fine-dining pioneer, Cafe Beaujolais in Mendocino. At breakfast here, there is a nice service touch: Housekeeping is alerted the instant you give your name for a table, so that your room can be made up before you return.

The connect-the-dots lodging options of Highway 1 serve to enhance a driving trip along the north coast - which is pretty spectacular even without 300-thread-count sheets, commodious bathtubs and grilled lime-ginger prawns.

Along this 211-mile stretch, you can wander the broad, sandy swath that is Stinson Beach. Or descend the 300 steps to Point Reyes' 1870 lighthouse - which occupies arguably the windiest spot on the United States' Pacific coast. Or examine a former Russian trading outpost at Fort Ross.

It's also fun to delve into this coast's distant history as a movie location. Hitchcock's ``The Birds'' was filmed just off the highway in Bodega, and a drive past St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church might cause a chill to jangle down your spine. Meanwhile, the makers of ``Summer of '42'' and ``The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!'' opted for Mendocino because of its resemblance to a sleepy New England seaside village.

The key to enjoyment of this route is to allow plenty of time for exploration. If you see a sign indicating coastal access or a state beach park, turn down it and wander around. There are some delightful spots to stumble upon: Point Pierce (in Point Reyes National Seashore), Dillon Beach Road, Doran Park, Jug Handle State Reserve, Westport-Union Landing State Beach.

Particularly with the onset of winter, when the fog and rain settle in to stay, the winds pick up and the darkness descends at an early hour, an excursion here can provide equal parts peace and disquiet.

But at least when the sun goes down, the inns assure that there's no need to endure deprivation.

IF YOU GO

Some of the inns along the northern stretch of Highway 1 include breakfast in the accommodation, some include breakfast and dinner, and some include neither, so it's important to ask about this when making a reservation. Also, be advised that most require a minimum stay of two nights on weekends, three nights on major holidays.

Here is a sampling of inns known for combining pampering accommodations with fine dining. All prices listed are brochure rates. Some inns reduce rates for the off-season and for midweek stays; some offer packages:

--Manka's Inverness Lodge, Inverness. Rooms from $185. Phone: [phone]. Web: www.mankas.com.

--Harbor House Inn, Elk. Rooms from $205, breakfast and dinner included. After remodel in early 2001, bottom rate will rise to $295. (Note: Comparatively, the Harbor House offers a terrific deal. For non-guests, it charges $45 for dinner, $12 for breakfast. So if you subtract those costs from the room rate, a couple can spend the night here for $91. Phone: [phone]. Web: www.theharborhouseinn.com.

--Heritage House, Little River. Rooms from $125. Phone: [phone]. Web: www.heritagehouseinn.com.

--Albion River Inn, Albion. Rooms from $180, includes breakfast. Phone: [phone]. Web: www.albionriverinn.com.

--Stevenswood Lodge, Mendocino. Rooms from $125, includes breakfast. Phone: [phone]. Web: www.stevenswood.com.

CAPTION(S):

8 photos, box, map

Photo:

(1 -- color) A family frolics on an otherwise-deserted stretch of coastline at Westport-Union Landing State Beach.

(2 -- color) A quirky road sing guides guests to Manka's Inverness Lodge, which combines cozy accommodations with some of the best dining on the route.

(3 -- color) The Heritage House in Little River overlooks a rocky cove.

(4 -- color) St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Bodega was prominent in the filming of Hitchcock's chilling 1963 film ``The Birds.''

(5) The mouth of the Navarro River along California's north coast is one of many scenic vistas awaiting travelers who take on the challenges of Highway 1.

(6 -- 7) Above, the cypress trees overgrow several stretches of north Highway 1, sometimes creating a dark, cathedral-like effect. Left, the rear garden of the Harbor House in Elk overlooks a rocky cove.

(8) Manka's Cabin is one of the cozier lodging options at Manka's Inverness Lodge - especially when there is a blaze in the fireplace on a damp, chilly afternoon.

Eric Noland/Travel Editor

Box: If You Go (see text)

Map: Highway 1